NH businesses, organizations do their part to support the community
Gov. Chris Sununu, top right, took part in the ceremony welcoming the 16 members of the newly formed new Hampshire Covid Community Care Corps.
New Covid Community Care Corps to aid Manchester, Nashua residents
In a Zoom conference held earlier this month, 16 new Ameri-Corps members assigned to New Hampshire this summer officially took their positions as members of the newly formed New Hampshire COVID Community Care Corps, a project created by Matt Wilhelm, with AmeriCorps, Goodwill Northern New England and the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Wilhelm is a Democratic state representative from Manchester who initially proposed the Covid Community Care Corps in a Union Leader op-ed. The initiative is funded with $1.5 million in federal CARES Act funds.
The new eight-week pilot program is aimed at helping people deal with the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Twelve of the 16 new AmeriCorps members will be assigned to Manchester and the rest to Nashua.
Gov. Chris Sununu and Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Barbara Stewart, CEO of the Corporation for National & Community Service, the federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps, took part in the ceremony.
Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance aid Boys and Girls Club
Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance have donated $10,000 to The Boys and Girls Club of Central NH as part of an Emergency Community Support Grant to help independent agents give back to their local community during the Covid-19 crisis.
The organization was nominated by Robert Bethel of The Rowley Agency Inc., Concord, in recognition of “the hard work and dedication performed by The Boys and Girls Club of Central NH during this pandemic.”
The $10,000 grant will help expand the organization’s dinner program for families in need and help prepare its facilities for their reopening which means they will once again be serving the needs of over 600 kids a day.
Ohm Lifestyle Center launches grant program to support salon industry
Ohm Lifestyle Center in Wolfeboro has launched a grant program that will provide $5,000 to the most qualified applicant looking to establish or enhance his or her cosmetology practice. The recipient, whose practice would be housed at Ohm Lifestyle Center, would utilize the grant funding to develop resources, explore professional development opportunities and create initiatives to grow the individual’s practice. In addition, Gayle Washington, who has more than 22 years of business experience, will donate 10 hours of spa consulting services to the winning candidate.
The new grant program is available to all licensed New Hampshire cosmetologists with at least one year of selfemployed experience in the industry.
Ohm is accepting applications through July 31. For more information, visit ohmlifestyle.com.
Anthem steps up commitment to aid pandemic relief
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire and its philanthropic arm, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, have awarded grants to the New Hampshire Food Bank, Granite United Way, United Way of Greater Nashua and a number of other organizations. The grants are part of a $415,000 commitment Anthem has made in New Hampshire to address food insecurity and other recovery efforts by supporting nonprofit organizations on the front lines of the pandemic.
“We know the needs of individuals and the communities we serve continue to evolve, and that’s why we’re targeting grants to organizations like the NH Food Bank and United Way chapters that can get critical resources to those who need it most,” said Lisa Guertin, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire.
Grants awarded were:
• $35,000 to the NH Food Bank as well as $5,000 to End 68 Hours of Hunger and $5,000 to Gather NH.
• $35,000 distributed among five Boys & Girls Clubs in Manchester, Nashua, Salem, Concord/ Lakes Region and the North Country.
• $30,000 to Granite United Way
• $30,000 to United Way of Greater Nashua
• $20,000 to Easterseals NH
Tufts foundation adds $900k in Covid response funding
The Tufts Health Plan Foundation will be providing an additional $900,000 to support recovery and rebuilding efforts addressing the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. That brings the foundation’s commitment to Covid-19 response to nearly $2 million.
The foundation also announced 13 new grants, totaling $1.7 million for support of collaborative community efforts and systems change to advance healthy aging. Among the recipients was Cheshire Medical Center of Keene, which received a three-year grant for $185,000 to help support the work of the organization Healthy Monadnock, as well as Greater Seacoast Community Health of Somersworth, which received a two-year $120,000 grant to develop a regional age-friendly plan for Strafford County and nearby towns in Rockingham and Carroll counties. In addition, the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester received a three-year $165,000 grant to establish a citywide collaborative focused on connecting and expanding access to mental health services for older adults.
The New Hampshire Liquor Commission recently raised $102,000 for the New Hampshire Restaurant and Lodging Association’s New Hampshire Hospitality Employee Relief Fund, which provides one-time grants of $250 to displaced hospitality workers. The funds were raised through a raffle of six sought-after whiskies and bourbons. Pictured are, from left: Lorrie Piper, NHLC director of sales, marketing, merchandising and distribution; raffle winners Patricia and Jim Cassell; Nicole Brassard Jordan, deputy commissioner; Mike Somers, president and CEO of the NHLRA; and Joseph Mollica, NHLC Chairman.
