Cheryl Bourassa was a recipient of the New Hampshire Trust Fund's 2009 Unsung Hero Award for the dedication she shows to her family and to the refugee families in Concord.  

Cheryl works closely with Casey Family Services to try to find strategies to ease Jenita's concerns.  She has tried to find the best possible educational setting for both of her girls.  Their academic needs are quite different, and both require lots of attention to make sure that their classroom is meeting their needs.

Cheryl went on to tell us that, as a parent, it is most important for her children to grow up with a social conscience and to understand that we are not on this journey alone, and we have a responsibility to do our fair share to make our community - both local and global - a better place for all. 

As the Holidays are fast approaching we often feel the need to help those in our community.  Cheryl stumbled into working with refugees almost by accident. When she left teaching to be home with her girls, she knew if she ever went back to teaching it would be with a population that truly wanted to learn. 

The Bourassa's adopted daughter, Jenita, is a Mayan Indian, living in a predominantly white community.  She is acutely aware that she doesn't 'fit.'  With her friends in the refugee community, she is just one more child of color, and it helps her feel connected. 

Cheryl and her family have found it comforting to spend time with other parents struggling with the same issues. The Unitarian Universalist Church has created a group called Friends of Refugees.  They offer significant support to four refugee families. One family is working to be reunited with a child that was left behind in Africa, almost five years ago.  The process is dreadfully expensive, and the group has raised over $3,000 to help defray legal expenses.  Cheryl is also associated with Concord Multicultural, an umbrella organization that tries to coordinate services for refugee families. 

It is clear why Cheryl was selected as an Unsung Hero in 2009.  Her generosity and passion truly comes from the heart, she is a shining example of the spirit of the season. 
  

• Helps families learn about social issues and provides a new perspective on the world 
  
• Provides positive role models and passes on family values to children 
  
• Provides new learning experiences and development of new skills for both children and adults 
  
• Provides quality time for the family to spend together 
  
• Increases interpersonal communication and the problem-solving abilities of family members 
  
• Helps youth decide what they want to do with their life 
  
• Improves the likelihood that children will volunteer as an adult
  
• Kids feel great and have fun when they volunteer.

• Volunteering enhances development. Volunteering can benefit a child's psychological, social and intellectual development.
• Volunteering increases self-esteem, responsibility and an interest in learning and helps children develop new social skills. It also provides opportunities to apply newly learned material.
  
• Volunteering promotes a healthy lifestyle and choices -- Children who volunteer are less likely to become involved in at-risk behaviors.
  
• Volunteering teaches social responsibility - Volunteering helps children develop empathy and learn that one person can make a difference.
  
• Volunteering creates a lifelong ethic of service. Individuals who volunteer as a child or who observed their parents volunteering have a much higher probability of being a volunteer in their adult years.  
• Volunteering improves the community. Volunteer activities are essential for advancing the common good, and children can be part of the change. 

Attend a workshop this month-learn how budgets are created

Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Birthdays, Bereavement... 

To Show You Care... When remembering loved ones with flowers or gift baskets, support child abuse prevention in New Hampshire through an ongoing FTD promotion.