A legacy of generosity - NH Charitable Foundation

A teacher and student at the County Day School in Colebrook, NH. (Photo by Cheryl Senter.)

Stories of community resilience

The people, communities and nonprofits of the North Country have responded to this time of great challenge with great resilience. Read more in the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund 2020 Report to the Community.

Meet Sonya Salanti

Sonya Salanti of Bethlehem has joined the Charitable Foundation as director of the Neil and Louise Tillotson Funds. She talked to the Foundation’s Lois Shea about the joy of applying her skills in the place where she lives, the Tillotson Funds’ work during COVID – and how volunteering to park cars in the rain helped connect her to her new hometown.

Woman walking her dog on a snowy trail. (Photo courtesy of Trail Finder).

Trail Finder put trails — and local businesses — on the map

Trail Finder puts up-to-date, trail-manager-sourced information for multiple outdoor activities at users' fingertips, along with information about local businesses — from inns to bike shops to breweries. Grants from the Foundation's Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund are supporting the service.

Sarah Mattson Dustin, executive director of New Hampshire Legal Assistance (courtesy photo).

NH Legal Assistance sees increasing demand for services

The ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic mean an increase in need for services from the nonprofit that represents people in civil cases. Unlike in criminal cases, litigants in civil court have no guarantee of counsel, even when their homes, economic stability or personal safety are on the line. That is where New Hampshire Legal Assistance comes in. A grant from the Foundation's Community Crisis Action Fund is helping meet the need.

Addressing food insecurity north of the Notches

The New Hampshire Food Bank has hired a North Country food systems coordinator, with help from a grant from the Foundation's Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund, to work with local organizations, strengthen infrastructure, improve accessibility to fresh food and improve distribution in the region.

Family resource centers step up for vulnerable families

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it hit the lives of vulnerable families with an overwhelming tangle of complication and peril. Family resource centers around the state rose to the moment, coming to the aid of people who needed them.

Louise Tillotson Teaching Fellowship 2020 Award Recipients (left to right), Keri Wade, Erica Hicks, Patti Dugan-Henriksen . (Courtesy photos.)

Three North Country teachers earn Louise Tillotson Fellowships

Keri Wade of Gorham Middle High School , Erica Hicks of White Mountains Regional High School and Patti Dugan-Henriksen of Groveton High School are recognized for their creativity, commitment to ongoing professional development, and extraordinary dedication to students.

When school closes, breakfast and lunch close with it

Many children rely on school breakfast and lunch programs for an important part of their daily nutrition. When schools closed because of the public-health crisis, nonprofits and school districts stepped in to fill the gap, making sure children continued to get those meals. Many are now working on starting or expanding meals programs to cover the summer months.

Sonya Salanti to direct Neil and Louise Tillotson Funds

Salanti, of Bethlehem, NH, was hired after a nationwide search. The Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation is one of the largest rural philanthropies in the country, distributing about $3.5 million in grants each year in Cöos County and surrounding communities.

Melissa Grella (right), Taproot founder and executive director with Kris von Dohrmann from Otokahe Farm of Jefferson. (Photo by Cheryl Senter.)

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