Twelve award recipients from around the state were honored for their outstanding contributions to volunteerism at the 2006 Spirit of New Hampshire Awards. The annual gala administered by Volunteer NH! was held November 13 at the Courtyard Marriott Grappone Conference Center in Concord. Governor John Lynch presented awards to individuals and organizations for their exemplary work. 300 attendees from communities around the state gathered to celebrate the strong spirit of service that is a New Hampshire tradition. The event brought together interested citizens, volunteers and representatives from business, non-profit, education, government, faith communities and national service initiatives.

Volunteer Service Awards recipients included:

•  Youth - Molly White (New Boston)
• Adult - Laurie Storey-Manseau (Concord)
• Seniors - Richard Gourley (Hopkinton) and Myra Emerson (Lancaster)
• Youth Group – The Peter Woodbury School CAT Team (Bedford)
•  Adult Groups - The RSVP Pen Pal Program (Nashua) and The Refugee Connections Committee (Laconia)
• Family – The Harrington Family (Bedford)
• National Service - Cyndi Twombly (Barrington)

Volunteer Champion Awards recipients included:

• Business - Fidelity Investments (Merrimack)
• Adult Service Club - New Hampshire Insurance Women’s League (statewide)
• Higher Education - Dartmouth College Community Services (Hanover).

Richard Gourley of Hopkinton was additionally honored with the 2006 “Spirit of New Hampshire” Award. This special award is reserved for one of the category recipients whose volunteer service has had significant impact on the people served. As a volunteer with the Fixit Program, Richard has provided over 5,000 hours of direct service and traveled nearly 27,000 miles – at his own expense – to help with home repairs for hundreds of elderly and disabled people.

Major sponsors of the event were Ameriprise Financial, Citizens Bank Foundation, and Florida Power & Light- Seabrook Station. Northeast Delta Dental was a Spirit Sponsor and five organizations participated as Table Sponsors: NH Association of Elks, Lovering Volvo, Verizon, State Employees Association and RiverStone Resources.