1. This summer, 12 middle and high school STEM teachers from NH schools attended the University of New Hampshire’s Tech for Teachers Institute, a two-week paid professional development program. They collaborated with UNH faculty and graduate student mentors, industry professionals and educational experts to implement regenerative medicine projects in their classrooms this coming school year.
2. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees recently presented over $23,000 in donations to New England nonprofits, including NH’s Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust and Sullivan County Humane Society. Ausbon Sargent received $3,456 to protect its Byron Barton Woods. The donations were raised through Casual for a Cause, Bar Harbor’s charitable giving program, where employees dress casually on Fridays for a biweekly payroll deduction to a quarterly total funding pool.
3. Girls at Work Inc. recently wrapped up its Build Me Up Summer Camp for girls in grades K-8 after seven weeks, immersing campers in woodworking and STEAM (science, tech, engineering, arts and math) activities. Staff and volunteers helped kids develop skills in critical thinking, adaptability, relationshipbuilding, problem-solving and emotional intelligence.
4. Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB) supported this year’s Laconia Multicultural Festival as its City Hall Stage Sponsor, contributing $1,500 to event costs. MVSB employees hosted a selfie station at the festival, held Sept. 7 in downtown Laconia. Pictured are Becky Guyer, co-director of the Laconia Multicultural Festival, left; and Jessica Ruel, branch and business development manager for MVSB, right.
5. The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua held its Kicks for Kids event in August, collaborating with Fidelity Investments, whose employees shopped with over 130 children to teach financial literacy. Fidelity associates helped kids buy new footwear for school at Alec’s Shoes in Nashua, educating them on how to stay within a budget. Fidelity has helped over 1,400 youth purchase shoes at the start of the school year since 2015.
6. The NH Suicide Prevention Council hosted a press conference on Sept. 6 ahead of National and NH Suicide Prevention Week, Sept. 8-14, featuring Abby (pictured at podium) a Granite State student who struggled with physical and mental health issues. She folded 1,000 paper cranes while recovering in psychiatric care, later creating artwork titled “Heart Map” to illustrate her struggles, hope and healing.
7. The Southern NH Chamber of Commerce and Salem Co-Operative Bank held their annual Hidden Jewel Awards at Zorvino Vineyards on Aug. 21, honoring eight women professionals from Atkinson, Hampstead, Pelham, Plaistow, Salem and Windham. This year’s award recipients, or “jewels,” are pictured.
