Youth in Washington County will have the opportunity to engage in more outdoor activities with the establishment of the Jeffrey A. Stanhope Foundation in memory of the late Perry resident. A fundraising event was held on March 22 at the Lobster Crate in Perry, netting approximately $7,000 to help launch the foundation.
      "It was overwhelming," says Kaloua Stanhope, who was Jeff's wife. "It went extremely well. The amount of support from the community -- from friends, family, businesses -- was fantastic." Around 160 people came to the event, an indoor ice fishing tournament with many prizes, Kaloua says. Sierra Morrison won the largest prize, a youth hunting rifle, and donated it back to Jeff's family. "I can't express enough how grateful I am for the generosity of our community."
      Jeff, who died tragically on May 20, 2024, while working with a town road crew in Perry, was passionate about outdoor sports and did everything he could to "pass on his knowledge to any kid who was interested," Kaloua says. "It was a huge part of who he was. He'd take them hunting, fishing, any sport that got them outside."
      The goal of the foundation is to "carry on what Jeff was doing," Kaloua says, including getting Washington County youth involved in hunting and fishing, providing scholarships to outdoor focused camps, giving outdoor safety lessons and distributing lifetime licenses down the road. "We just want to reach as many kids as possible."
      The idea for the foundation has been developing since Jeff's passing, but "grief really paralyzes you," Kaloua says. Last month, Jeff's nephew and his wife came by. "He said, 'Let's do it, let's get it going,'" she recalls. Now, it's not only Kaloua and their children who are involved, it's Jeff's siblings and their spouses, his nephew and spouse and more. "Many hands make light work."
      Donations to the Jeffrey A. Stanhope Foundation can be mailed to Kaloua Stanhope, 43 Loon Lane, Robbinston, ME 04671. The foundation is in the process of being established as a 501(c)(3). With any questions, please call Kaloua Stanhope at 207 214 4723.