Greetings!
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| June 2012 | |
UPCOMING EVENTS |
In This Issue:
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NH Red Cross will be the featured Monadnock United Way agency on Wednesday, June 20 at 8:10 am on WKBK’s “The Dan Mitchell Morning Show.” WKBK regularly features a Monadnock United Way agency on the third Wednesday of each month. |
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Benefiting Monadnock United Way and The Community Kitchen
For more information, email natalieconley@ups.com. |
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2-1-1 New Hampshire Call Report Summary 2-1-1 NH is an initiative of the United Ways of New Hampshire in partnership with Public Service Company of New Hampshire.
Total Statewide Calls for April 2012: 3,766 Statewide Top 10 Call Categories: Total Cheshire County Calls for April 2012: 128 Cheshire County Top 10 Call Categories: 2-1-1 is an easy-to-remember telephone number that connects callers, at no cost, to information about critical health and human services available in their community. Each month, 2-1-1 NH posts our call data on their website, www.211nh.org. The data that is collected from each call provides valuable information about our communities and the needs of New Hampshire residents. For complete call data, including call data for each individual NH county, please visit the Call Reports section of the 2-1-1 NH website. To add your agency to the 2-1-1 resource database, go to www.211nh.org/Contact.aspx?GL and complete the online request form. |
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Nonprofits, Have You Heard About TechSoup? TechSoup is a nonprofit with a clear focus: providing other nonprofits and libraries with technology that empowers them to fulfill their missions and serve their communities. As part of that goal, TechSoup provides technology products and information geared specifically to the unique challenges faced by nonprofits and libraries. Learning resources, including articles, blogs, free webinars, and forums led by expert hosts are available to all users. Once qualified with TechSoup, nonprofits and libraries can access 400+ technology products from more than 40 donor partners—including Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco, Intuit, and Symantec. All donated and discounted products are available for a small admin fee. For more information, visit www.techsoup.org. |
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You Get What You Measure: Exploring Effective Use of Metrics Workshop You know in your gut your organization makes a difference—try translating that to funders and customers these days! They want hard data of true impact before they invest their time and dollars into your enterprise. Gone are the days where you could fudge this section of your proposals.
Greg Hessel is offering this free workshop at the Hannah Grimes Center. He is a professional trainer, facilitator, and consultant who helps organizations grow, change and manage conflict. He is also an adjunct faculty in Woodbury College’s Masters in Mediation Program and Principle of ReGeneration Resources. Greg helps organizations work in a more effective and harmonious manner by leading change, providing business process analysis, managing conflict, planning for succession, training leaders, facilitating meetings and strategic planning and improving communication in organizations throughout New England. You Get What You Measure®, developed by Yellow Wood Associates, is a facilitated group process that integrates systems thinking into strategic planning, identifies key leverage indicators and aligns actions to achieve goals. When: June 15th, 2012 8:30 am-noon For more information, call 603-352-5063 or email jillian@hannahgrimes.com. |
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An adult grand prize of $2,000, the removal of karaoke from the competition and the inclusion of audience voting each week to determine winning contestants are just three of the changes impacting this year’s Keene IDOL event. All details will be posted on June 2nd at the Keene IDOL website, www.keeneonline.com/idol. Event dates are July 13th, 20th, 27th, August 3rd and August 10th. Contestants are expected to be available for all five weeks of competition. Adult auditions for Keene IDOL will be held at McCue’s, Emerald Street, Keene on Wednesday, June 6th and June 13th.On-site registration 6:30 pm, auditions at 7:00 pm. Minimum age 15. Payment of non-refundable $40 fee guarantees one chance to audition. Contestants may audition on both dates, with the higher score chosen. Contestants must provide their music in advance, no later than June 4th or June 11th, by bringing a CD to Jared Goodell at the Monadnock Radio Group, Stanhope Avenue in Keene or emailing an MP3 file to info@keeneidol.com. KARAOKE TRACKS WILL NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE AT AUDITIONS OR DURING THE COMPETITION. Youth auditions for boys and girls ages 7-14 will be held on Saturday, June 9th from 3:00 pm-5:00 pm at McCue’s, Emerald Street, Keene. On-site registration 2:30 pm, auditions at 3:00 pm. Payment of non-refundable $25 fee guarantees one chance to audition. Youth contestants will compete ONLY in weeks 3, 4 and 5 (July 27th, August 3rd and August 10th). Youth contestants must provide their music in advance no later than June 7th by bringing a CD to Jared Goodell at the Monadnock Radio Group, Stanhope Avenue in Keene or emailing an MP3 file to info@keeneidol.com. Proceeds benefit AIDS Services for the Monadnock Region funded, in part, by the Monadnock United Way.
