When local resident Cindy Gould retired four years ago, she reflected on ways she could use her time and professional experience as a volunteer. So, in 2019, Cindy reached out to Gail Ferney, president of the Quechee Lakes Landowners Association (QLLA) Charities, Inc. to see how she could help. It wasn’t long before Cindy became deeply and passionately involved in the organization, specifically its CHaD Gala.

“Since I’ve considered myself to be a sort of jack-of-all-trades in the development world during my working years, I thought it would be a good fit, and it has,” she said.

For the Gala, Cindy maintains its prize database by keeping track of donations; getting the word out through various social media platforms and through the Quechee Club’s website and publications; and creating such print materials as signage, the invitation package, and the program booklet.

Cindy is one of well over a dozen dedicated volunteers at QLLA Charities, established as a non-profit in 1980 and formed with the vision of making a positive and significant impact in the Upper Valley community. Host of the notable CHaD Classic golf tournament and annual CHaD Gala, QLLA Charities has raised millions of dollars for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock (now Dartmouth Health Children’s) as well as for other local causes such as the Quechee Elves holiday season initiative for families in need.

“The mission of QLLA Charities is one that the Quechee member community is proud of,” said Brian Kelley, CCM, PGA, general manager and chief operating officer of the Quechee Club. “Everyone here treasures this very special place, and the member-led QLLA Charities committee is dedicated to uplifting our Quechee community through their work. The inspiring part is that they achieve this while supporting the greater Upper Valley area at the same time.”

The annual CHaD Gala is organized and hosted by a large committee of QLLA members with the support of the QLLA board of trustees, the Quechee Club, and its dedicated membership. Since its founding, QLLA Charities has donated $2.87 million to assist the dedicated staff at CHaD by providing medical care to the sick and injured children in the immediate region. There are 18 people on its committee.

“I have seen firsthand the wonderful work done by the dedicated CHaD Gala from its beginning in 2003 and realized how important community support is to the welfare of our children,” said Sharin Luti, Gala chair. “I have led a fortunate life and believe that it’s important to give back. This is one of my ways of doing that.”

This year, the Gala was a “big success”, according to Sharin. “We had 174 people attend and all seemed to have a really good time,” she explained. “We gave a check to CHaD for $120,000. This is the combined profits from both the Classic and the Gala. Our musicians, Erik Boedtker and Johnny Obdrazalek, were great.  People danced well beyond our usual 10:00 pm closing time.”

As chair, Sharin has put together a large group of volunteers who, as she noted, are “dedicated, talented, and very responsible. Our committee is made up of teams that work well together to get the job done,” she said. “I coordinate the teams and work on several as well.”

Sharin said she was particularly excited about this year’s Gala because – as reservations were coming in – there was an increasing number of new and younger QLLA members which, she noted, will have a positive impact on the future Galas, resulting in more children being helped.

Over the last 20 years, there have been several, diverse themes of the Gala that are displayed on the wall of the lobby at the Quechee Club each year.

“Seeing this, people ask more about this organization and often donate in order to get their name on this growing display,” said Jeanette Veverka, Decorations and Wall of Hope leader. “This year, I have seen kids tweak the nose of the clown and ask if they could add their name to one of the balloons. That donation means another child will be helped through CHaD’s Gala. Over the years and working with my team on the Wall of Hope has truly been a joyful experience, knowing that whatever donation given is helping CHaD achieve success.”

This year’s theme is The Circus with the tagline “Step Right Up for the Kids” and included – in addition to the live music and silent auction – a live auction and game of Heads or Tails hosted by ChaD Gala returnee Jaime Polli, a speech by Dr. Resmiye Oral (section chief, Child Advocacy and Protection Program; and professor of pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth), and a plated dinner. All proceeds benefit The Ken and Vickie French Child Advocacy and Protection Program (CAPP) at CHaD.

Like the majority of Gala volunteers, Cindy related that it has been “incredibly satisfying” to work alongside a group of dedicated volunteers for such a great cause. “Seeing it all come together as a result of many, many individual contributions is just as satisfying – and very special,” she added. “And it couldn’t happen without lots of hands on deck.”

QLLA Charities team leaders: Sharin Luti, gala chair; Gail Ferney, board president and auction team leader (live and silent); Marty Whitney, board treasurer (keeps track of all Gala revenues and expenses); Peggy Woods, board secretary, gala prize team leader and auction co-leader; Jeanette Veverka, decorations and wall-of-hope leader; Cindy Gould, board member, publicity and Gala booklet leader.

Hello good friends. Normally you hear from us about all the great food we are featuring or the incredible producers or farmers we are supporting in our local food chain. Today I wanted to pass along some news about an incredible friend of mine who has chosen humanity over self and has flown to the border of Ukraine and Poland to help with the flood of refugees in that war-torn region.  

Mark Kovach and I taught skiing at Keystone Mountain in Summit County, Colorado years ago, and we forged an instant relationship that has lasted 30 years. Mark is a passionate entrepreneur, always getting involved in opportunities, and raising a great family with his wife Chantal and two wonderful kids in Steamboat Springs. Upon hearing of the plight of mothers and children fleeing Ukraine, Mark immediately texted me and said he was hopping on a plane and heading to the border. I told him I thought he should be patient, but that’s not Mark’s nature: He quickly organized a boots-on-the-ground effort in Steamboat Springs; raised $30K through Venmo; packaged up over 2,500 goodie bags for kids with Hot Wheels, Stuffies, and candies; and promptly purchased a one-way ticket to Warsaw, as well as a vehicle to get to the border. I’d say that’s a pretty good week.   

