Concord, NH - As a founding partner, Citizens Bank Foundation has awarded $25,000 to the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits (the Center) for the development of the NH Nonprofit Resource Platform designed to provide nonprofits with an abundance of online operational resources, training and cost saving programs.

“At Citizens Bank, we recognize that a strong non-profit sector is crucial to the health of our communities, said, Cathy Schmidt, president of Citizens Bank, New Hampshire.   “To be effective, nonprofits must operate with strong internal systems and have access to business management and operational tools and resources. This initiative will provide relevant resources to support the back office operations of nonprofits across the state- at a click of a mouse.”

The Nonprofit Resource Platform will be developed through collaboration between the Center, the NH Charitable Foundation and CCA for Social Good, a division of CCA Global Partners headquartered in Manchester.  CCA Global Partners has been helping collectives of small business industries across the United States with resources and business infrastructure services for more than twenty-five years.
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Manchester, NH - St. Mary's Bank recently gave $3,000 to Manchester Community College (MCC) to help support its English as a Second Language (ESL) Café. The funds will allow the college to host the café for another year.

"There are doctors, lawyers, machinists, cashiers and unemployed immigrants from the surrounding communities who have come to MCC’s ESL café to practice English in a nurturing environment where they can make mistakes without worrying about what others think,” said Tom Champagne, St. Mary’s Bank’s Director of Community Outreach. “We’re pleased to help MCC continue their work by giving those learning English a fun, safe place to meet with others in like situations."
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Portsmouth, NH – Piscataqua Savings Bank recently awarded $10,000 to Families First Health and Support Center to support the expansion of mobile dental services for the homeless.

The new mobile dental program builds on Families First’s experience over the past seven years in providing both mobile health care for the homeless, and dental care on-site at Families First community health center. A mobile dental team (dentist, dental assistant and hygienist) will go out once a week to provide dental services at Cross Roads House and other sites convenient for homeless people.
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Concord, NH - The New Hampshire Audubon Society hosted its 96th Annual Meeting at the Seacoast Science Center at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, NH on June 19 and 20. More than 70 NH Audubon members and friends enjoyed hikes, good fellowship, and celebrated the work that NH Audubon has accomplished this year—most of which would not have been possible without the dedication of its volunteers.
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Manchester, NH - St. Mary’s Bank recently gave $3,000 to Pastoral Counseling Services (PCS) of New Hampshire to help fund the nonprofit organization’s marketing outreach and rebranding efforts.

“The health of individuals and families in our communities is so important,” said Tom Champagne, St. Mary’s Bank’s Director of Community Outreach. “We’re pleased to support PCS as they provide much-needed services to the children and adults of New Hampshire, and we believe a strategic marketing effort will help them strengthen their identity and give them a more focused, mission-based plan.”

The Children’s Alliance of New Hampshire is pleased to announce that John DeJoie will be the new Advocacy and Outreach consultant for the NH Child Advocacy Network (NH CAN) program beginning the week of August 9. 

John DeJoie served four terms in the House of Representatives, representing Concord from 2002–2010.  As a legislator, John sat on a number of committees including the Finance Committee from 2007 – 2010.   From 2009 – 2010, John was the Vice Chair of the Finance Committee’s Division III which oversees the budget of the Department of Health and Human Services.  John is particularly proud of his work on the legislative initiatives that created a NH Autism registry, Michelle’s Law allowing young adults to remain on their parent’s health insurance policy until age 26, and the NH Rx advantage program.
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Serenity Place, Manchester’s addiction crisis and education center, has hired Natasha Dube as Controller, assuming responsibility for all areas of finance and human resources at the nonprofit.  Ms. Dube most recently held the position of staff accountant at the nonprofit New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority where she was responsible for finances, Human Resources and facilities management. She has also been on staff as Business Manager with New Hampshire Healthy Kids and at the law firms of Devine Millimet & Branch in Manchester and Hanify King in Boston in accounting and finance.
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Manchester, NH - Citizens Bank and WMUR-TV have named the Northern Forest Center as their 2010 third quarter Champion in Action® in the area of environmental impact. As part of the award, the Northern Forest Center will receive a $25,000 grant, media coverage, and extensive promotional and volunteer support for its dedication and commitment to improving the environment.
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Reflections on Closing the Doors for Good
by Christine Davis, Executive Director, Women's Business Center
July 26, 2010
After 15 years of serving the community the Women’s Business Center will be closing their doors on August 31st. While I have only been with the organization since January 2009 I have had the good fortune of witnessing the positive impact the WBC has had on countless women entrepreneurs. I was hired just in time to experience the recession in all its glory and the last year and a half has been a real roller coaster of emotions. I have never worked so intensely to keep an organization financially viable as I did over these past 18 months. I wasn’t alone in my endeavors. No matter what I asked of my staff they did it and gave 100%. I also had a board of directors who were invested in our success and who contributed their time, talent and treasure to the WBC. I felt that if anyone could weather this storm we could. We had the talent and the drive and I believed that would get us through it all. I was wrong.
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Manchester, NH - St. Mary's Bank today announced it gave $2,500 to Amoskeag Business Incubator (ABI), a non-profit organization which provides professional office space, technical assistance and other resources to small companies to help them grow and prosper. ABI plans to use the funds to hire an AmeriCorps VISTA member, a volunteer who commits to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency and supports the community in various ways. At ABI, the VISTA member will be responsible for expanding services and resources available to the incubator’s businesses.
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Concord – Goodwill Industries of Northern New England has been named a sub-grantee of the Second Chance Act funding awarded to the Office of the New Hampshire Attorney General. The federal Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) granted the Attorney General’s office and the NH Department of Corrections (NHDOC) $400,000 to help reduce recidivism by 50% for targeted populations over the next five years, while enhancing public safety.
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The 2010 Summit will kick off with what promises to be a fascinating conversation with one of New Hampshire’s most respected nonprofit leaders, John E. Hoffman, Jr.

