About Us

Forever Young Treehouses, a 501 c 3 corporation began in 1998, when financial advisor Bill Allen talked his friend Phil Trabulsy, MD, into building a treehouse at his home in Vermont. As members of the board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Vermont, they were particularly sensitive to the needs of children with disabilities and chronic illness.

The idea of a universally accessible treehouse began to take shape. After building a prototype at Yestermorrow Design/Build School, they approached Ted Kessler, founder of Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, a camp for kids with cancer. The Treehouse proved to be a perfect fit for the kids and the camp. Bill and Phil are proud that they have been able to help create places where people of all ages and abilities can play together and have a bird’s view of the world. Forever Young Treehouses believes their projects bring communities together like nothing else..

Read what Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center had to say about us: Page 1 - Page 2

Forever Young Treehouses Team

Bill Allen, Co-founder and Treehouse Advocate (bill@treehouses.org)
Bill has been building and encouraging others to build treehouses in one form or another for over 35 years. He is responsible for fundraising, marketing, public relations and site selection. Mr. Allen is a former insurance industry professional and has over 15 years of experience as a board member of numerous nonprofit and for profit organizations. He is married and has one boy.

Phil Trabulsy, Co-founder and Board President (phil@treehouses.org)
Phil has recently rediscovered his inner treehouse builder. A Co-founder of Forever Young Treehouses, he is an assistant professor of Orthopedics/Rehabilitation at Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, Vermont. He is a past board member of the Make-a-Wish Foundation chapter in Vermont, and serves as the President of Forever Young Treehouses. He is married and has three boys.

James "B'fer" Roth, Lead Treehouse Designer and Builder (bfer@treehouses.org)
B'fer has been instrumental in each and every constructed universally accessible treehouse to date. "B'fer's" experience as a rustic furniture maker has enabled each project to have its own unique character and functionality. He uses reclaimed forest materials. For several years, B'fer lived in his own treehouse where he wooed his future wife. They live in Warren with their daughter.

Eyrich Stauffer, Treehouse Guy (eyrichstauffer@hotmail.com)
Eyrich is the lead onsite project manager and designer for Forever Young. A former Program Manager with Yestermorrow Design/Build School, Eyrich was a volunteer on the first Forever Young Treehouses prototype. Eyrich's design projects include the Nay Aug Park Treehouse in Scranton, Penn., and the Laurel School Treehouse in Shaker Heights, Ohio

Dennis Campbell, Board Vice President (Campy1210@aol.com)
Dennis, life-long resident of Vermont has been an owner of a number of successful businesses since 1975, including a restaurant, wholesales distribution company and retail shops. Dennis is involved with several youth athletic programs.

Daniel Thompson, Board Treasurer
Dan is a partner with the accounting firm Kittell, Branagan and Sargent. Dan’s volunteer experience includes time spent as the treasurer of the Make A Wish Foundation of Vermont, treasurer of Franklin County Home Health and the March of Dimes of Vermont.

Julie Richards, Board Member
Julie is a full time employee of Champlain College, volunteers at special events for non-profit organizations, is a mentor with the Everybody Wins! Program, and works with her husband on the many businesses that he operates. She resides in Burlington with her husband and two boys.

Chris Haake, Treehouse Guy(treemnky@aol.com)
One of our lead builders and treehouse construction educators, Chris led the team at Bethesda Lutheran Home Services and Cradle Beach, and is supervising the crew at Charles Wilson Park in Torrance. Chris is a transplanted New Jerseyite and was part of the Treehouse teams at Hole in the Wall Gang, James' Treehouse, Crotched Mountain, Candlelight Ranch, Bethesda Lutheran and Oakledge. He never has a bad day but lets others have them if they want

David Rasmussen, Lead Builder (yurtstead@yahoo.com)
David was an integral part of the beauty and ingenuity of the Charles Wilson Park Treehouse in Torrance, California. Combining craftsmanship with practicality, David brings attention to all details of our projects. He is presently leading the crew at Citizen’s Park in Barrington, Illinois. David is an accomplished artist and an instructor at Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren Vermont.

Carrie MacKillop, Treehouse Advocate (Carrie@treehouses.org)
Carrie has been an advocate for kids and adults with special needs since 1996, through her work as board chair for VSA Arts Vermont. She works with clients developing marketing, fundraising and public relation strategies. She co-owns Muddy Waters coffeehouse in Burlington with her husband, Mark. They live in Charlotte with their three kids, two dogs and one cat.

Zeb Carlson, Web Site(zcartist@yahoo.com)
Zeb is the newest member of the team. He lives in So. Burlington.

Job Opportunities
Forever Young Treehouses is always looking for people interested in helping us build our Treehouses all over the country. Please log onto to www.thesca.org to review our internship offerings.