Mark has not asked me for help. But if you are anything like me, sitting around and doing nothing is just not going to fly. Our game plan here at WFM to support those impacted by the war in Ukraine includes three action steps. Please consider one of them. All are equally worthy.

• You can send prayers and messages to Mark via his email markkovach@yahoo.com. He would love to hear from you.
• When shopping at Farmers’ you can round up for World Central Kitchen, a worthy nonprofit that is helping feed thousands of families at various border crossings.
• You can send money directly to Mark at his Venmo account (@chantal-kovach). At times Venmo asks for the last 4 digits of the phone number; if so, they are 2100. Stacy and I sent $1,000 the other day. Monies raised for Mark are going directly to fund his boots-on -the-ground efforts.

I’ve included a recent email from Mark on the following page so you can learn more about his work on the border.

Thanks for reading. Normally we don’t get too involved in the politics of the world as we try to keep our attention on Feeding Our Community and helping our own families in a very local Vermont way. But, with thousands of families with kids being displaced every day due to bombs and military warfare, I just cannot stand by and do nothing. Helping raise capital for Mark and other good organizations is the best I can do. Mark is a true hero in every sense of the word, and I am so proud of my incredible friend. Cheers to Mark – and all of the other courageous people out there – making a difference for humanity.

~ Patrick Crowl, Woodstock Farmers’ Market

Mark’s most recent email (March 30)

Hello friends. Thanks in large part to your generous donations, we have been having tremendous impact with both the refugee situation at the border and the war-torn areas of eastern and southern Ukraine. Most of the time is spent on the ground supporting refugees who have fled. I have endeavored to position myself as a first point of contact, both at the Medyka walking border and the Przemysl Train station.

Refugees are welcomed to safety and are handed a small comfort package, assembled by Steamboat Middle School students. The refugees are all women and children with horrific stories of war-torn tragedy followed by an arduous escape. They don’t know if their husbands and fathers are alive. They don’t know where they will be spending the night, let alone the rest of their lives. Many have given up hope of ever returning to their Ukrainian homes.

When we are not working directly on the border, we are using donated funds to support other rescue efforts. Some examples:

• We purchased a decommissioned Danish Army Medical Trailer that will be used to transport injured Ukrainian soldiers currently on the front line to the safety of a full-scale hospital. 
• We funded the purchase of a military grade Jeep, which will be paired with the medical trailer; based out of the Mechnikov military hospital, located near Russian occupied communities outside Zaporizya City.
• Rainy season is approaching the border areas. We funded the purchase of 9,000 rain ponchos; and have pledge funding for an order of 10,000 survival blankets (frostbite is no longer a concern, but people are dying of hypothermia while they wait in the border line.)
• We are supporting displaced orphans. We are partnered with two groups working to extract children – many of whom have recently lost both parents – to safety. Together they have extracted over 700 children. Of utmost importance is protecting them from falling into the hands of child traffickers, which is a major problem on the border.
• We provided funding for Border Humanitarian Centers, who are receiving thousands of Ukrainian refugees. These are women and children who are exhausted and vulnerable. These centers have little help from the government or large NGOs. Most support is from self-organized volunteers. We have seen teams from Spain, France, Sweden, and Germany. There are essentially no groups from America. There is much quiet concern around child trafficking. It is very easy for someone to walk in the center and prey on these kids. We will be helping to fund a more secure registration system that will bolster security. Funds will be used for hardware, such as laptops, tablets, and TV screens, to better match registered drivers to transport refugees. We will also consider funding, as needed, for hygiene and first aid items. Donation centers drop off thousands of these items. However, key items are persistently missing, such as women’s health products, moisturizers, stomach relief tablets, and sore throat medicine.
• We have helped refugee families relocate to Sweden. We are providing room and board in Poland until they can be transported to the Poland-Sweden ferry.

And here is another article from our local newspaper: https://bit.ly/3P22pb3. The paper quotes our donations at $29,000. We have now raised over $50,000; and we are driven to raise more. I take my fiduciary role very seriously. Every dollar raised will have impact helping the people of Ukraine. Please pass this along to all good people who want to help.

~ Mark and Chantal

The theme of this year’s annual Mud Ball is NEON. Seeking to out-do itself, the Mud Ball, one of the Upper Valley Haven’s celebratory fundraisers, is seeking maximum contrast to spring mud with bright lights and Day-Glo cocktails. Scheduled for Saturday, March 23, from 7pm to 11pm at The Quechee Club, the Ball attracts a crowd of people whose enjoyment of a good party is enhanced by awareness of supporting a worthwhile cause.

This year’s entertainment is Conniption Fits, a high-energy modern rock trio known for getting the crowd up and dancing. They maintain a highly booked schedule touring New England, and are familiar to – and popular with – many who have heard them locally in Hartford and Lebanon. Dancing to their music in the special setting of the Quechee Club is an exciting opportunity.