New Hampshire Public Radio personality Virginia Prescott will interview John about his journey from his days as an international corporate attorney leading our nation’s efforts to negotiate the release of the Iranian hostages in 1981, to his current vocation working with many New Hampshire nonprofits as a catalyst for collaboration and change. John will reflect on how his views on the art of leadership have evolved over his career.
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The New Hampshire Association for Justice, a statewide nonprofit association of trial attorneys committed to equal access to the courts and justice for all, elects new President and Officers for the Board of Governors, together with four new board appointments.
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Portsmouth, NH - The Music Hall, the landmark Victorian theater located in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire, recently held its annual board retreat and strategic planning session, during which it voted in two new board members for the 2010-2011 year. Jay McSharry, local restaurateur and Barbara Henry, former newspaper publisher, have been named to The Music Hall Board of Trustees. They will help to further The Music Hall's mission to build community and support the development of Portsmouth as a major regional arts and cultural force.
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Dover, NH – Thanks to a $60,000 grant from Jane’s Trust, the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire will be able to welcome hundreds more children, families and schools facing challenging circumstances during the coming year. The Jane’s Trust grant will bolster the resources of the museum’s Reach All Initiative, a portfolio of outreach programs developed to serve children, families, and schools with extremely limited resources and those in difficult circumstances.
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Manchester, NH – St. Mary’s Bank today announced a gift of $1,500 to Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Nashua (NHSGN), which will allow the non-profit HUD-certified housing counseling agency to purchase 100 books titled “Realizing the American Dream” for use in its first-time homebuyer course.
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Durham, NH – On Belay received a gift of $2520.00 from The Boston Bruins Foundation to underwrite the development of a Family Day program over the next year. The Family Day program is an opportunity to bring the families we serve together to celebrate their children, their successes and the fight against cancer.
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Manchester, NH - Child and Family Services recently received a $30,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to support its work with runaway, homeless and street youth in the Greater Manchester and Seacoast regions.
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Concord, NH - Share Our Strength has recognized four organizations that take incredible steps to help connect kids to the food they need. Share Our Strength solicited votes from their community of supporters that garnered over 18,000 votes in three weeks. PlusTime New Hampshire was among the 4 organizations chosen to win the title "No Kid Hungry Innovator" and a $25,000 grant courtesy of C&S Wholesale Grocers. They will expand after-school meals and snack sites in New Hampshire with a focus on replication and expansion of effective programs.

"PlusTime New Hampshire is absolutely thrilled with the opportunity this award provides us to bring nutritious snacks and meals to NH's most vulnerable children and youth during afterschool and summer programs," said Cynthia Billings, President & CEO, PlusTime New Hampshire.

