Together we thrive: In our communities 2023

Here are just a few examples of what happens in New Hampshire communities when people give, and work, together:

• Celebrating 40 years of learning and fun. The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2023. Beloved among three generations, the Dover museum has events, exhibits and activities scheduled throughout the year to mark the occasion. More than 110,000 people visit the museum annually. A recent grant supported the museum’s Reach All Initiative, which offers free and reduced-price admission for families in need.
• Changing lives through music. Upbeat New Hampshire in Nashua provides string instrument instruction and performance opportunities for more than 160 students from grades three to 12 at no cost to the school district. Upbeat helps build musical talent and self-worth, while joining students with different backgrounds in a common goal. In the fall, it will be part of afterschool programs at the Nashua Police Athletic League. A Foundation multiyear operating grant is supporting its work.
• A life-saving van. The New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition’s Overdose Prevention Van has hit the road with help from Foundation funding. The van — the first of its kind in the state — is equipped with vital overdose prevention supplies, including fentanyl test strips and naloxone, wound-care kits, Covid tests and more. The van also serves as a drop-off and disposal point for used syringes. The services are free. For more information or to request the van, visit www.nhhrc.org/ mobileservices.
• All teens welcome. The Avenue A Teen + Community Center in Antrim is a place for young people to learn about being part of a community and how to build belonging, while knowing they are in a place created for them by a community that supports them. A program of The Grapevine Family and Community Resource Center, Avenue A is the only teen center in the Monadnock Region. Foundation funding supports the teen center and Grapevine. (Pictured below)

• Career pathways for outdoor recreation. Foundation funding helped to launch a program to train students in Conway for careers in the North Country’s growing outdoor tourism industry. Students at the Mount Washington Valley Career and Technical Center at Kennett High School can now learn wilderness first aid, bicycle repair and swift water rescue. The school is working with researchers from the University of New Hampshire and another regional learning sciences organization to link the courses with STEM skills.
• Building projects and community. The Makers Mill in Wolfeboro is up and running, and offering workshops and classes in everything from welding, laser cutting and metal fabricating to jewelry and furniture making and web design. It also offers a tool lending library, fix-it clinics, training on how to use tools and more. The nonprofit is building on and complementing existing efforts to support career pathways, workforce development and the arts. An operating grant from the Foundation is supporting its work.
• A warm meal and much more. For more than 6,000 seniors or adults with disabilities in and around Grafton County, the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, its eight senior centers and its community partnerships offer transportation, meals, activities, health and financial guidance and companionship. New Hampshire has the second-oldest median age in the country, behind Maine. The Foundation supports the Council’s work, most recently with a multiyear grant for operating support.