Giving

The untimely death of Mike has left a void in the mission work at Harbert Hills. The family, spearheaded by his sister Marlynn (Manuel) Banta, has decided to establish a special fund for missions in memory of Mike. "The Magenlino (Mr. Mike) Manuel Missions Fund". The objective is "To provide financial support for students and staff of Harbert Hills Academy who cannot afford to participate in school-approved mission trips."

With years of use and wear the existing staff housing has been in need of a facelift for many years now. Our goal is to make sure that each of our staff families have a representative place to live while sacrificially serving the needs of Harbert Hills Academy. The plan is to replace the widows, add insulation, repaint, install new flooring, and generally update the interior of the homes. In some cases this project also means that a new roof and some exterior porch or deck area will be added. Progress is being made but in order to finish we still need your help. With 10 homes on the list for remodeling we have in progress or nearly completed 6 of them. Please consider this project as a vital need.

A major undertaking is to replace all 4 of the trailers we currently use for staff housing as well as construct 5 more staff homes and 1 additional guesthouse. The dirt work and site preparations for all sites are nearly complete and we are now preparing to begin the process of bringing utilities to each of these sites. The plan is to use the One-Day structures for the framing and to enclose the home. The homes will then be insulated and finished on the inside before final occupancy. This project will allow us to bring in much needed staff and to improve accommodations for those now living in trailers. Please consider a gift to help us with this project.

The effort to improve our agriculture program continues with the construction of 4 new greenhouses. With each greenhouse providing about 20,000 square feet of growing area, there will be ample space to extend the season for growing more of what we eat.

In addition, there are many other benefits, such as expanding the opportunities for students and teachers to work together, following the counsel we have in Fundamentals of Education, where Ellen White addresses this topic: “The natural and the spiritual are to be combined in the studies of our schools. The operations of agriculture illustrate the Bible lessons” (FE 375.1).

Of course, there is also the benefit of knowing where our food is coming from and the processes used to produce it, and it teaches the principles of self-reliance.

Please keep this project and our efforts in your prayers and consider a gift to help complete this project.

This past year we were able to plant over 100 new trees in the orchard and to start an area of grapes and raspberries as well. These additions demand that we bring power in to the area and upgrade an existing well to provide water during dry times of the year. In addition deer fencing has been started or completed for two of our growing areas to protect our crops from wildlife. Your gift in this area will increase productivity and assure that there will be ample food to harvest from what has been planted.

With over 80 students on campus things are crowded at every meal. There is an urgent need to enclose an existing concrete slab adjacent to our current dining room and provide additional space for staff and students to eat without being overcrowded. Please assist with this worthy endeavor. Many staff and students will be grateful.

The need for major maintenance for several of our staff houses cannot be ignored. Most of the homes were built in the 50’s and 60’s. In addition campus paving or repaving is needed. Please consider a generous gift to assist us with improving the Harbert Hills Academy campus.

The existing guesthouse was initially built in the early 1970’s. The remodel project in progress needs additional funding in order to be complete. Many families have enjoyed this facility over the years and it will prove a blessing to many others in the future as well as be a more comfortable place to stay. Please consider assisting to complete this project.

With the new Girl’s Dorm now complete it is necessary to provide an upgrade to the boy’s dorm. This past summer we repainted, replaced flooring, and built new bunks and desks for most of the rooms. The new windows will be installed during Christmas break this year and then we hope to begin construction of the lobby addition before summer. The boys will be very thankful when this project is complete. Please consider a gift to this project.

The Lord has blessed us with several pieces of new equipment for the A/V system in the chapel and a local sound engineer donated some of his services to assist in making sure the audio portion of the system was working properly. It is much easier to hear in the chapel now. The part of the project that needs to be completed is providing for the ability to live stream our services. With many international students it is important to get this feature in place. Many of the parents will enjoy seeing their children during worships and vesper programs. Please consider a gift to help us complete the streaming aspect of the A/V system.

After moving in to their new dorm the deans and girls have seen the need to provide for some outdoor exercise and recreation area near the dorm area instead of having the girls go to another area of campus. The plan is to provide an outdoor gathering and exercise area adjacent to the dorm. Your gift would be a blessing to help complete this project.