Light on the Hill’s Wish List

Thank you for your continued support of Light on the Hill! Your energetic and financial contributions are an important part of what makes Light on the Hill thrive as a place of beauty to open the heart.
We deeply appreciate unrestricted gifts to support our operating expenses during this difficult time. Click here to make a donation or purchase gift cards for future individual retreats.
We do also have a list of specific equipment, maintenance, and building improvements below. If you’d like to contribute something specific, the following items (and approximate costs) are organized in terms of priority. Donations can be made via check (mailed to Light on the Hill, 209 Blake Hill Rd, Van Etten NY 14889) or via Paypal on our website.
If you would like to discuss any of these needs, please feel free to email us at info@lightonthehill.org or give us a call at 607-589-4419.
Need | Approximate Cost | Notes |
Contributions to our contingency fund | Any amount | As Light on the Hill continues to grow and age, new repair and replacement needs surface. |
Repairs to zone valves and boiler pumps | $1200 | As equipment ages, the hot water heating system (now 15 yrs old) is no longer operating efficiently. |
New sander attachment for the tractor | $550 | We recently had to replace the sander attachment to keep the parking lot safe during the winter; this expense came out of our operating budget. |
Replace two exterior hallway doors in the Lodge | $3500/door | Multiple windy storms have pulled the doors open and bent the frames; this is also an opportunity to select new doors with latches. |
Woods Cottage deck rebuild | $2000 | Over time the ground has shifted and the support posts are no longer straight. |
Soundproof door with upper window between the dining room and Lodge hallway | TBD (awaiting quote, likely between $6,000-$10,000) | Noise from the kitchen can sometimes be heard by groups in the main meeting space; this is problematic for deep or silent meditations. |
Larger truck and steel plow | $40,000 | Our yellow truck has been doing a great job, but has always been undersized for the amount of snow plowing required – the clutch wears out and needs frequent replacement. At some point in the future we will need a new truck, and a larger truck and plow could be appropriately sized for the property’s needs. |
Zero-turn mower | $12,000 | We currently use the tractor to mow, which is awkward around trees and slower than would be the case with a zero-turn mower. LOH has a big lawn! |
Additional funding to install solar panels for the Meadow Cottage | $8,000 | Installing solar panels would enable the Meadow Cottage to host people with medical devices who need constant electricity and would also reduce fossil fuel use. |