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Abstract Paintings & Tribal Masks Exhibition At New Hampshire Antique Co-Op
Now on view through May 31, 2020
Congregational Church Stays Connected
During the suspension of in-person activities in light of the Covid-19 situation, the Congregational Church of Amherst, UCC has a variety of ways for members and others to connect with church programs. This is especially important during April as Holy Week and Easter are on the horizon.
The most up-to-date information about church activities can be found on the church’s website (ccamherst.org) or by calling the church office at 673-3231. Sunday services are broadcast on FacebookLive and recorded for later on-line viewing. Services are followed by a Virtual Fellowship Hour. Links for these and other events can be found on the website.
The church’s Facebook page is another source of information, including updates and video messages from the pastors. Pastors Maureen Frescott and Kate Kennedy are available to provide pastoral care during this time, and the church welcomes community members to connect with this loving, serving, open and affirming community of faith.
Lorraine Alice Hamilton
AMHERST – Lorraine Alice Hamilton of Amherst, New Hampshire, Beach Haven, New Jersey and Rancho Mirage, California died June 14, 2020 from pancreatic cancer at her home in California. She was 73 years old and a participant in the trial of a new cancer drug at NYU Langone in New York City since April 2019. She hoped that results from the trial would improve care for other patients who develop this cancer. She was with her family when she died and was
Donald Richard Haaker
Donald Richard Haaker, 80, born June 2, 1940, son of Carl E Haaker and Jeanne LaRochelle Haaker of Fitchburg, MA, son, brother, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, peacefully passed away on Sunday, June 7, 2020 at Saint Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, MA.
Don, as he was affectionately referred to by friends, and Dad or Grandpa by family, was a proud veteran, avid fisherman, former business owner, collector of “As Seen On TV” gadgets, and
Schools
Students in the News
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People
Trudos Mark 75th Wedding Anniversary with Family
The Trudos celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary.
Julia Daniel Helps Children Improve Literacy and Pet Care Knowledge
AMHERST – Concerned about both literacy and pet care, Girl Scout Cadette Julia Daniel, 14, of Amherst worked with the Amherst Town Library and the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire to set up a program that allowed children to read books to her pet rabbit, Buttercream. Julia wanted to both educate the public on the responsibilities of pets so they would not get a pet they could not care for, and also wanted to encourage emerging readers to read to her rabbit in a judgment-free zone. She also made presentations to a Girl Scout troop
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Julia Daniel and Buttercream
and at the library. She was recognized with the Girl Scout Silver Award for her project, Books with Buttercream.
She has been recognized as a Silver Award Girl Scout for her effort to improve her community.
For the Silver Award, Cadettes (girls in grades 6-8) flex their leadership muscles by doing research and taking action on issues of their choice. It is the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadette may earn. Through their commitment to their communities, girls gain confidence and skills that will catapult them to Gold Award success—all while creating positive change.
AMHERST – July 12 marked a very special milestone for Vern and Chris Trudo. Together with their family, they celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary at their home in Amherst with champagne, cake, and ice cream.
The Trudos’ roots run deep in Amherst. Residents for 51 years, they have contributed so much to the community that they were Citizens of the Year in 1990, the only time a couple has been so honored. The honor was richly deserved. Many remember Chris as a Readiness teacher, then principal and guidance counselor at Clark School. She mentored education majors at Rivier College. After retirement, she saw a need, shared her experience and knowledge, and with Betsy Austen, formed the Preschool in the Village.
Vern, an insurance agent at the Holt Agency in Milford, became deeply vested in the community as well. As one of the founding members of the Amherst Lion’s Club, he was committed to selling light bulbs to anyone he met. An enthusiastic supporter of SHARE, he raised funds and walked in the annual CROP Walk into his late 80’s.
Both Chris and Vern have always been active members of the Congregational Church of Amherst, serving on almost every committee, often several times. Both served on the Greater Nashua Interfaith Hospitality Network. Vern was a founding member of Anne-Marie House, which provides transitional housing for families experiencing homelessness in the Greater Nashua area. Chris is a member of the Woman’s Association and began the Octogenarians, a group to foster connections among those with years of experience.
Family, faith and service have always been most important to the Trudos and the community has been the beneficiary. Chris and Vern look forward to celebrating their milestone anniversary with friends as well as family when larger gatherings are possible.
Old Home Day 2020 is Cancelled
COMMUNITY DINNER ON THE GREEN IS PENDING
AMHERST – The Historical Society’s Old Home Day committee is very disappointed to announce that September’s Old Home Day celebration will be cancelled for 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We do hope to hold the Community Dinner on the Town Green on September 12, if by that time it is possible to gather for the dinner, safely and legally.
