SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – On a Friday afternoon during the height of the 2008 financial crisis, Kindle Farm School Board President Ben Taggard made a phone call that would change the future of the school. His question was simple: Would Health Care & Rehabilitation Services (HCRS) consider bringing Kindle Farm School into its organization?
Like many small, mission-driven nonprofits during the recession, Kindle Farm School – an independent therapeutic school for boys in Newfane, Vt. – faced growing financial pressures while remaining deeply committed to serving students and families. Sustaining the school independently had become increasingly difficult.
HCRS, the community mental health agency serving Windham and Windsor counties, agreed to move forward, not because the decision was easy, but because leaders from both organizations recognized they shared a common mission: helping vulnerable young people succeed. They believed preserving Kindle Farm School mattered to the students, families, school districts, and communities that depended on it. That single decision changed the trajectory of the school.
By joining HCRS, Kindle Farm School gained the stability and organizational support needed to focus even more deeply on its mission. Expanded access to counseling, crisis services, case management, and coordinated clinical care strengthened support for students and families, while enhanced human resources, technology, facilities, and financial systems allowed teachers, clinicians, and staff to spend less time managing infrastructure and more time helping young people learn, heal, and succeed.
For Drew Gradinger, director, who has been with the school since 1998, the partnership’s greatest success has never been measured by additional resources.
“Many organizations worry that becoming part of a larger organization means losing what makes them special,” Gradinger said. “Our experience has been just the opposite. HCRS recognized the heart of Kindle Farm, the relationships, culture, and philosophy that define who we are, and gave us the support to strengthen those things rather than change them.”
Today, HCRS’ Kindle Farm School continues serving students in grades 3-12 from across Vermont and New Hampshire with the same relationship-centered philosophy that has guided the school since its founding in 1996.
“Some partnerships are about growth,” said Anne Bilodeau, chief executive officer of HCRS. “This partnership was about preserving something extraordinary. Kindle Farm School had already transformed the lives of countless young people, and our role was to ensure that work could continue and grow stronger. Thirty years later, we’re incredibly proud that Kindle Farm has remained true to its mission while benefiting from the strength and support of a larger organization.”
Looking back nearly two decades after that pivotal phone call, the decision represents far more than an organizational transition. It reflects a shared commitment to preserving a place where young people can rediscover confidence, rebuild relationships, and believe in their future. As Kindle Farm School celebrates its 30th anniversary, the partnership between Kindle Farm School and HCRS continues to demonstrate how organizations can grow stronger together while remaining deeply rooted in the mission that brought them together.