Join the celebration! ‘Friends Helping Friends’ at Blue Hills Reservation – October 15, 2024

2024 Annual Celebration: Friends Helping Friends

What: Annual event celebrating the Blue Hills Reservation and those who take care of it
Where: New England Base Camp, 411 Uniquity Road, Milton, MA 02186
When: Tuesday, October 15, 2024, 7-9 pm
Details: Details and tickets for this event may be found here: friendsofthebluehills.org/2024-annual-celebration

This year’s event theme “Friends Helping Friends,” captures perfectly the spirit behind the Friends of the Blue Hills (FBH), the nonprofit organization that has been protecting and preserving the Blue Hills Reservation since 1979. The public is invited to attend the event, being held for the first time within the borders of the park at New England Base Camp in Milton. There could be no better location to celebrate the forest than below its canopy.

As friends mix and mingle, there will be fun fundraising opportunities to help support efforts to care for the park. Attendees will enjoy food and drink from Norwood caterer Off the Vine as well as delicious pastries donated by Kondeiter Meister in Braintree (just steps away from the park).

In addition to the hot hors d’oeuvres and cash bar, people can bid on enticing items and experiences on offer in the online auction, find out firsthand which submissions (out of 130+) won the coveted 2024 Photo Contest, applaud the efforts of special honorees and purchase last-minute tickets for the ever-popular dinner raffle to win a catered meal for 6 atop the Blue Hills Observatory. This year’s restaurant partner is prestigious Northern Spy, located in Canton’s Paul Revere Heritage site.

This year’s event promises to be extra inspiring thanks to guest speaker, Mardi Fuller, who has earned her stripes as a seasoned explorer of the great outdoors. A Boston resident, Blue Hills hiker, and lifelong backcountry adventurer, she is the first known Black person to hike all 48 of New Hampshire’s high peaks in winter. She advocates for racial equity through writing, speaking, and community building while serving on the board of the Appalachian Club and writing for Outside Magazine, SKI Magazine, and the NRDC.

The Blue Hills Hiking Club (BHHC) is the 2024 community partner honoree, often called the most active hiking club in the Blue Hills. Over 6,600 members strong, the BHHC is blessed with hike leaders who provide nearly daily hikes–and sometimes multiple hikes a day–for varying abilities and interests. The BHHC prides itself on building and reinforcing a strong respect for the Blue Hills and the safety of all while providing a pleasant and healthy experience for its members. This is a mission that FBH applauds wholeheartedly. Event tickets are $60 per person up to the day of the event. Dinner raffle tickets are $20
each or 3 for $50.

About the Friends of the Blue Hills

The Friends of the Blue Hills (FBH) is a 1,400-member non-profit organization devoted to preserving and protecting the Blue Hills Reservation’s natural beauty, diverse natural habitats and many recreational opportunities. Formed in the mid-1970s by a group of people that recognized the vulnerability of the Reservation, FBH engages the public in activities that protect the park, increasing park resources and improving park management. FBH’s mission has remained intact for over 40 years: to protect and preserve the Blue Hills Reservation in its natural state.