We\r\nfounded the non-profit Dervaes Institute in 2006 to support and expand\r\nthe earth stewardship outreach activities of Path to Freedom. Through Path to Freedom, with the financial support of the Dervaes\r\nInstitute, we seek to inspire others to live simpler, ecologically\r\nsustainable, self-sufficient lives. Since 2001, we have sought\r\nto help others through the website and various outreach activities.\r\nVisitors to the site find freely-offered advice, examples, ideas, and\r\ntips based on our years of experience as homesteaders; they can also\r\nmake contacts with others who are striving to live sustainably.
Our\r\npublic outreach activities have included the design, printing, and\r\ndistribution of brochures, presentation materials, and displays;\r\nparticipation in conferences and festivals; distribution of\r\neducational, “do-it-yourself” materials; presentations at schools and\r\ncommunity groups; and screenings of eco-documentaries.
From\r\n1999 to 2006, outreach expenses were funded out-of-pocket by us. The\r\nsole exceptions were donations received at events we hosted on the\r\nhomestead starting in 2004, but these funds often covered only the cost\r\nof promotional expenses, time, licensing fees, and honoraria for\r\nvisiting presenters.
In addition to outreach costs, the growth of\r\nthe Path to Freedom website and the subsequent increase of bandwidth\r\nuse have led to major cost increases. Over the years, we have absorbed\r\nthe dramatically increased transfer fees for the more expensive Web\r\nhosting plans required to handle the number of visitors the site now\r\nreceives. The Path to Freedom website currently uses the top commerce\r\nplan (the next step being a costly dedicated server) and still runs\r\nmonthly overage charges. The hosting and overage costs combined amount\r\nto more than $2,000 a year.
No\r\nlonger able to fund the website and outreach activities on our own, we\r\ndecided to forge a ‘separate path’ to secure financial support for our\r\noutreach work. In 2006 we established Dervaes Institute, an earth\r\nstewardship ministry named in loving memory of the late Jules Dervaes,\r\nSr. As a registered California Corporation Sole, Dervaes Institute\r\nfalls under the jurisdiction of the State of California Corporations\r\nSole Code, 508(c)(1)(A) status, and holds the funds for the outreach\r\nactivities of Path to Freedom.
What does this mean? In short, it\r\nmeans your donations for Path to Freedom’s outreach activities, which\r\ninclude the website, events, displays, and brochures, are\r\ntax-deductible through the Dervaes Institute. Donations go into a\r\nseparate account that is subject to review according to the\r\njurisdiction and laws of the State of California Corporations Sole\r\nCode, 508(c)(1)(A).
We have\r\noften been asked why we chose not to make Path to Freedom a\r\nfull-fledged nonprofit organization. While it is possible we could have\r\nachieved more as a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization, doing so would\r\nhave entailed the involvement of a governing board and substantial\r\noutside resources. We didn’t want our impact through Path to Freedom to\r\nbe dependent on grants, memberships, tours, or the ‘lecture circuit,’\r\nas these activities would detract from the significant time and effort\r\nrequired to operate a viable homestead.
Ultimately, we decided\r\nthat we wanted Path to Freedom to be a true example of a single,\r\nordinary family living a self-sufficient, sustainable life through the\r\ntoil of their hands and the innovation of their minds. Although we have\r\nexpanded our outreach activities through the years, we have retained\r\nthis independent, ‘down-home’ spirit. Path to Freedom is our family’s\r\njourney—the journey of a lifetime—and we want it to stand on its own.
We\r\nstrongly believe that our work through Path to Freedom, and now Dervaes\r\nInstitute, is a way of life with a mission of earth stewardship. We\r\nstrive to live by example. Our community outreach is the natural\r\nextension of our belief that we should care for the earth and all that\r\nits resources and inhabitants. We thank you very much for your support!
Links:
[1] http://urbanhomestead.org/sites/default/files/cat-img/urban-homestead-honeybee_0.jpg
