Spirit of NH Awards: Past to Present

2021

The McGregor Memorial EMS Volunteers are trailblazers in their commitment to service. Since 1968, volunteers have collectively accumulated over 39,000 hours a year and did not slow down during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they stepped up and made an extensive impact on the Durham, Lee, Madbury, and University of New Hampshire communities. The 70+ volunteers on this team have provided direct medical care to COVID-19 positive and suspected positive patients as first responders. They provided health screenings for the entire New Hampshire state legislature as members met in-person at UNH. Volunteers also staffed countless clinics at UNH and beyond when the vaccine became available. In addition, they helped move the organization to an entirely new emergency headquarters which was established to better meet the challenges created by the pandemic.

2019

“It is an honor to work with Tom. He approaches life as an opportunity to make the world better. He invests his energy in the things he believes in: family and volunteering. I am a better person for the insight and perspective he shares with me.” – Volunteer Coordinator, Home Health and Hospice 

In his time as a Home Health and Hospice volunteer, Tom Fencil has logged over 1,500 direct care hours. He has served as a volunteer cook, driven patients to appointments at cancer centers, and speaks at volunteer trainings. But his true heart seems to be in serving as a companion volunteer, providing regular friendly visits to hospice patients, and a comforting presence to patients who are actively dying. He is a deeply compassionate man and takes time to build relationships with hospice patients and their families. 

2017

In 2010, Claire Bloom, a retired naval officer went to a book club meeting where a member who was a school teacher, mentioned she had students who come to school on Monday morning who haven’t eaten since their last meal at school on Friday. Claire was absolutely stunned, so she founded the program End 68 Hours of Hunger.  

This nonprofit organization serves over 3,000 children for the school year in eight states – mostly in New England. This program puts nourishing food in the hands of school children to carry them through the weekend. Each bag of food costs roughly $10 each week and provides two breakfasts, two lunches, and three dinners for a child including some leftovers to share with family members.  100% of all funds collected go toward feeding the children. 

2015

Gale Stanley‘s commitment to serve the community was built over a lifetime of service to others.

Gale served on The Upper Room’s board of directors for six years, was on the events leadership team, and supervised the all-volunteer food pantry.  Always considerate and patient, she deals with each individual as though they are the only priority in her life. Her lifelong dedication to making life better for families sets an example for all our volunteers.

In addition to her work at the Upper Room, Gale has been a member of The General Federation of Women’s Clubs, the nation’s largest women’s volunteer organization, for 31 years, holding a variety of local and state positions.  She is a Court Appointed Special Advocate, a trained Guardian Ad Litem, who advocates for the best interest of abused and neglected children through the courts. 

2013

In 2008 while living at Keystone Hall, Laurie Goguen began volunteering as a member of an advisory committee at Harbor Homes health care clinic. Her ability to articulate the opinions of and represent the target population drew the attention of board members and the CEO. Within just a few months of volunteering, Laurie was asked to join the board. During this time, she chaired the fundraising committee, helping raise more than $74,000, personally sharing her own story of redemption in this effort.

For Laurie, volunteerism is not an avenue to success in the community, rather it is a way of spreading the blessings she has received. 

2011

Stacey Hoang deeply cares about others, and more importantly, she puts that caring into action. Stacey was involved with Oxfam UNH, a student organization that focuses on issues of hunger and homelessness. During her time there she helped coordinate over 300 volunteers, impacting thousands of people who are affected by food insecurity. Additionally, she directed the semester homeless outreach program to Boston, and organized a monthly group to serve breakfast and lunch at a soup kitchen in Portland, ME serving over 200 people. This alongside numerous hours spent working to alleviate hunger earned her recognition as the Spirit of NH award recipient in 2011.

2009

Captain Ed Johnson, Fred Schottler, and JoAnne Schottler of the Pease Greeters received the top award in 2009. The Pease Greeters was a brainchild project of Captain Johnson that started with coffee and donuts in 2005 and grew to over 1,300 volunteer greeters. Each deploying or returning flight was met by between 100 and 400 greeters, there to honor and assist the thousands of service men and women passing through the Pease International Tradeport.

Fred joined the group in 2007 and over two years, took more than 30,000 photographs to send to troops and their families across the country. JoAnne began the Care Package Program in 2008, preparing and shipping donations to service members– a total of 6,000 pounds of care package items. 

2007

Helyn Malay volunteered with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program and in 2007, she logged over 600 volunteer hours!  Her passion for making a difference in the lives of young children from low-income families led her to give back in numerous ways. She was a Pen Pal to third graders helping them to improve their written communication and social skills.

Helyn became aware that many children were in need of warms hats, mittens, and scarves during the winter months. So she gathered some of her fellow Pen Pal volunteers along with other senior neighbors to form a knitting group to make winter accessories for children who would otherwise go without. 

2005

The Nashua Evening Exchange Club was an active and well-known group that provided the structure for each of its 27 members to make a significant contribution to the Greater Nashua community.

Each member gave approximately 60 hours of time each year to club projects and events. Through networking, good fellowship and friendship, community service projects and raising the funds to support them, the Nashua Exchange Club impacted the lives of countless children and their families.

2003

Rebuilding Together- Greater Manchester, winner of the top award, began their work in the community in 1995 under the initiative, “Christmas in April,” part of a national movement to rehabilitate homes of low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners. 

In 2003, the first Rebuilding Together project was launched on United Way’s Day of Caring.  The Youth Development Center, City of Manchester, and Office of Youth Services worked in partnership. Rebuilding Together represented an exemplary model of cross-sector collaboration – bringing together non-profit organizations, small business craftsmen, large corporate donors, banks, mortgage companies and utilities and the municipal government – to accomplish their goals.