Woman Creates $1.5M Endowment to Support Rink

A Kennebunk, Maine, woman has set up a $1.5 million endowment that ensures children in town have a safe place to hone their ice skating skills.

Geraldine Waterhouse's generosity sparked a fundraising campaign that has raised nearly $900,000 to build the 11,000-square-foot Waterhouse Pavilion, an open-air rink officials hope will bring more people downtown and support the local economy.

The Waterhouse endowment will generate an estimated $60,000 to $75,000 annually to maintain the facility and pay for educational and recreational activities.

A daylong celebration of the pavilion's completion is scheduled for Saturday.

Waterhouse tells the Portland Press Herald she was inspired by the memories of her own childhood in Montreal, when she, her siblings and friends would skate for hours.