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| May 2015 | ||||
Mark Your Calendar:
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In This Issue:
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The guest on “The Dan Mitchell Morning Show” at 8:10 a.m. Wednesday, May 20, 2015 will be Keene Housing. WKBK regularly features a Monadnock United Way agency on the third Wednesday of each month.
Children from The Orchard School’s Early Education Program recently visited Grassy Brook Maple Products in Marlow to learn about the maple sugaring process. The artwork above is one child’s interpretation of the experience. |
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Monadnock United Way, Impact Monadnock, and Others Recognized at the 17th Annual Celebration of Early Childhood and Afterschool Professionals Event Monadnock United Way was honored and recognized as an Early Learning NH Champion for fostering innovation and encouraging creative leadership within, and among the early learning community, in order improve the lives of New Hampshire’s youngest citizens, at the seventeenth annual Celebration of Early Childhood and Afterschool Professionals. Impact Monadnock was recognized at the same event for promoting the importance of early childhood. Their recognition was for their demonstrated belief that the healthy development of children provides a strong foundation for healthy and competent adulthood, responsible citizenship, economic productivity, strong communities, and a sustainable society. Suelaine Poling, Director of the Keene Day Care Center, received the Strengthening Families Exemplary Award for the Keene Day Care Center. This award is co-sponsored by the NH Children’s Trust and DHHS/DCYF/Child Development Bureau. Keene Day Care Center embodies the Strengthening Families approach to quality care and education in New Hampshire. Anna Crosby from Keene Housing received her Afterschool Administrator credentials. Also honored at the event for supporting collaboration and public/private partnerships were Senator Molly Kelly and Suelaine Poling. There is a lot of good things happening in the Monadnock Region!
This event is put on every year by the NH Child Development Bureau of the NH Department of Health and Human Services. |
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Your Money, Your Goals Equaled Success Monadnock United Way (MUW) has collaborated with a variety of partners to help identify and address emerging issues and specific human service needs. These partners include social service providers, foundations, local government, education and the medical community. Due to the high demand of individuals wanting to become more financially stable, MUW partnered with the Consumers Financial Protection Bureau in a Your Money, Your Goals. This two-day session was held on March 31 and April 1 allowing Service Providers to learn how to train their clients on how to become more financially responsible. This program is important for all aspects of developing and facilitating an organization’s financial stability and it provides more knowledge within real world experience. MUW provided a toolkit that addressed the following:
Attendance for this event was great with 16 individuals present at both sessions. MUW was pleased to deliver this training to so many wonderful staff. There was a lot of dialogue within the sessions as well that created a unique and engaging environment. Many attendees found this information useful for clients and it helped them find out about more resources to refer individuals to. There were many tools that were useful in teaching their clients “real life” skills. Overall the program outcome was a success and is in high demand. There will be more sessions offered later on in the year so please stay tuned for some information regarding another session. For more information on the Your Money, Your Goals program, contact Kelly Brigham-Steiner at 603-352-4209 or kelly@muw.org. Support for this program is made possible through a grant from the Bank of America Foundation. |
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Monadnock United Way Holds Appreciation Event in Peterborough
Monadnock United Way recently held an Appreciation Event for donors and volunteers from the eastern Monadnock Region at The Village at RiverMead in Peterborough. Beth Truman, the 2015-16 General Campaign Chair was introduced, and Beth announced that Laura Gingras, VP of Philanthropy and Community Relations at Monadnock Community Hospital, will serve as her Campaign Leader for the Eastern Region. The 2015-16 Campaign Team is starting to fall into place!