The Mud Ball is in its 11th year, says Ashley Wood, an administrator at the Upper Valley Haven, a local shelter and food shelter in White River Junction. “The Mud Ball is run by a committee separate from the Haven,” she says, “the funds raised support children’s services at the Haven – the after-school and summer programs.”

“The Ball crowd skews a bit younger,” Ashley adds, though pictures of past events show a wide age and style range. Some people do wear mud boots, though that custom was more widespread in earlier years.

“I really like that we have a meaningful impact in our community,” says Laurie Pauli of Lebanon, now in her third year on the committee. “Children are the most vulnerable, and they have no say in their situation,” she says, and adds, “The Haven does so much to support them.” Laurie has turned to Rent the Runway, an online service that rents designer dresses and accessories, to find something special to wear to the Ball, “something bright and not what you usually see in the Upper Valley.”

This event has moved around a bit, adding variety to the experience. This year’s location at The Quechee Club is, of course, popular. “The space makes the party,” says Liz Cassell of Quechee, who describes herself as “an avid attendee.” She used to be a regular but has not attended for several years, and she’s excited about this year’s event. “The bands are always excellent – great live music – and the live auction and silent auction add to the excitement. Everyone feels good because the money goes to the Haven.” Liz and her family support the Haven in other ways, including before Thanksgiving she and her young son baked pies. She also says that her eighth-grade son has a neon tie with a battery pack for flashing lights to loan to his dad. “I expect I can find earrings to match,” laughs Liz.

Do I Dare to Drink Day-Glo Cocktails?

People mixing Day-Glo cocktails might expect a nervous drop in glasses poured, even at the Ball, where the first hour is open-bar. But it turns out that Day-Glo coloring is not sinister; common ingredients like tonic water and edible substances like B-vitamins glow under black light. “I was skeptical, but then I heard about tonic – it glows blue – and B-12 is yellow,” says Ashley. “It’s just another way science operates in our favor.”

Ross Connor of Lebanon has many friends on the committee and has gone to the ball for four or five years. “The biggest piece is it benefits the Haven,” he says, but he appreciates the whole event. “The live music, the Conniption Fits, will be a big draw, but my favorite part is the live auction. There’s a really dynamic auctioneer.” Ross has made winning bids, including one for a tour and tasting at Hanover’s Morano Gelato. Other items have included vacation lodgings, high-end cooking lessons, and sponsorship of Haven kids events.

Ross hasn’t planned his outfit yet. “I’ll probably fall back on a jacket, no tie. But always my L.L. Bean boots,” he notes. Hard to dance in? Perhaps, “but”– he pauses and then claims – “I can’t dance anyway. In the boots, I can shuffle just as well.”

Photos by Carmen D. Noradunghian

We aim to spend about one-third of each officer’s time in proactively building and fostering relationships in the community, says Hartford Police Chief Phil Kasten. The majority of calls to the police are from a crisis of one sort or another, and police officers train for those moments, with the possible need for quick and sometimes drastic action. But preventing crises is even better than helping people through crises. Weaving sociable acquaintance with police officers into people’s daily experience makes it easier for people to call the police for help when they need it. It also reminds would-be troublemakers that police officers are woven into the community and are keeping an eye on what is happening in the community. And it lets police officers develop comfortable connections with citizens, making it easier for them to calm difficult situations. Several programs for mixing police and community members include:

National Night Out

Many towns, in fact about 20,000 nationwide, participate in this annual celebration at the beginning of August. The program began as a way to diminish crime by strengthening a community. In 1984, when the idea first took root, people in about 400 towns just turned on their porch lights and sat outside, or visited up and down their streets. Festivities expanded, of course. “It’s kind of like a block party,” says Chief Kasten. “There’s a dunk tank, and hot dogs, and a bounce house.” Major Braedon Vail often runs the grill. “He’s an expert hot dog chef,” the chief says smiling.

Other community organizations participate too, such as the Rotary Club of White River and the Hartford Community Coalition. The Water Department supplies water for the dunk tank with the added benefit of being able to spread awareness about the importance of clean water.

Coffee with a Cop

Canine Handler Officer Eric Clifford with K9 Dozer

The Hanover Co-op Food Store in White River Junction, Vermont, connected with the Police Department to organize this informal meet-up opportunity. The store put up a tent and provided refreshments – always a draw. Officers stopped by between shifts to meet residents and answer questions. Such events are primarily social, but occasionally someone will raise a concern that generates some police follow-up. “Policing is a community-wide activity,” Chief Kasten points out. “We want people to see us as community leaders and facilitators.”

Elder Education

Occasionally an officer will visit the Bugbee Senior Center in White River Junction, to join the popular lunchtime gathering, and perhaps to make a presentation on a topic relevant to seniors. The police seek to alert seniors to the scams – many targeted to – seniors, recurring by phone and internet.

Adopt a School

The Police Department and the town’s schools have organized a partnership that links two police officers with each school. The officers put quite a bit of time into this connection. They attend concerts and sports events, show up occasionally to chat during lunch or recess and patrol the campus daily, and the school building weekly. This on-going visibility helps create a connection, but still, says Major Vail, “some kids may be timid.” The department has a K-9 officer who can be an excellent icebreaker attending various events with their handler. “Everybody loves a dog!” he adds. One of the events that Major Vail is very involved in is the Special Olympics.

