Massachusetts Boy Raises $2,882 for Animals at Final Dartmouth Backyard Bash

What started as a simple backyard birthday party 10 years ago grew into something much bigger: a summer tradition filled with family, friends, neighbors, new faces, food, games, music, and most importantly, a whole lot of giving back.

On July 25, Rick and Tammy Galligo hosted their 10th and final backyard bash, bringing an emotional close to a decade-long tradition. Fittingly, 13-year-old Ashton Conlon once again made the celebration about helping animals, raising an incredible $2,882 for Little Patch of Heaven Animal Sanctuary on Mill Road in Fairhaven.

That total fell just shy of $3,000, but it far exceeded the goal Ashton and his family had set for themselves. The fundraiser goal was simple: raise more than last year. Last year, Ashton raised $2,000 for the Fairhaven Animal Shelter. This year, he pushed past that mark.

A Lemonade Stand That Became a Tradition

Ashton’s fundraising journey began during the third year of the summer bash, when he was just a little boy with a lemonade stand and a big heart. His first effort brought in only a couple hundred dollars.

Rather than letting that be the end of it, the family decided to bring the lemonade stand into the party, giving Ashton an even bigger audience and allowing guests to rally around his mission.

Dartmouth Boy Raises Money For Fairhaven Animal Shelter

For seven consecutive years, Ashton kept that lemonade stand going, watching the amount raised grow year after year. What began with a few hundred dollars ultimately became nearly $3,000, and while the money has always been important, the story of the Galligo family's annual summer bash has never been just about fundraising.

Ten Years of Summer Memories

What started as a birthday party for Rick became an annual tradition after he decided following that first celebration that he wanted to do it again the next year. Ten years later, the backyard bash had become something resembling a yearly neighborhood reunion that brought together longtime friends, family members, neighbors and even new faces.

Dartmouth Backyard Bash Lemonade Stand Animal Fundraiser

There was food brought by guests, games and activities for the kids, a DJ, plenty of laughter, a few wedding proposals here and there, and the kind of camaraderie that can be hard to put into words. For Rick and Tammy, seeing people return year after year meant everything, and for Ashton, the purpose was always clear: help animals.

This Year's Fundraiser Had a New Home

This year, Tammy reached out to Little Patch of Heaven Animal Sanctuary in Fairhaven, giving the family a new animal-focused organization to support with the proceeds. As the final bash came to an end, there was understandably a bittersweet feeling in the backyard. After 10 years, the tradition is officially over, but the memories aren't going anywhere.

Dartmouth Backyard Bash Lemonade Stand Animal Fundraiser

From a little boy making a few hundred dollars at a lemonade stand to a 13-year-old raising $2,882 for animals, Ashton has grown alongside the event itself. perhaps that's the perfect legacy for a birthday party that became so much more: people showing up, sharing what they have, having fun together and finding a way to make someone else's life a little better.

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Ten years, countless memories and nearly $3,000 for animals? That's not a bad way to say farewell to the backyard bash.