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The Fuel Assistance Program Has Closed for the 2011-2012 Program Year The Southwestern Community Services (SCS) Fuel Assistance Program has closed for Program Year 2011-2012 and will re-open in the late summer/early fall. This year 5,500 applications were processed! The Electric Assistance Program and the Neighbor Helping Neighbor Program run year-round so folks are welcome to contact SCS and schedule an appointment. Information is also available about the Lifeline/Link-Up Program and other community resources. The summer months are busy, although certainly at a more manageable pace than the other months of the year! SCS uses this time to prepare for the upcoming heating season, complete filing projects, hold meetings and presentations, distribute information to their partners, and continue with appointments for the Electric Assistance Program. Please feel free to contact any member of the SCS Energy Services team for more information about the services provided: 352-7512. Have a safe and happy spring and summer! |
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The Community Kitchen is Looking for Your Help The end the school year drawing closer affects different people in different ways. Most students cannot wait for the last day of term but their parents or guardians might feel a little differently, especially if their children receive free or reduced meals from the school. In most school districts over one third of students receive free or reduced meals. The Community Kitchen provides items each week for families who have children—healthy snacks, fruit juice, cereal and breakfast bars—but during the summer break families with children will need extra protein, fruit and vegetables to bolster their food cupboard to make up for the meals provided by the school meals program. The Kitchen is asking once again for food and cash donations to help supplement the Kids Program throughout the summer break. Food products that would be useful are cans of tuna or meat, canned or boxed meals, individual juice boxes, healthy snacks, breakfast bars and individual fruit servings such as mandarin or pineapple pieces in juice. Keeping kids healthy and well fed during the summer break will ensure that they go back to school ready to focus on learning. Another way of helping would be to sign up for the Perpetual Food Pledge which is a pledge to buy one extra non-perishable food item every time you shop. The Perpetual Food Pledge is being driven by Antioch’s Net Impact Chapter and The Kitchen is asking the supermarkets in town to put collection boxes in convenient places—if you shop in Keene it would help our cause if you asked for a donation box too! The Keene Chamber of Commerce will accept food donations at their office in Central Square. The Community Kitchen realizes that it is hard to constantly ask for help but their numbers are increasing—the Pantry Program has seen a 20% increase over 2011 and there are regularly 100-120 people a night at the free dinner which is served between 5:00 pm and 6:30 pm. For more information please contact The Community Kitchen on 603-352-3200 or go to www.thecommunitykitchen.org for more information or to make a donation.
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The children at the Keene Day Care Center were surprised and thrilled to see Tow Mater on their very own playground. How exciting! A close-up look at the well-known star of the “Cars” movie. Many of the young ones just stared in amazement, while others were anxious to get close enough to touch his teeth. A big thank you to Leon’s Auto Center for making this possible.
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New Bus/Bike Shelters for City Express
Mayor Lane cut a recycled paper chain marking the acquisition of five bus/bike shelters in the City of Keene. The shelters were funded through ARRA funding and the NH Department of Transportation. Bus/bike shelters are located at bus stops at the Rec Center and Keene State College. A shelter is also located at Harper Acres on Castle Street. The shelters make biking to a bus stop as well as waiting at bus stops more convenient. All City Express buses also have racks on the front to accommodate two bikes. The City Express is Keene’s public transportation service, operating Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Fares are $1.00 a ride, and passes are available. The City Express is operated by Home Healthcare, Hospice and Community Services (HCS), a United Way agency. HCS also operates the Friendly Bus transportation for older adults in Keene, and Medical Transportation to the VA in White River Junction and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon. For more information, call 352-8494. |
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Gary Beaman Memorial Gold Tournament to Benefit The Winchester Learning Center
The Gary Beaman Memorial Golf Tournament will be held this year June 23, 2012. The event will take place at Oak Ridge Golf Course in Gill MA. Interested in being a hole sponsor? If you are interested please check out the Gary Beaman Memorial website www.garybeamanmemorial.com or call Roberta Royce at 603-239-7347 for more details. |
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American Red Cross Is Ready for 2012 Atlantic Hurrican Season
After a hurricane hits, the Red Cross will provide shelter, food, relief supplies and emotional support to anyone affected by the storm. The Red Cross encourages everyone to get prepared before the season begins, in order to be ready should one of these devastating storms come our way. For information on how to prepare please visit the American Red Cross, NH website at www.NHredcross.org and click on hurricane preparedness tips.