Addiction and Computers

“The region, and in particular Vermont, approaches addiction as the medical problem it is,” notes Chief Kasten. These days the opioid epidemic is on everyone’s mind, but Chief Kasten and Major Vail call attention to another problem: alcohol. “We don’t talk about it, but it’s the biggest addiction,” says the chief. “It contributes to domestic violence, serious fatal crashes, child abuse.” Major Vail chimes in, “It’s socially acceptable. Legal.” Chief Kasten adds, “That’s why law enforcement people are generally not in favor of legalizing marijuana.”

The department focuses on an annual theme each year to help build awareness for schoolchildren and adults; the topic is cyberbullying. “Social media creates feelings of invincibility,” notes the chief; that makes it easier to post threats or harmful photos. “We tell people, ‘If you wouldn’t say or do it in person, or you wouldn’t say or do it in front of your parents or your spouse, then don’t do it online.’”

“There are always issues with technology as it advances,” says Major Vail. “It’s easy, and we like, but it comes with a price.” Chief Kasten adds, “It ties in with our efforts to build relationships. You move at the speed of trust.”

Sitting alone in his wheelchair at the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center (VA) in White River Junction, a Vietnam veteran watched the visiting dog and panicked shouting, “I’m terrified of dogs!” Somehow, by the end of the visit he was smiling and Regan, the therapy dog, was in his lap.

Quechee resident Patt Taylor and Regan – his 4-year-old Golden Retriever who is a therapy dog – visit the VA weekly. In preparation, Patt did a lot of research into therapy dogs, he and Regan took obedience classes and went through a rigorous evaluation process for Regan’s accreditation through Therapy Dog International. As Patt explains, they both find working with the vets to be “extremely rewarding.” Patt has tied this experience to the work of the Friends of Veterans; the group is linking service dogs with military veterans.

Friends of Veterans

The Friends Of Veterans is a non-profit all-volunteer organization of about 15 individuals – many of whom are veterans – dedicated to preventing homelessness in the veteran population in Vermont and New Hampshire. For almost 30 years, Friends of Veterans has helped veterans in Vermont and New Hampshire get and keep a place to live, working closely with the Veteran’s Administrations in White River Junction, VT, and Manchester, NH, as well of other agencies. About 70% of the Friends Of Veteran’s funds go toward rental and mortgage assistance. Other areas of support might include home repairs to ensure livability, fuel assistance, or car repairs to support a veteran’s ability to work and pay housing expenses.

Within the past three years, several Quechee residents have joined Friends Of Veterans and brought some new skills and energy. In addition to Patt are Gary Davis, Pat Davis, John Ferney, Bob Hayden, Paul Marinelli, Dave Morris, Ed Smoragiewicz, Brian Tart and Eileen Von Gal. They – along with the other volunteers – staff an office in the Gilman Office Center in White River Junction where the intake/case work and agency coordination takes place. Bob Hayden describes his experience with Friends Of Veterans with enthusiasm, “We are passionate about helping. When you have a vet who is living in a truck with his family with small kids, and we can help find them a place to live, work with the landlord and get a down payment made, it is a big deal – we are an advocate for the vet. Eileen Von Gal is a “bird dog” when it comes to finding funds, and it shows. In 2016, we had contact with 250 vets and were able to help over 100 of them with funding of over $90.000. That compares to total funds distributed in 2012 of $28,000.”

Expanding the availability of service dogs

So what does Regan have to do with all this? Last year, Friends Of Veterans started to think about what else they could do to combat homelessness and decided to look into supporting the use of service dogs. Patt tells me that studies have shown a strong correlation between Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and homelessness. There is also research suggesting that the presence of a service dog improves function in people living with PTSD. The Friends Of Veterans is now working with several service dog organizations – primarily America’s VetDogs – to help veterans with PTSD get and support a service dog.

PTSD is a condition that may occur in response to a traumatic, life-threatening event – such as military combat. PTSD often involves great distress and difficulty handling normal daily activities. Symptoms include reliving the traumatic event (nightmares and flashbacks), avoiding situations that are reminders of the event, negative beliefs and feelings and feeling “keyed up” (hyperarousal). Each person experiences these symptoms in their own way. Coincidentally, the VA in White River is home to the National Center for PTSD.

Of course, the service dog who can assist a person experiencing PTSD must be well trained and certified. “Much of the training is done in prisons by inmates who are trained by master service dog trainers. The dog begins training at six weeks old – staying at the prison during the week – and has to learn more than 100 commands. It can take up to 18 months to train a dog,” says Patt. According to the America’s VetDogs website, it costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place a dog.

Although the VA covers some of the expense of using a service dog for physical disabilities, there is no coverage for veterans with PTSD. So other funding is required, and the Friends Of Veterans is helping to coordinate and meet that need. They hold an annual golf fundraiser at Baker Hill in Newbury, NH. In addition to the support of businesses, individuals and charitable organizations, a major donor to the Friends Of Veterans is the Red River Charitable Foundation in Claremont, NH, whose mission includes support for U.S. military vets transitioning to civilian life. Working together, the Friends of Veterans and the Red River Charitable Foundation recently provided $7,000 to America’s VetDogs. The Red River golf tournament held on July 13 at The Quechee Club supported the service dog and other veterans programs including a heating assistance fund.

