The Rachel Carson Homestead Association, Inc. (RCHA) was established in 1975 as a Pennsylvania charitable corporation with the purpose of preserving its namesake historic home for educating the public about Rachel Carson’s life and legacy. RCHA was granted 501(c)(3) status by the IRS.
Vision The RCHA envisions a more global understanding and appreciation of Rachel Carson’s environmental ethic.
Mission The mission of the RCHA is to preserve, restore, and interpret Rachel Carson’s birthplace; to design and implement environmental education programs aligned with Rachel Carson’s environmental ethic and her sense of wonder.
Our mission is to be addressed through the following goals near-term:
- The RCHA’s goal of educating the extended community is guided by Rachel Carson’s environmental ethic and sense of wonder. The scope and reach of educational programs and events are to be enlarged.
- We seek to continually expand awareness of Rachel Carson’s courage and legacy.
- Our over-arching goals are sustainability and balance:
- Financial sustainability in the form of endowments
- Human resource sustainability in board and staff development
- Balance in addressing both the needs of the physical historic house and in presenting and promoting Rachel Carson’s environmental ethic
- Maintain and restore the house.
- Develop plans for a visitor and educational center.
- Continue to offer tours, programs, outreach, and programs.
RCHA Values
Recognizing the honor of our role in fulfilling our mission to preserve this historic home, and in its role as a focal point in Rachel Carson’s legacy, we aspire to exemplify values that Rachel demonstrated throughout her life:
Integrity – We face our work and all constituents, including our donors, members, volunteers, and each other – with honesty and trustworthiness.
Loyalty – As directors, we respect the duty of loyalty which demands that we always act in the best interests of the organization.
Humility – Our humble role as stewards of the historic Homestead reflects Rachel’s call for humility, stewardship, and respect for the world of nature.
Sustainability – Respecting the “balance of nature,” we consider the consequences of our actions and choose wisely, respectful of our environment.
The RCHA adopted a non-discrimination policy, and a conflict of interest avoidance policy. RCHA operates with a diversity plan and ADA-compliant accessibility goals.
Governance – The RCHA complies with all IRS and Pennsylvania reporting regulations. Due to limited revenue in recent years, the latest full audit was completed in 2010. Please invest in the RCHA to fund the professional services. Click here to view our 2010 Audit Report.