BRATTLEBORO — Bridie Carmichael is not a typical 16-year-old girl.
She plays drums in the Brattleboro Union High School band and was part of the band's trip to Washington D.C. for the inauguration of Barack Obama last year.
She started her own a capella group called “Renegade.”
She's on the softball team, but that's just the beginning.
Jane Noyes of Dummerston has known Carmichael since she was an 8 years old taking piano lessons at the Brattleboro Music Center, where Noyes worked at the time. “This kid has a work ethic that is unmatched. She's one of those kids who you just know is going to make it big in this world,” said Noyes.
With so many accomplishments at such a tender age, it might not seem surprising that Bridie Carmichael is now planning her biggest adventure to date.
“My greatest passion is the outdoors,” she said. “I enjoy fishing, fly tying, hunting, and want to study our interdependence with nature. I feel strongly that we all need to pay attention to these things so that they'll be there for generations to come. My dream for this January is to attend Kroka-Expedition's NH-VT Semester,” said Carmichael.
The Kroka Expedition program is a five-month adventure in the Vermont and New Hampshire wilderness. Participating students ski the Catamount Trail from southern Vermont all the way to the Canadian border. They prepare by dehydrating and preserving a lot of the foods that they will eat on the trip. In the spring, after they make their own pack baskets, their own wood and canvas canoes and their own paddles, they return home via the Connecticut River.
For their efforts, each of the students earns all the necessary credits for their semester while traveling. Kroka calls the semester “an accomplishment that will profoundly change your life.”
Noyes joined the small support group Carmichael organized to help raise the funds for her trip.
“Bridie needs to raise all the funds herself, and I am part of the committee of people who wanted to support this amazing 16-year-old to raise the necessary $13,000 to get her into this program,” said Noyes. “Bridie has a big heart and isn't afraid of hard work.”
While Noyes and other group members were attempting to raise the funds, “she also asked us to up the goal to $15,000 so that she could help raise the money for the next student who wanted to go,” said Noyes. “Here is this 16-year-old kid, who in the middle of attempting to fulfill a personal educational dream, still thinking of others. I was so impressed by that.”
So far, the fundraising committee has sent out individual appeal letters, hosted a spaghetti dinner last February, held a Father's Day Pancake Breakfast, did a car wash, and an “Ice-Cream and Improv” event. To date, Carmichael has raised $4,250. She is eligible for $3,900 in scholarship money from Kroka Expeditions, which she had hoped not to have to take.
This leaves $4,850 left to raise. She will also need about $2,000 worth of equipment that she hopes to borrow or find used, and is trying to put by more of the food she would otherwise have to purchase.
Marina and Joe Coneeny live in Walpole, N.H., and are also part of Carmichael's fundraising committee.
“We got to know Bridie when our daughter Meagan began taking voice lessons from Bridie's mother, Kristen Carmichael Bowers,” Marina Coneeny said, describing Carmichael as “a really gutsy person who has unusual interests.”
The Coneenys believe that Carmichael “should have the opportunity to explore her interests in a nontraditional learning environment,” she said. “She is a combination of rugged, and caring. She is determined when she peruses anything that interests her, from music to nature. She is already a role model to her peers. So many of her friends have participated in our fund raisers to help her meet her goal.”
Even with so many successes, the committee is worried that they might not be able to meet their financial goals before the January program at Kroka begins.
“Even though so many people have been supportive,” says Noyes, “with the economy as it is, and with so many people who need help right now, we're behind. We'd all hate to come this far and not be able to give this girl the experience she so deserves. Everything is a go except the remainder of the funding. We're fortunate that BUHS is broad-minded enough to allow Bridie to do a semester in the wilderness. She's a student who knows how she needs to learn.”
For Carmichael's part, she is far from giving up.
“I'm so appreciative of all the efforts that so many people have already given to me. And I'm two thirds of the way there, so I'm just going to keep moving forward,” she said.
Marina Coneeny isn't giving up, either.
“You never know when you help someone like Bridie what will happen,” she said. “Bridie will be teaching people about the environment in her future profession as she wants to continue these kinds of studies in college. I think if you believe enough in her to help her go all the way, who knows what she'll be able to accomplish and who knows what lives she'll touch along the way?”
In her fundraising letters, Carmichael included a list of work that she is willing to do to earn money for her fund.
She offers babysitting services, yard work and wood stacking, catering help, beginning drum lessons, car detailing and pet sitting. The services are priced at hourly rates ranging from $7 to $12, with flat fees for some activities.
“I've always been passionate about exploring the outdoors and wildlife, and now that I've gotten older, I love teaching what I've learned to others,” she said. “This summer, I worked as a junior counselor at Green Mountain Conservation Camp and was also the nature counselor at Green Mountain Camp for Girls. I have been a participant in Kroka's summer programs before, and I'm looking forward to a much more challenging semester of learning.”
“One way or another, I'm going to continue to work hard to make this happen,” Carmichael added. “Giving back is important. I plan to give presentations in schools, local libraries and to organizations that donate when I return. I will share what I have learned on my expedition with the community that so generously supported me.”
Those who wish to support “Bridie's Big Adventure” can help in a number of ways. Individual donations can be sent to: Bridie's Big Adventure, P.O. Box 464, West Dummerston, VT 05357. More information can also be found on her web site and blog at bridiesbigadventure.blogspot.com, where future fundraisers will also be announced.