PC Grad Building Farm that Gives and Gives Back

Providence College alumnus Bill Berret '92 has begun construction of a farm in southern Rhode Island that not only gives, but gives back. Berret, originally from Mystic, Conn., graduated with a degree in finance and moved to Florida following graduation. The project that brought him back to Rhode Island is Beaver Brook Farms, a destination farm with plans for a future filled with "classroom-in-the-corn" field trips for kids and a day spent pumpkin picking with the family. The farm is in the first of three phases, according to Berret, and work is progressing quickly: all the structures on the farm's land have been built within the last five weeks. This includes two storage sheds, a country store, and a full-size corn maze. "We plan on using a lot of the space for seasonal agriculture," Berret said. "We're looking at Christmas trees, holly, and blueberry bushes, to keep the farm open for different things year round." Beaver Brook Farms sits on 83 acres of land in Hope Valley, R.I., right off of I-95. Berret commented on how excited he was about the amount of frontage space the farm has, with almost all the fields visible from the highway. "Rhode Island is really pushing for destination farms, right now," Berret said. When asked why he decided to come back to Rhode Island after several years working in Florida's real estate market, he put an arm around his wife Vicky and said "We were really just looking for a change." But Beaver Brook doesn't just offer education to the community and seasonal fun for families: the corn maze, which Mr. Berret plans to open every year, raises funds for a local charity. Each year the maze will benefit a different charity, and the shape of the maze will be designed around the charity it benefits. This year's maze is in the shape of a helicopter in honor of Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, a charity system networked nationwide to assist Coast Guard servicemen and women and their families. "We aren't very big," said Erica Chapman, a marketing and development specialist for Coast Guard Mutual Assistance. "We're flexible. We help on as many levels as we can: the mom who can't afford diapers this month because she flew out to see her husband while he was on leave, the family who needs to fly across the country to go to the funeral of a loved one, providing interest-free loans to help pay a veteran's medical bills. We do everything we can to make the day-to-day lives of our servicemen a little bit easier." Next year, the corn maze will be in the shape of the Friars logo, and all funds will benefit the Brother Kevin O'Connell, O.P., Scholarship Fund. Berret had one parting remark for his alma mater: "Tell Fr. Shanley to work on his backhand, he owes me a racquetball rematch." Berret had apparently played Fr. Shanley several years before, but would not comment on whether he had won or lost the previous match.