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Electric Earth Concerts, The Enchanting Gift of Music at Plowshare Farm
This mission of the Music for the Mountain series is to bring music to those communities where it can make a difference, and where all are welcome. Among the appreciative audience at the first event in the series on Sunday, May 6th were the residents of Plowshare Farm lifesharing community, including developmentally disabled adults, adults from other area lifesharing communities, friends and neighbors from Peterborough, Greenfield, and other Monadnock towns, as well as children. An experience like this would ordinarily be out of reach for many who attended, and is a testament to what magic can happen when organizations work hand-in-hand. The audience was treated to Dubussy’s Sonate for flute, viola and harp, Shairish Korde’s Tenderness of Cranes, and Andrew Norman’s Sabina. The musicians led into each musical piece by telling its story: the composers, the instruments, its place in time and the piece’s movement before playing. Plowshare Farm welcomes everyone to the next event in the series which will be Tuesday, June 19th at 7:00 pm. This concert will feature a performance by Plume Giant, a young and highly infectious “retro-folk trio” who bring three-part harmony, original songs, and a rich string sound to their act. Their visit to NH marks the beginning of a summer tour of the U.S. There is no charge but donations are appreciated. For more information call Plowshare Farm at 603-547-2547 or www.plowsharefarm.org or contact Electric Earth Concerts at www.electricearthconcerts.com |
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Join Phoenix House for Climb for Recovery!—Saturday, June 9th 2012
After registration at 10:00 am at the Main Pavilion of Monadnock State Park, participants will hike selected trails to the summit. On returning, all are invited to enjoy a free picnic lunch with live music at nearby Phoenix House Dublin Center, 3 Pierce Road, Dublin, NH. Registration is $20.00 per person, $10 for additional family members aged 15 andover, with kids under 15 admitted free of charge! All participants are urged to ask family and friends to sponsor their efforts on behalf of Phoenix House. Online pre-registration and further information are available at www.phoenixhouse.org/new-hampshire. Registration, sponsor forms, and information may also be obtained by calling Phoenix House Keene Center at 603-358-4041, Ext. 3 or 4, or Phoenix House Dublin Center at 603-563-8501, Ext. 4561 or 4562. All proceeds from Climb for Recovery support the efforts of Phoenix House’s programs in the Monadnock region (Dublin and Keene) to improve lives disrupted by drug and alcohol addictions through a broad spectrum of intervention, treatment and recovery services for adolescents and adults. Phoenix House thanks their sponsors and supporters: Cheshire Oil and Savings Bank of Walpole, who have led the way! |
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Big Brothers Big Sisters Contoocook Valley Transportation Company (CVTC) Keene Day Care Center Keene Senior Center MAPS Counseling Services Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention Monadnock Family Services Desktop and/or laptop computers · 283-1572
The River Center The Samaritans, Inc. Southwestern Community Services Winchester Learning Center |
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Is Your Agency Planning a Volunteer Appreciation Event? An Annual Meeting?
Visit community.cswg.com/grants-sponsorships/mini-grants to learn more about the program and to submit an electronic application. |
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| Monadnock United Way | 23 Center Street | Keene, New Hampshire 03431 | 603-352-4209 | |
| © Monadnock United Way | |
June on WKBK…
Looking for something to do with your kids (or grandkids) on Saturday, June 9th? UPS & Market Basket present the 1st Annual Touch-A-Truck fundraiser to benefit Monadnock United Way and The Community Kitchen. Kids of all ages can climb on, learn about and explore various trucks. Admission is $2 for kids 14 and under, and $1 for anyone over 14. Location is the Market Basket, 11 West Swanzey Road, Swanzey, NH. Time is from 9am-2pm.
The “recycled paper chain” cutting for City Express bus/bike shelters was held as part of the Earth Day festivities in Keene. Pictured from left is City Councilor James Duffy, Andy Bohanon, Director of Keene Parks and Recreation, Laura Keith King, Executive Director of the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce, City Councilor Janis Manwaring, Susan Ashworth with the City Express at Home Healthcare, Hospice and Community Services (HCS), Mayor Kendall Lane, Shelley Winters with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, and Harry Costick, Transportation Manager at HCS. 
Gary Beaman and his wife Elizabeth believed so strongly in the mission of the Winchester Learning Center (WLC) and in the services they provided to children and the local community that they wanted to come up with a way to help generate ongoing awareness and financial support for them. They knew that their friends and family could be instrumental in helping them meet their goal of creating an event that would be both fun and beneficial to the WLC. Since many of them golfed, in 2003, The Gary Beaman and Friends Golf Tournament was born. Since 2003 this tournament has raised over $65,000. It is the Learning Center’s largest annual fund raiser. Gary bravely battled cancer in the years before his death on May 9, 2010, and never missed a tournament. He made it very clear that it was his wish that this tournament continue on in his memory, so in October of 2010 in his honor, the first annual Gary Beaman Memorial Tournament began.
The 2012 Atlantic Hurricane season will begin on June 1 and will last until the end of November. With strong winds and heavy rains, hurricanes have the potential to present a major threat to communities. Flooding, structural damage to homes, storm surges and power outages are all possible should a hurricane or tropical storm make landfall anywhere in New England. 
Plowshare Farm, a United Way affiliate, has received an enchanting gift. Electric Earth Concerts, a new initiative from the former artistic directors of Monadnock Music Laura Gilbert and Jonathan Bagg, will bring the healing and enlightening power of music to Plowshare Farm through their Music for the Mountain series.
Phoenix House’s third annual Climb for Recovery! at Monadnock State Park is all set for Saturday, June 9th, with a rain date of Sunday, June 10th. This group climb to the summit of beautiful Mount Monadnock supports Phoenix House’s work in New Hampshire to reclaim lives from the ravages of substance abuse. Although a rain date has been set—just in case—we know nothing can dampen the spirits of the climbers! Just in case, if the weather does threaten, check 
Phoenix House Keene Center
To help keep costs down, consider applying to C&S Wholesale Grocers for a modest donation of food through their mini-grants program.