These relationships (sometimes called social capital) sustained Foxfire when funders and partners had disappeared. Community members were quick to differentiate between the founder’s criminal behavior and the benefits they had enjoyed as Foxfire students. The remaining staff members stayed the course through amazingly intense upheavals. Many unknown people continued to purchase the Foxfire books and visit The Land. An attorney on the board provided pro bono legal services and expertise. Most important were the relationships that had grown over Foxfire’s history. Still, Foxfire persisted, thanks in part to excellent insurance coverage and a cash reserve deep enough to sustain some catastrophic losses.ĭemonstrating traditional weaving techniques for Foxfire students. Under strict legal supervision, the demoralized board and staff were hard pressed to reconstruct programs and outreach in a hostile environment. The scope and depth of the founder’s betrayal left a residue of anger, hurt, and distrust. In the years following the founder’s guilty plea, much of the energy and resource base Foxfire had built during its early years dissipated. Lesson #1: There’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. By adopting new stringent standards of protection for the students in its care, Foxfire became a model for other youth-serving organizations.Īs a Foxfire board member and a teacher of nonprofit leadership, I have learned a lot about nonprofit sustainability through my association with Foxfire. While the harm done by the founder’s betrayal cannot be undone, Foxfire’s board and staff assumed accountability and settled legal matters in ways that respected the privacy of those affected. Following this negotiated plea, the resulting corporate litigation, evidence of multiple wrongdoings, and settlements for damage to the victims who came forward brought an abrupt end to Foxfire’s early growth. Pleading guilty, he served one year in the local county jail, after which he retired to Florida.

In 1992 the organization’s charismatic founder was indicted for molesting a student in his care. Then, Foxfire experienced a significant challenge. Photo: Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia Collection This is book number 2 in the Foxfire Series series.Foxfire students filming Rabun County residents making pine tar.

Foxfire 2 by Eliot Wigginton