Lighthouse School, WE CAN, HCT Benefit From Wequassett Donations

HARWICH – The Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School, WE CAN and the Harwich Conservation Trust will be the first beneficiaries of a new Community Impact Initiatives created by the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club. has created a Community Impact Initiative fund to help support local education, conservation and workforce vibrancy organizations.

The resort is charging a 1 percent fee per night for guests to assist local organizations. One hundred percent of the fees collected will be passed directly to local organizations and causes to create purposeful, positive change in the local community, according to a press release from the inn. While the fee is optional and can be waived, the monies will never go toward hotel operations, or expenses.

The funds raised in 2023 will be distributed to Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School, WE CAN, and Harwich Conservation Trust.

“First, I would like to mention how much I appreciate Wequassett’s Community Impact Initiative,” said Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School administrative assistant Hannah Kast. “I hope this model, where the tourism industry finds ways to connect to and give back to organizations serving our year-round community, grows. We’re lucky to be in a community where that happens. I’m thrilled that their staff thought to give back to a school. We are educating the next generation that will keep the tourism industry here on the Cape alive in the future.

“As for what we’ll do with the money, a lot of what makes our school unique costs more,” she added. “We’re committed to preserving grade level field trips for all students, maintaining our seminar program, and continuing to embed projects into the curriculum every chance we can. Any and all donations make these things easier for our staff.”

The Wequassett has long been a supporter of the Harwich Conservation Trust, said Executive Director Michael Lach.

“We are very grateful,” he said. “And their conservation-minded, forward-thinking philanthropy is timely as we strive to raise the remaining $300,000 for the Red River Valley Preserve Project.”

“We are grateful for this most generous donation from Wequassett,” said Lisa Guyon, Executive Director of WE CAN. “This gift will further WE CAN’s work to empower thousands of Cape Cod women with the support, knowledge and confidence to overcome challenges and build pathways to achieve stability and self-sufficiency.”

The donation will support legal, financial, and career consultations and workshops as well as personal development and small business support programs, she said.

A year ago, the Wequassett’s management made the decision to keep the resort open year-round as a commitment to economic vibrancy, both for the business and its employees, and for the larger community.

“Wequassett sees itself contributing to an environment where people can live and work and sustain themselves year-round on the Cape. Being a larger employer, we think that we have an opportunity to shift the needle, not just for Wequassett but for the town that we’re in and Cape Cod as well,” regional managing director Alton Chun said at the time.

The resort is planning a temporary closure from Jan. 2 to Feb 8 this winter to perform maintenance and renovations. Efforts to reach Chun for additional comment on the new fund were unsuccessful.