1. Merrimack County Savings Bank (The Merrimack) announced April 10 that it is the presenting sponsor of Concord Hospital Trust’s 23rd annual Rock’N Race. The 5K footrace will be held May 7 in downtown Concord at 6 p.m. to raise funding for programs and services supporting cancer patients and families. Last year, it raised over $339,000. Shown are Concord Hospital officials at the Payson Center for Cancer Care.
2. Franklin Savings Bank (FSB) and the Laconia-based Partnership for Public Health (PPH) teamed up to plant daffodils in a friendly gesture after FSB donated $3,000 to sponsor PPH’s annual meeting, held April 11 this year. PPH CEO Tammy Carmichael and FSB President and CEO Brian Bozak are pictured.
3. Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB) recently announced that the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE) has certified its Bank On-certified checking account. MVSB’s program allows customers to create a new account with a $10 minimum deposit, and it has no monthly service charge and waives fees imposed on other account types. CFE works to provide funding and technical assistance to municipal and financial institutions.
4. Service Credit Union held its annual Impact Foundation Gala benefiting housing in New Hampshire on April 4. The gala, held at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth, welcomed a sold-out crowd and raised over $280,000 by auction for housing assistance nonprofits in the state. Attendees are pictured participating in the auction.
5. Make-A-Wish New Hampshire and Plymouth State University partnered to grant highschooler Riley Pinard’s wish of attending PSU. Make-A-Wish and University representatives, with “Pemi” the Panther, visited Pinard at PSU’s Lamson Library. She received a $10,000 scholarship, a reading chair for her future dorm room, Callahan AC & Heating Services’ gift of funds for books and dorm furnishings, and college merchandise. Pinard plans to major in English education at PSU in September after high school graduation.
6. Lifestyle eyewear brand Warby Parker opened its first New Hampshire retail store on April 19 at Salem’s Tuscan Village. The store features the brand’s full collection of optical and sunglass products, third-party contact lenses, and accessories and will offer eye exams in the future. The opening is the latest in Warby Parker’s New England expansion, following new stores in Maine and Cape Cod, according to chief retail and customer experience officer Sandy Gilsenan.
7. Meredith Village Savings Bank recently purchased $10,000 in tax credits through the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, supporting the Portsmouth Housing Authority. The funds will aid in the redevelopment of the Episcopal Church on Lafayette Road, slated to be completed in early 2026. The project will bring 44 units of affordable workforce housing to the city and a new headquarters for Seacoast violence prevention nonprofit HAVEN.
