When Helena “Lynn” Brown, a longtime resident of Cooper, passed last winter, an important and irreplaceable part of our community went with her. Over her lifetime she wore many hats: musician, educator, community volunteer, and town Selectperson, among many others. In all things, her joyful generosity of spirit and her values, including her commitment to the well-being of every person in our community, were at the forefront of her work and her life.
Lynn’s sense of purpose and commitment to serve were important parts of her identity. After graduating with a Master’s Degree in Divinity, she chose not to enter the church but the schools, working with disadvantaged youth in New York City before eventually moving here to Washington County and continuing to work to make life better for her neighbors. Lynn and her husband, Russ Warne, were well-known for their gatherings of music and dance up in Cooper, but they were also regularly part of our Cobscook Institute community as well–participating in programs, volunteering for events, and supporting our community however they could.
When Lynn’s sister, Susan Brown Eyster, and her family came to the area after Lynn’s passing, they visited campus to see first-hand what Lynn had shared with them–the excitement of this unusual public school environment and the ways it transforms the lives of our area’s youth through relationship-building, hands-on learning, and supportive whole-person education.
“We didn’t grow up in a family of educators,” Susan reflects. “But education was always important to us. Lynn had a strong sense of what was right and what was wrong, and that always included taking care of the people in your community who have less.”
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the people of our community are committed to taking care of each other. We know from long experience that the good times don’t always last and hard times can hit when we least expect them, so we learn to share what we have when we can and trust in our families and our neighbors when the situation calls for it.
In this spirit, Susan and her family have made an extraordinary gift to Cobscook Experiential Programs. Committing to ensuring CEP continues changing the lives of our community’s kids for another generation or more, she has given $50,000 to start an investment fund dedicated to ongoing support. As a public high school program offered through Calais High School, Cobscook Experiential Program partly relies on student tuition dollars provided by taxes to deliver programs and support teaching staff, but these funds cover only about half of what our innovative program requires. Since its launch, CEP has also relied on year-to-year contributions from generous organizations and individuals such as those found on the gratitude pages of this newsletter.
This investment fund, the Lynn Brown Memorial Fund, will be a consistent source of funds every year to guarantee our youth-orientated education work continues. The initial $50,000 gift will generate at least $2,000 in support each year–which means no later than 25 years from now, this gift will not only provide reliable support for our students’ learning but will generate support greater than the initial value of the gift. This is especially exciting as we celebrate the 25th year of the great experiment in community building that Cobscook Institute represents and look forward to the next 25 years.
Susan Eyster's gift serves as a testament to the enduring power of love and the impact of one individual's commitment to making a difference. This gift represents a legacy–a lasting impression in a material sense to mirror Lynn's enormous contributions to the people of this region–through her singing and music, joyous spirit, and selfless service to others.
We invite you to join Susan in building the long-term impact of the Lynn Brown Memorial Fund. Every donation, no matter the size, will play a crucial role in supporting Cobscook Institute's high school program and ensuring that Lynn's commitment to education and community service lives on.
To make a donation or learn more about the Lynn Brown Memorial Fund, please visit cobscook.me/donate. Together, we can continue Lynn's legacy and inspire the next generation to carry the torch of service and community building here in the Cobscook Bay region.