In 2009, Congress passed the Franken-Isakson Service Dogs for Veterans Act, which established a program to study the benefits to veterans – particularly those with PTSD – of service dogs. The inspiration for this Act was Luis Carlos Montalvan, a former Army captain in Iraq. His book, Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever who Saved Him, tells the story of his struggle with PTSD and how his service dog, Tuesday, helped him cope. This is recommended reading!

The latest service dog placement for the Friends Of Veterans was announced in August. The Red River Charitable Foundation and Friends of Veterans agreed to jointly fund the final phase of training for a service dog for a New Hampshire veteran severely injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Iraq who is confined to a wheelchair. They are involved in coordination of the unique training needs of the vet, his combat casualty nurse, and the White Mountain College for Pets. Very exciting!

As members of the National Guard Reserve continue to be called to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Friends of Veterans expects to see a continuing need for the service dog program – both Vermont and New Hampshire have very active National Guards, and there is a large veteran population in both states.

We salute Tuesday and Regan, our Quechee neighbors and all those who work in support of our military veterans at home. And thank our veterans for their service wherever they are.

By the way, the Friends Of Veterans is always looking for volunteer help. As Bob says, “Many hands make for light work.” If you are interested in volunteering – you don’t have to be a vet –visit the website at www.fovvtnh.org or contact Bob Hayden at 802-299-1354 or Patt Taylor at 802-236-0042.

You survive the traffic and the broken pavement on Route 4, and turn gratefully at the blinking light, heading over the covered bridge toward the peace of Quechee. You stop at the T with Main Street, and as you check for traffic, you can’t help noticing – consciously or subconsciously – that you’re facing a tangle of weeds and brush: that opposite bank is a mess. Is this the entrance, the introduction Quechee deserves? “No way!” says a small but industrious group which calls themselves the Friends of the Quechee Covered Bridge.

The Friends began with Dave Duval, Ted York – both past presidents of Quechee Lakes Landowners Association (QLLA) – and Michael Shankman. Kathy Hickey and Phyllis Shankman have also joined the group. Over the winter, they’ve developed plans, raised funds, and gathered permissions for flower boxes on the bridge, and planters and landscaping on the embankment.

The Friends of the Covered Bridge have selected Chippers to do the work. “They do landscaping, not just trees, and they’ll take care of the planter boxes over the winter,” says Michael. Phyllis chimes in, “Chippers is conscientious about using native species, not invasive ones.”

The embankment is not to be confused with the much-discussed pocket park that the Town of Hartford plans to install on the upstream side of the bridge this summer. But the Friends of the Quechee Covered Bridge hope and expect that their efforts will complement the Town’s work.

The group has raised enough money to execute the plan for this year. The creation and installation of plantings are the biggest expense, but they must also cover maintenance, and cleaning up in the fall. They intend to continue to raise funds for ongoing maintenance, contributing years of beauty at a welcoming gateway to Quechee.

If you are interested in being part of this effort, please email FQCB at fqcb2017@gmail.com. Donation checks can be made out to FQCB Garden Project, and sent to FQCB Garden Project Fund, Hartford Parks and Recreation Department, 171 Bridge Street, White River Junction VT 05001. Also, please include your name and return address so the town can send you and acknowledgement of your donation.

The Beverly Fowle Fiertz Community Center, located at The Upper Valley Haven in White River Junction, Vermont, is better known throughout the community as “Bev’s House.” When you listen to those who work or volunteer at Bev’s House speak about their experience, you can hear the warm familiarity spoken with the name, and walking through the halls and rooms lends one to believe she will come around the next corner and introduce herself. It could be her home after all: Bev’s artwork is found in every room, and her family portrait and diploma are prominently displayed in the front sitting room.

Her memory—she passed in 2010—provides the mission of the home. Through the various interpretations I’ve heard, she was an engaging, intelligent, and pioneering woman who worked on her personal development in undeniably meaningful ways: she became a lawyer in her late 50s to work for low-income women, pursued art into late life, traveled the world, and married her high school sweetheart. Next to the front door, pieces of her life story are framed along with the center’s mission statement:

“Bev’s House gives people experiencing poverty the opportunity for change in their lives through the internal discovery that comes from the expressive arts, and the justice that comes from legal advocacy. The goal of Bev’s House is to enrich the lives of others through her model of creative contemplation and active community service.”

The mission is provided through her husband, Alden Fiertz, a current resident of Woodstock. Judy Frost, the previous owner of the home, sold it to the Haven with the understanding that it would be used to extend the Haven’s mission. The multipurpose house serves any community organization that needs a meeting place. Most importantly, it is still very much a home saturated with the presence of children. This Friday afternoon, I’m led around the house by Upper Valley Haven Director Sara Kobylenski and it’s full to the brim with kid’s voices and laughter. If you come to Bev’s House, you’ll likely be greeted by a child, or multiple children, running after each other, calling out to a favorite staff member, or if they notice you at all, it might be to offer a Play-doh cupcake.

“What flavor are they?,” Kobylenski asks a seven-year old. The child seems disappointed that she doesn’t know so she informs her: “they’re Play-doh flavored.” Kobylenski gives the cupcake a pretend nibble, and declares it delicious, the girl satisfied runs out the front door where the next adult given a Play-doh cupcake is heard declaring “Mmmmm, tastes like Play-doh!,” and a cacophony of delighted laughter from any kid within earshot follows.

