Dobbins Bequest Means Big Changes
Space Solution!
For the EAC, the arrival of the Dobbins bequest was an indication that the universe was listening and responding. After nearly 30 years of borrowed or rented office space that was being outgrown at an unprecedented rate, the EAC was approaching a housing crisis. The search for a new home had begun, on a small scale, already. Volunteers had formed a committee to research possibilities, looking into rentals, co-ownership with another like-minded organization, and other options.
When Mark Butler got notification that EAC had received the third and last disbursement in February of 2003, bringing the total amount to $72,300, he knew already that this would be the key to get the EAC out of the cramped, crowded Argyle street location.
Susanna Fuller had been co-board chair when initial word of the bequest had arrived. Now she swung into action as a prime mover, and eventual project manager, of the greatest green renovation HRM had ever seen.
Catalyst for Big Change
The Dobbins bequest started the process of Fern Lane’s purchase and renovation. A generous deal with the O’Malley family, previous owners of the property, and the magnanimous ($132,500!) support of capital donors, saw the project through to its completion.
The renovation is documented in full on this website, and everyone is welcome to stop in for a tour of the office. Walk through the sunlit hallways and admire the craftsmanship and attention to detail in the incorporation of recycled materials, the truth windows that reveal the green inner workings, and the various wall finishes that lend the space a decorator aesthetic.
It’s important to keep in mind that all this was possible because of Betty Dobbins, a schoolteacher from Newfoundland. Mrs. Dobbins was not an EAC board chair, probably not even a member, judging from the extant archives we’ve been able to find*, but she cared enough about her values and respected the EAC enough to remember us in her will. With just 1/16 of her estate, Betty Dobbin changed the course of EAC history.
Leave a legacy of action, and help us serve long into the future by including the EAC in your will.
What great things will your bequest create?
*Archives over nearly forty years of an often-volunteer-run organization that's moved several times can be a spotty proposition!
The Ecology Action Centre has acted as a voice for Nova Scotia's environment for over 37 years. The EAC has been voted #1 Activist Organization by readers of The Coast magazine for six years running. Since 1971, the EAC has been working to build a healthier, more sustainable Nova Scotia.
Ecology Action Centre
2705 Fern Lane
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada B3K 4L3
Phone: (902) 429-2202
Fax: (902) 405-3716
Email: info@ecologyaction.ca
