Network for Good Contributor | NH Charitable Foundation

Kristin Lizotte, a teacher at Kearsarge Regional Elementary School, was awarded the 2019 Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. (Photo by Cheryl Senter.)

Teacher Kristin Lizotte reflects on her McAuliffe Sabbatical year

Each year, the Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical awards a year-long leave of absence to an exceptional New Hampshire public school teacher. The sabbatical provides the teacher with the time, space, and funding to explore, through a self-designed project, new ideas and ways to enhance classroom teaching. Here, Kearsarge Elementary School teacher Kristin Lizotte, who was awarded the McAuliffe Sabbatical in 2019, reflects on her experience.

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.

Photographer Carl Austin Hyatt of Portsmouth, NH, winner of the 2020 Artist Advancement Grant. (Photo by Tammy Byron.)

Carl Austin Hyatt Awarded 2020 Artist Advancement Grant

Portsmouth photographer receives grant that helps cultivate the Piscataqua Region’s arts community, boost artists’ careers and helps keep them living and working in the area.

School counselors in the North Country, including Jennifer Lyon and Lynda True-Carter, worked through the summer to stay connected with students isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pictured, l-r: Lynda True-Carter; Vicki Illes; Kristen Burke; Samantha Gross; Jennifer Lyon; Karen Marks; JoLee Horvath; Lisa Harold, ; Jake Topliffe and Alysha Thibault-Topliffe. (Courtesy photo)

School counselors stay connected with students through summer

Grant from the Community Crisis Action Fund helped school counselors in the North Country stay connected with children during a summer of social isolation — reminding kids that they are part of a caring community, and helping them start the school year ready to learn.

Alivia Menth has some fun with her Circle Program mentor, LuCynda Anderson (Courtesy photo).

Mentoring organizations adapt to keep supporting kids

The support that mentoring programs provide to young people may be more critical than ever during this time of social isolation. These nonprofits have met the moment with tenacity and creativity to keep mentors connected with the kids who rely on them.

Respiratory therapist John Gallagher caring for a young resident at the Cedarcrest Center for Children with Disabilities (Courtesy photo).

Always there for the most vulnerable among us

Organizations that work with people with disabilities have had to make a series of adaptations as they continue to provide critical services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants from the Foundation's Community Crisis Action Fund and other funds are helping to support that work. Here are just a few of their stories.

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.

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.

Misty Crompton awarded Christa McAuliffe sabbatical

Social studies teacher from West Running Brook Middle School in Derry will spend her sabbatical year on a project called "Promoting Just Schools," aiming to help ensure that all New Hampshire children have an equal opportunity to thrive in the classroom.

Meals On Wheels, St. Joseph Community Services. (Courtesy photo.)

A global pandemic cannot stop meals-on-wheels

Programs around the state have had to adapt, but they have continued to deliver food to elders and people with disabilities, and to provide critical wellness checks.

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