Concord, NH - Stephen A. Norton, Executive Director of the NH Center for Public Policy, was recently elected President of the Board for the NH Center for Nonprofits. "I am honored and excited by this opportunity. These are challenging times for all sectors and the NH Center for Nonprofits has an important role to play in uniting the nonprofit community and elevating awareness of the critical importance of the sector," states Norton.
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Grant Supports Use of Technology to Promote Job Opportunities
Concord, NH - Goodwill Industries of Northern New England will promote virtual career exploration and opportunities in the health care field through a new federal grant. The U.S. Department of Labor announced the release of $14.7 million in health care career grants supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Goodwill Industries International is one of four grantees, which include the American Association of Community Colleges, the International Association of Jewish Vocational Services and SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc. Goodwill Industries of Northern New England is one of seven Goodwill independent agencies that has received funding. The agency was granted $267,932 to use over the next two years.
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In partnership with New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility (NHBSR), @Website Publicity is proud to announce that the 2010 recipient of the NHBSR Search Marketing Award is Project Laundry List. Project Laundry List will receive a free one-year customized search engine optimization contract (value $14,500) for its www.laundrylist.org website. The award was made at NHBSR’s 10th Anniversary Spring Conference held in Concord on May 24.
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The NH Food Bank’s Recipe for Success programs receive Catholic Charities’ USA Centennial Recognition Award
Manchester, NH - New Hampshire Catholic Charities has won a prestigious award from Catholic Charities USA for Recipe for Success, the outreach programs of the New Hampshire Food Bank. Recipe for Success was recognized for their comprehensive and innovative approach to reducing poverty in the community. New Hampshire Catholic Charities was one of three regional Catholic Charities affiliates to be honored with a Centennial Award.
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Applications for the 2010 Corporate Fund Nonprofit Management Award given in honor of Walter J. Dunfey are due August 1, 2010. An unrestricted cash award of $3,500 is given to the winners and will be presented at the NH Center for Nonprofit’s Leadership Summit on September 24.

Walter J. Dunfey was a noted New Hampshire businessman and philanthropist, who took the lead in establishing the Corporate Fund. He recognized that management in the nonprofit sector is among the most demanding and most important work in our society.

Every year, up to two nonprofits are recognized with this coveted award. Selection follows a rigorous application process and interview.

For more information - http://www.thecorporatefund.org/walter_j_dunfey_award.asp

The Nonprofit Finance Fund’s Clara Miller recently spoke out in an article in the Nonprofit Quarterly discussing not only why nonprofits have been wounded by the recession but also giving advice on how to move forward into a recovery.
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On June 1st, Nonprofit VOTE announced the re-launch of its website – NonprofitVOTE.org - for the 2010 midterm elections. A one-stop shop for nonpartisan voter engagement resources for nonprofits, NonprofitVOTE.org connects your nonprofit with a wide array of new tools and information on getting engaged in the 2010 elections.

For the past eight years, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) have produced short radio spots demonstrating the positive impacts of local nonprofit organizations. The project has featured more than 170 nonprofits to date telling powerful stories of the work that charitable groups do to strengthen communities and enrich lives. This partnership has become Giving Matters, a weekly nonprofit series which airs on Saturday mornings at 8:35 a.m.
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Derry, NH - Community Caregivers of Greater Derry welcomed five new members to their Board of Directors in April. Caregivers, through a volunteer network, assist the elderly and disabled with services such as friendly visiting, grocery shopping, light chores, home repair and maintenance, and medical transportation. Services offered through Caregivers are vitally important as they allow individuals to maintain independence in the community and home environment. All services are free of charge.
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Concord, NH — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the selection of three New Hampshire projects for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), which will improve needed infrastructure, enhance public safety, and create economic opportunity.
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Second Wind Dreams, a national non-profit making dreams come true for residents in eldercare communities, and Ageless Dreamer, a national non-profit making dreams come true for elders announce their intent to create a collaboration. This will result in the first non-profit designed specifically to encourage our oldest generation to dream out loud - changing the perception of aging. For more information about Ageless Dreamer visit their web site at www.agelessdreamer.org.

Dover, NH – The Children's Museum of New Hampshire has appointed Brian Gong and Sheila Kageleiry to its 15-member Board of Directors.
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Concord, NH – At their annual joint meeting on May 12, New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA) and the Legal Advice & Referral Center elected a new slate of officers and one new member to its board of directors. The officers are Mark C. Rouvalis, chair; Michael LaFontaine; president, Elizabeth M. Leonard; vice-president of NHLA; John T. Pendleton, vice-president of LARC; James D. Kerouac, treasurer; and James O. Barney, secretary. Jeanne P. Herrick was also elected to serve on the NHLA board of directors.
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The New Hampshire Community Loan Fund recently launched a new Web site (www.communityloanfund.org) and a new blog-centered social media strategy. Steve Varnum, the director of communications and marketing, said the Community Loan Fund’s expertise in the areas of affordable and manufactured housing, child care, small-business lending and mission-based investing is one of its most powerful assets. The blogs (located at http://www.communityloanfund.org/blog) will share and spread that knowledge and stir conversation about creating opportunity for New Hampshire’s families and communities, all while promoting the organization’s mission.
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Governor John Lynch announced the next regional business outreach session will be held in Berlin on Friday, June 25 at 8:30 a.m. at White Mountains Community College. The outreach sessions are designed to directly connect New Hampshire businesses with state leaders and state services. They will give businesses an opportunity to hear from and question state department heads about programs and services provided to the business community. Check the following link for further details on Business Outreach Session To pre-register, please RSVP to Pat Salvucci by June 23rd. For additional details, please call Pat at 271-3171.
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