Guided through the home with Kobylenski, we find a different group of kids involved in activities with various staff and volunteers in almost every room. There are around 30 kids on this Friday afternoon, other days typically have more, but some are out with their Dartmouth College mentors from the Dartmouth Dream Kids programs. The Bev’s House after-school program boasts a healthy 2:1 child to adult ratio. In the half hour that I’m there, I see a group making peanut butter dip for apples in the dining den by the kitchen, from the kitchen window a group is playing basketball with a few volunteers, upstairs in the reading room two younger kids are cuddled up close on a beanbag chairs listening to a story being read aloud, and next to that, the art room has a single child working with multiple colored pencils drawing a piece of paper in the surprisingly quiet space.

Erin Wetherell comes to check in on this child. Wetherell is the Children’s Services Coordinator and she tells me that the room is typically the homework space, but they take a break from homework on Fridays. This day is a bit atypical as a key staff member is out. Usually, the kids would visit the “store” every Friday. The Children’s Program includes a token economy replete with bank accounts, Haven dollars earned through helping with tasks, taxes to pay. They can use their Haven dollars to purchase a number of fun things during a trip to the store, or the kids can decide to save up their Haven dollars to go on the winter trip to Smitty’s Movie Theatre—where you get to eat while watching a show!

The children’s program serves the children of any family that is a previous or current resident of the Haven family shelter. Any school-aged child can participate in the after school and summer programs. The summer program is varied with a diverse range of activities that would excite any kid: from horseback riding at Moonrise Farm in Taftsville, Vermont, to hiking, visiting museums, swimming lessons at the Hartford pool, photography lessons, and overnight stays at local summer camps. The Weekend Backpack program sends the kids home with meals for the weekend for the entire family.

The full extent of the program’s details would be difficult to relate. I feel lucky to have been provided a personal tour surrounded by the children at their most comfortable. Judy Frost and the Fiertz’s have provided the keystones to something that undeniably works to the benefit of the most underserved part of any community. The magnitude of the opportunity provided to these children’s long term well-being is something the Hartford community can truly be proud of.

For more information about Bev’s House or the other programs offered by the Upper Valley Haven please visit http://uppervalleyhaven.org/.

The Hartford Community Coalition began in 2014 in response to the tragic loss of three young people to suicide in one summer. In the face of such tragedy, members of the greater Hartford community stepped forward and created a grassroots organization. The main mission of the Hartford Community Coalition is a simple but powerful intention to create the time and space needed to facilitate community-wide conversations and action. The Coalition has evolved in only two years into a network of partnerships with organizations already present in the community to help community members seeking to create solutions.

The organizational structure, events and partnerships speak to the Coalition’s focus and commitment. Four committees make up the Hartford Community Coalition: Substance Misuse, Treatment & Recovery; Safe & Healthy Environment; Nutrition & Exercise; and Mental Health & Wellness. Members of the community play the most essential role in the open meetings held every month by each of the four committees. This past January the committees came together for an open forum that was dedicated to determining the Coalition’s priorities for the year ahead. Each committee has a calendar and contact information listed on the Hartford Community Coalition’s website hartfordcommunitycoalition.org. The standing invitation to anyone with a concern, opinion or desire to lend a hand underscores the value of community members that is at the heart of the Coalition’s mission.

This past March and April the Coalition organized just such an open forum about poverty and homelessness in Hartford. The panel of community members involved includes participants from The Bugbee Senior Center located White River Junction, VT, and The Family Place, located in Norwich, VT, to help identify where gaps in assistance may occur for individuals, families and even senior adults who might find themselves in a housing crisis. The panel-led meetings facilitate conversations and relationships between community members and those in the community with the professional ability or knowledge to offer advice and strategies to help. Importantly the discussions seek to identify “do-able” action items that the Coalition can then hand over to the appropriate committee for continued attention and effort. Community-identified needs are the only goals and focus areas of the Hartford Community Coalition. One such action item is the Take a Bite out of Hunger summer meals program (in its second year in Hartford), which has served more than 8,000 breakfasts and lunches to children and adults in Hartford.

Students getting involved

Victoria Stevenson is a 17-year-old resident of West Hartford who attended The Ottauquechee School when she was younger. Victoria has been an active student at Hartford High as a member of the student council and Environmental Studies Club. Despite being a busy teenager, Victoria helped organize the Hartford Community Coalition’s first annual block party last year and was involved again this year sounding excited about learning how to coordinate community events:

“I think community is extremely important and even crucial when trying to create change or support systems in any given area, so the idea of having a coalition open to any resident of Hartford seems like a wonderful place to start. The coalition, in my opinion, is going about change and progress in the right way. We have subcommittees so that if you want to help but only with a specific area you can join the subcommittee, along with community forums where we can all join together on certain topics.”

This past spring the coalition organized an open forum that was held at Hartford High School. The open screening of the award winning documentary The Other Side of Cannabis — Negative Effects of Marijuana on Our Youth helped start a discussion between high school students and community members about the drug’s presence in people’s lives. Victoria admits that she’d like to see even more young adults involved with the Hartford Community Coalition saying, “I am understanding to the fact that our lives (teenagers) seem busy but there should always be room for community. Our community is what we are built from, and we are the ones coming up to take the torch, leading into new, hopefully better changes for all community members. When I speak at a meeting I am heard…I appreciate the fact that I am respected even though I am a teen; and they feel comfortable giving me responsibilities.”