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Healthy Start 5K to Benefit Maternal and Child Health Program at HCS
The Healthy Starts program at HCS strives to improve the health and stability of young families. The program connects them with prenatal care, safety-net services, and ongoing parenting education. Services are available throughout southwestern New Hampshire. For information about participating in the 5K, volunteering at the event, or corporate sponsorship opportunities, please contact Chaille Cohen at 352-2253 or ccohen@HCSservices.org. Register online at www.HCSServices.org or print out an entry form to mail in. And “Like” the HCS Healthy Start 5K on Facebook! HCS is a Monadnock United Way Agency with offices in Keene, Peterborough, and Charlestown. |
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Lasagna Festival at Keene Senior Center
Go to the Keene Senior Center on Saturday, May 16, 2015 for the Senior Center’s annual Lasagna Festival. Dinner will be served promptly at 4:00 p.m. Only 100 tickets will be sold, so do not miss out on this opportunity to sample a variety of lasagna. Price: $8 for members, $9 for non-members, and $3 for children ages 6-12. The Senior Center is seeking lasagna and dessert donations. One free ticket will be given to those who cook and bring a lasagna. Keene Senior Center is located at 70 Court Street, in Keene. Call 603-352-5037 for tickets or more information. The Keene Senior Center is a Monadnock United Way Agency. |
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New Hampshire Legal Assistance to the Rescue
She had been scammed in 2009, and lost everything in her checking account. She and her husband live on a fixed social security income. During the process of paying back her creditors, the credit card company changed the name on the bills. When she saw the new name, she believed it was another scam, so she stopped paying. So, eventually, the subpoena came. She called a local organization in Keene that helps older people with medical care and they referred her to NHLA. Since she can’t drive long distances, Cheryl Steinberg, director of the Senior Law Project, handled the case over the phone. Cheryl contacted the attorney for the credit company, and negotiated a settlement that forgave the woman’s entire debt. The woman was able to continue working to get her finances back on track, and says she doesn’t know what she could possibly have done without Cheryl, whom she never even met. New Hampshire Legal Assistance is a Monadnock United Way Agency. |
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SCS Fuel Assistance closed as of April 30. Households are encouraged to contact the Fuel Assistance Program in the month of August to begin scheduling appointments for the next heating season. SCS Electric Assistance continues to schedule appointments and take applications year-round. If you are working with any households who are not currently receiving a discount on their electric bill but you think they may be eligible, please encourage them to contact SCS to schedule an appointment. SCS Neighbor Helping Neighbor is open year-round as well. If you are working with any households that did not qualify for Fuel Assistance this year but are facing a disconnect notice, please encourage them to contact SCS to schedule an appointment. Please feel free to explore the SCS website: www.scshelps.org for information on all of our departments and programs. In addition to the Energy Services department, we have family and elderly housing in several towns throughout Cheshire and Sullivan Counties through SCS Housing. We have the WIC department which offers vouchers, breastfeeding counseling, and nutritional education through WIC as well as commodity foods for elderly households with low income. We have the Housing Stabilization department which operates emergency shelters, tenancy workshops, life skills workshops, and homeless outreach, among other things. Our Energy Conservation department offers weatherization services. We have Head Start centers in several communities. Check out our website! Thank you and Happy Spring to all of our partner agencies and programs! SCS Fuel Assistance Team SCS is a Monadnock United Way Agency. |
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Top Essential Service Destinations for CVTC Volunteer Driver Program for 2014
Contoocook Valley Transportation Company is a Monadnock United Way Agency. |
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Monadnock United Way On Cheshire TV
Can’t watch it on Wednesdays, or you are not a Time Warner subscriber, episodes are posted on the Monadnock United Way YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/monadnockunitedway). All schedules are subject to change without notice. |
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The deadline for Wish List items in the next U Review (June 2015) is Monday, May 18, 2015. Please send your updates and additions to gary@muw.org. Wish List items that have not been confirmed or updated risk being removed, so please remember to keep your items current. Community Kitchen
Southwestern Community Services: Housing Stabilization Services Winchester Learning Center |
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| Monadnock United Way | 23 Center Street | Keene, New Hampshire 03431 | 603-352-4209 | ||||
| © Monadnock United Way | ||||
May on WKBK…
The 3rd annual 5K Run/Walk event will be held on Saturday, May 9 at 9:00 a.m. to benefit the Healthy Starts program at Home Healthcare, Hospice and Community Services (HCS). The 3.1 mile course starts and finishes at HCS’s Keene office at 312 Marlboro Street. The course is a mostly flat loop through residential areas and the bike path—suitable for all levels of runners and walkers. All ages are encouraged and strollers are permitted, but please leave dogs at home.
A 76-year-old woman from Hinsdale called the New Hampshire Legal Assistance office this past winter when her husband found a subpoena in the snow outside their house, announcing a lawsuit against her because of unpaid credit card debt. She owed more than $15,000, which is about half of what the couple receives each year from social security and their small pensions.
Watch Cheshire TV Channel 8 (Time Warner Cable) every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. and see how our partner agencies, donors, volunteers, and corporate partners LIVE UNITED! 
Monadnock Humane Society