Contact: Tim Dupre, Executive Director
Telephone: 271-7202

New Hampshire First Lady Presents
SPIRIT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AWARDS in Bedford

The second annual Spirit of New Hampshire Awards was held at The Event Center at CR Sparks in Bedford on November 4th. Hosted by First Lady, Denise Benson, and Volunteer NH!, and emceed by Lisa Peakes of NH Public Radio, the celebration marked the launch of a new format for recognizing outstanding contributions to volunteerism at the state level.

The event augments the many local and regional volunteer recognition events that occur throughout New Hampshire. Spirit of New Hampshire Awards honor outstanding volunteers as well as exemplary volunteer programs. “Volunteer Service Awards” are presented to individuals in the categories of youth, adult, senior, group, and national service and family. “Volunteer Champion Awards” are given to entities that support volunteerism including: non-profits, faith-based organizations, service clubs, businesses, government, and education. A “Spirit of New Hampshire Award” is reserved for the category winner that, in the view of reviewers, best exemplifies the spirit of service in New Hampshire.

2004 award recipients include:

Volunteer Service Awards

• Youth  Katherine Greene, Amherst NH
  
• Adult Dr. Melissa Magnuson, Londonderry NH
  
• Adult  Danny Marchand, Manchester NH
  
• Senior Edwin “Win” Robinson, Concord NH
  
• National Service Beth Ann Halpern, Hanover, NH
  
• Group FOCUS (BAE Systems) Nashua NH
  
• Group Strafford Angels, Strafford NH
  
• Family The Jenkins Family, Londonderry NH

Volunteer Champion Awards

• Small Non-Profit  The NH Center for Nonprofits
  
• Small Non-Profit  The Fixit Program
  
• Large Non-Profit  RiverWoods at Exeter
  
• Business  Public Service of NH
  
• State Agency NH Dep’t of Environmental Services
  Volunteer Lake Assessment Program
  
• Service Club Salem Teen Social Center
  
• Education  St. Anselm College Meelia Center
  
• Faith-Based Caleb Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers

2004 Spirit of New Hampshire Award

Edwin “Win” Robinson

Edwin “Win” Robinson was honored with the 2004 “Spirit of New Hampshire Award” for his long-time dedication to his community and to the environment of his state. He has shared his knowledge of trail building, natural history, entomology, and community affairs with many of his friends and with the younger generation. This is a gift that keeps on giving. He is described as a responsible and caring local and world citizen interested in a better quality of life for generations to come. And, through his service, he continues to make the City of Concord and the State of New Hampshire a better place to live.

Volunteer NH! received the support of five event sponsors whose contributions helped to make the evening possible. They include:

Granite Sponsor: Citizens Foundation

Spirit Sponsors:  Jefferson Pilot Financial
                           Cirtronics Corporation
                           Northeast Delta Dental
                           Teradyne, Inc.

Fourteen peer reviewers contributed their time and expertise to reviewing all nominations and participating in a selection process to determine this year’s award recipients. They included:

Kathy Rice Orshak, St. Joseph Hospital
Dennis Calcutt, Wediko Services
Suzanne Birdsall, NH Department of Education
Sarah Brown, Girl Scouts of Swift Water Council
Rhona Charbonneau, Hillsborough County Commissioner
Jim Doremus, The Friends Program
Benny Jesseman, Carroll County RSVP Director
Norma Lemire, Southern New Hampshire Services
Linette Handschumacher, Heritage United Way
Donna Odde, Friends Interfaith Caregivers Program
Althea Valentine, CASA of NH
Chuck Lloyd, NH Technical Institute
Nancy Guidice, Cirtronics Corporation
Bill Sirak, Citizens Bank

Volunteer NH! is a 501 (c) 3 incorporated non-profit organization established in 2000 by merging the NH Office of Volunteerism, the Governor’s Council on Volunteerism, and the NH Commission for National and Community Service into a single entity. Volunteer NH! is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Governor and approved by the Executive Council. The organization has three specific responsibilities:

• Promoting volunteerism and community service as a value in the state
• Administering NH AmeriCorps grants and programs
• Administering the activities of the State Citizen Corps Council
• Providing training and education to state agencies, non-profits, and corporations for their volunteer program efforts

To learn more about volunteerism in New Hampshire, contact Volunteer NH! at 271-7200.