Hopefully the Hartford Community Coalition is a name you’ve seen out and about somewhere in the Hartford villages despite still being such a new organization. The second annual block party of Hartford took place in June. Victoria says it’s a great way to celebrate community and the coalition’s mission even if you haven’t been involved yourself. Visit the website at hartfordcommunitycoalition.org, or just keep your eyes open around the villages to find out more information about the work being done by the coalition.

“What did we have for snack today?” The teacher asks a group of kindergartners slowly gathering together. “PANCAKES!!!” is the unanimous, loud and long answer from the kids. The next question is a little more difficult “What kind of book is a cookbook?” teacher Erika Wetzel asks with fewer kids managing a response, their inflection evoking a question: “nonfiction?” This time it’s the teacher’s response that is loud and excited “YES!” while most of us adults are impressed and clap in response with the rest of the students joining in.

It sounds like we’re standing in a typical kindergarten classroom waiting for the kids to line up after snack or play time. Except we’re not in a classroom. I’ve been led by school principal Cathy Newton five minutes up and down some mud-seasoned trails behind the Ottauquechee school. Here, the kids aren’t just distracted with each other or shelves full of toys: some are watching teacher Meg Teachout pour water on the last remnants of the fire that cooked the pancakes earlier, while some are still stacking “wood cookies” (thin pieces of sawed off logs). Two girls carry a long branch, one on either end, with their snow pants and lunch bags hanging from the middle of the stick “we’re the caboose” they tell me while waiting patiently for the line of classmates to form.

Welcome to an outdoor classroom

As far as the outdoor classroom goes there is a small three-sided, topless wood structure standing nearby for firewood storage next to a big fire pit which has a circle of log seating around it. A larger log structure with a hillside serving as the back wall stands a little further off with a tarp for a roof. A lot of the kids have left their jackets and mittens in there on this unseasonably warm day. A little before this area we passed a simple circle of logs cut flat for sitting. The “sit spot” is where I’m told the day outside really begins with each student sitting in their own chosen space to focus on the environment around them: Has it changed since you were here last week? Why do you think the moss is greener this week? Did you hear anything new? Science and math lessons come from a daily temperature check, measuring the water in the stream through the year and making graphs and charts from the data. A forest alphabet book is under construction and each child journals weekly about their time in the woods.

As Newton introduced me to the trail we were joined by Eliza Minnucci who walked with us while a bright-eyed toddler in a baby backpack bounced above her shoulders. Minnucci is the closest thing to a founder for the Ottauquechee Kindergarten Forest and, while currently on family leave, remains close and active with the Forest Kindergarten. She is also kept busy fielding questions about the Forest Kindergarten from Hawaii to Michigan through the blog the students and teachers keep at ForestKinder.org and ThoreauThursdays.wordpress.com. “It’s pretty unique nationally, and we’re starting to see some more local schools start similar initiatives. Strafford and Hartland have programs where kids are getting outdoors one day a week.” Forest Kindergartens have been popular in Europe for decades and Minnucci’s statement is backed with the knowledge of the national attention the Ottauquechee program has received through National Public Radio.

A few of the American programs are based on spending some learning time outdoors, some are garden focused and others like the Ottauquechee Forest Kindergarten integrate the outdoor component and gardening. The kids go outside in most weather conditions and inclusiveness is taken seriously as every child is provided with whatever it takes to get them outside comfortably for the school day once a week. The school garden was just cleared and tilled a few weeks ago. Minnucci tells me the program was born through the KinderGuiding program she started at the Ottauquechee School in 2011. That program brought local retirees into the school to help with four outdoor-based activities a year, the final activity of the year being a kindergarten-sized hike on the Appalachian Trail.

Minnucci’s training in education spans the world from Spain to Mexico to above the Arctic Circle where she was an education coordinator, home visitor manager and preschool teacher employed by the Council of Athabascan Tribal Government in Fort Yukon, Alaska for several years. Her ties to the places she learned to teach, is evident in her inspiration and motivation. After the KinderGuiding program proved a success she spoke with Newton about getting the kids outdoors not just four times a year but once a week. Newton was convinced to try out the idea. Meg Teachout was hired to help and collaborate with Minnucci, the program was formalized, grants were written, requested and thankfully received.

The success of the Kindergarten Forest spawns other programs at Ottauquechee

The Kindergarten Forest officially started in the fall of 2013. This year is a “turning point” for the program. Federal grants want to see sustainability; a new program should demonstrate self-sufficiency within a few years. Grant funders have included the Byrne Foundation, Mascoma and the Wellborn Ecology Fund. All the fire-cooked snacks are provided by a local foundation that provides only Vermont foods. The turn toward local funding is imperative in order to provide the few extra teachers needed with a group of kindergartners in the woods and each year presents a new challenge in this regard. The school recently set up a Go Fund Me account to help ensure the continuity of the program next year.

