BRIDGTON – Bridgton Academy’s Third Century Fund capital campaign took another step forward with the announcement of a Trustee Challenge, which could generate as much as $100,000 in new pledges.

The Third Century Fund is the most extensive fundraising effort in the history of Bridgton Academy. With a mission of providing a program for young men in a unique, one-year postgraduate environment, it is integral for the academy to offer the facilities and curriculum that best prepare its students for the competitive rigors of college and beyond. The Third Century Fund will enable Bridgton Academy to achieve these goals.

“You can see the impact of support on the physical capital of the academy from looking at the new humanities center on campus,” Pamela Specht, trustee and chairwoman of the Third Century Fund, told more than 20 board members in attendance at the recent annual meeting.

“What we want to do with this challenge is to continue cultivating the story within all of us of how this institution helped us and our sons. We also hope to foster and encourage dialogue as we address the physical and human capital needs of Bridgton Academy,” she said.

Headmaster David Hursty expressed his gratitude to the board of trustees for providing the “catalyst and the spark to help drive this campaign through a successful public phase.”

Hursty also commended Specht for her leadership, and her commitment to add an additional $50,000 to her pledge, for a total of $300,000, the highest amount pledged by one individual in this campaign and in the history of the academy. Together, the board of trustees has committed another $150,000 that will now match, dollar for dollar, every new gift and pledge to the Third Century Fund.

To learn more about the academy and the Third Century Fund, contact Patrick J. Tevlin in the Office of Alumni and Development at 647-3322, ext. 229, or [email protected].