Rebecca Whitney is a local resident whose two young kids have gone through the Kindergarten Forest at the Ottauquechee School. “Both my son and daughter gained so many skills from being part of the outdoor classroom: confidence in problem solving as they worked things out in new ways, an appreciation for nature in every season, the ability to reflect quietly as well as work together with their classmates to achieve goals, and a sense of endurance as they trudged out every week, no matter what the weather!”

More programs are branching out of the Forest Kindergarten. Fourth and fifth graders can join the “Wolves on Parade” group that walks the forest after school hours to clean up the natural area surrounding the school. A bid was put into the local high school for the forestry class to come and fell trees that need to be taken down: something the kindergarten class learned about when a local professional came in to help identify potential hazards, marking them with the class to be watched and eventually taken down. The Upper Valley Waldorf School brings their pre-schoolers over to the outdoor classroom once a week. Minnucci, parents and the school hope to create perpetuity for the program, and a strong awareness of the program’s presence in the community through further connections with local residents and organizations. Students and teachers are happy and excited to come to school and now the only challenge that remains is to create total sustainability for the Forest Kindergarten from local communities and from within the school.

It’s such a good idea, someone must be doing it,” Hartford’s Sonja Hakala told her brother Mark. He had been skimming an AARP magazine and found an article about people donating small quilts for Alzheimer’s patients. Their own mother lay in bed, too weak from Parkinson’s disease to move under the full-size quilt Sonja had made for her—but what about a lap quilt? “You could do this, Sone,” her brother said. And she did.

Sonja is known as a fountain of ideas, both of projects and of how to accomplish them. She’s written and produced books on publishing, and she works helping authors develop and publish their books. She saves some of her ideas for her own novels—the third in her series about fictional Carding, Vermont, will be out this fall—but is always ready to try something new. When her brother suggested small quilts, she had recently created a quilting book for Wiley’s “Teach Yourself Visually” series, so her quilting interest naturally blended with her concern about Parkinson’s patients.

“We don’t realize how heavy a quilt is,” Sonja explains. “Two layers of fabric, plus seams, plus the batting—it adds up.” Parkinson’s disease can produce a wide range of symptoms, but uncontrollable muscles are a characteristic problem. Muscles may become rigid, or they may succumb to continual tremors—either way, their unreliability causes people to give up trying to do things, causing muscles to atrophy. The cruel disease, whose cause is unknown, is like a slow version of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Parkinson’s is progressive, incurable and widespread.

Spurred by her brother’s comment, Sonja made her mother a smaller quilt, sufficient cover during the hours her mom spent in a recliner chair. With light batting, sparse quilting (so the quilt remained flexible) and jazzy colors, the quilt was a boon to body and spirit. So the Parkinson’s Comfort Project was born.

Project receives state and national recognition

Sonja has always been a leader, perhaps the result of growing up the oldest of six. “I gave away the first quilts in April of 2011,” she recalls, “at a talk in a symposium run by Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Parkinson’s Center. Then I started telling others in my quilt guild and quilts started being handed to me.” Soon she had set up a 501(c)(3) non-profit to run the project, and the networks of both quilters and Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers were spreading the word. The project has given away about 250 quilts by more than 50 quilters since its inception. When Sonja gets involved with something, she tends to write a book about it, and sure enough, her latest book is Piecing for Parkinson’s, which gives step-by-step directions for six different quilts, copiously illustrated with photographs.

“People find out about us at symposiums, or from our website, or they hear about it from friends,” says Sonja. At the end of last year, Sonja presented the project on national TV, on the show “Sewing with Nancy.” The result was an uptick in quilts arriving, and in requests. Earlier this year, the project was selected as the Non-Profit of the Year, by the Vermont Quilt Festival in Essex Junction, the oldest and longest-running quilt show in New England.

Shortly after her mother’s death, Sonja ran across Wilder resident Lynn Bohi in the Upper Valley Food Coop. They talked about the lap quilt idea. Lynn is on the community service committee of Northern Lights, the local quilting guild. “Quilters I know are very giving,” Lynn says, adding with a laugh. “Many of us enjoy putting fabric together, and you can only have so many quilts in the house.” She recounts the story of one of her gifts to the Parkinson’s Comfort Project: “In a magazine I found a pattern I really wanted to try—I thought it would use up some scraps [this comment causes quilters to laugh]—and I kept sewing because it was interesting and fun, and then I had two quilts! I only had batting for one, so I finished that one, and about a month later Sonja gave me batting for the other one. At one of the support group meetings a man was trying to choose a quilt, and I asked him which one he liked. He said, ‘I like the one on that woman over there,’ and it was my quilt there was a second copy of!”

Such moments are what make Sonja call the project “very rewarding,” but the rewards are emotional, and the project runs purely because of the efforts of Sonja and her family, husband, Jay Davis, and son, Jesse Davis. Donations are few even though they’re tax-deductible, and it costs money to mail quilts, to keep the website up, to travel to support groups or quilting events for publicity. It’s on Sonja’s to-do list to solicit for a sponsor, “perhaps a fabric company or a sewing machine company,” she muses. Meanwhile, she tackles work for the project as she tackles making a quilt. “I never keep track of how long it takes to make a quilt,” she says. “If you knew how long it took you, you wouldn’t do it!”

Anyone is welcome to donate a quilt. Size recommendations are available on the website: http://parkinsonscomfort.org/. The Project hosts two “Piecing for Parkinson’s” community sewing days a year. The next one is in early November.