Why did we make this decision now if permissible activities might be expanded by September?
Simply put, the involvement of so many Amherst organizations has grown Old Home Day into a fantastic, fun, and rather large event. This also means that it requires significant amounts of advanced planning and coordination. With the uncertainty surrounding public gatherings due to COVID-19, we’re simply not able to secure the many needed contractual and financial commitments from vendors, artisans, performers, food trucks, sponsors etc. These key players are uncertain what September will bring, and so are we. It’s just not possible to plan the kind of event we’d all like to have - even if it were to become legal to hold it by September.
Hosting the Community Dinner on the Green is a much simpler affair. This allows us to postpone a decision until much closer to the actual September date in the hope that we will be able to gather as a community at that time.
Thank you for your understanding and support. Stay tuned for more information later this summer.
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Katherine Tiso is Now a Gold Award Girl Scout
AMHERST, NH – Life can be stressful for anyone. Reducing pressure on high schoolers trying to make it successfully through their academic life, social life, and now the COVID-19 pandemic was the goal for Girl Scout Katherine Tiso, which she accomplished through a program of stress-reduction techniques and a high school club called Stress Less. Tiso is now a Gold Award Girl Scout, earning the highest award possible for a high school-level Girl Scout for her project, also called Stress Less.
Gold Award Girl Scout Katherine Tiso, with her puppy, Lola. Tiso is training Lola to be a therapy dog, and hopes to involve her in her Stress Less club at high school next year.
Girl Scout gives high schoolers a way to reduce stress
Before the pandemic closed schools, “I noticed at my school there were a lot of kids feeling stressed and anxious,” said Tiso, 17, of Amherst. “I wanted to teach techniques to deal with stress. I think it was pretty helpful. I did a survey at the end of a few meetings and a lot of people said they’d enjoyed it and would use it in the future.”
Tiso’s advisor on the project and her Spanish teacher at Souhegan High School agrees that expectations are high for high schoolers. “The pressure to succeed is causing such a great deal of stress and anxiety on today’s students,” said Kathleen Desmond. “Eighth-graders are worried about trying to earn high school credit and high schoolers are trying to earn college credit all while simultaneously navigating the world of teenage life. Add in the element of social media, and you can see why stress and anxiety are high.”
Desmond said Tiso wanted to provide a safe space where she and a group of people could come together and not feel the stress of what was happening in the outside world. “Together, we discussed possible activities, and during meetings we would come together to chat and take our minds off of the things that were weighing us down,” she said.
Stress Less was formed as a school club, and as the students came together to talk and de-stress, Tiso guided them through different relaxation techniques. Her first meeting included coloring, conversation, and food.
Just as she got the club rolling, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing students to do their school work remotely and adding a whole new layer of stress to students who were not sure how their classes, sports, proms, and graduations would work out. Tiso had to make adjustments to the new reality, taking her Stress Less club online. She found that simply laughing is a great release valve, sharing charades and Pictionary with the students online. They even did a multi-player online puzzle.
To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, a Girl Scout must address a problem in her community with a project that is sustainable for at least three years, and so Tiso intends to continue running the club at her high school in the coming year, teach an underclassman to take over once she graduates, and created a document on how others can create their own Stress Less club to help people around the world.
Local Young Adult with Autism Launches COVID Shred Shed Project
MONT VERNON, NH – Local resident and 2018 Souhegan High School graduate Chloe Bertrand has many interests, the most passionate of which is shredding. Chloe experiences an intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) and is diagnosed with Autism. She enjoys shredding all types of paper every day and is constantly seeking material from family and friends to shred. While Chloe experiences significant challenges, with the right support she has achieved some monumental things like competitive and integrative employment. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Chloe needed to take a leave
of absence from her associate position at Whole Foods Market in Nashua due to her underlying medical conditions in order to stay healthy, stay put, and stay safe.
Chloe’s family had to think creatively about her employment options. A couple years back Chloe had developed a plan for a data destruction business for her senior project at Souhegan High School. That effort involved reaching out to local businesses to gauge interest in the need for data destruction services, as well as doing research into how to start a small business. This interest and previous research led Chloe and her family to the idea of a “Shred Shed”. Chloe’s Shred Shed will provide a safe haven for her as she transitions from school-based services into adult developmental services.
Employment is critical for everyone, including Chloe, to achieve economic independence and it is also important to a person’s identity as well as a source of socialization and self-esteem. COVID has made employment more challenging, particularly for many people with I/DD. Chloe’s COVID Shred Shed project will allow her to safely strive for increased economic independence and is a powerful example of creating work through entrepreneurship.
Chloe’s “Shred Shed” idea has resonated with local businesses Reeds Ferry Sheds of Hudson and Ciardelli Fuel Co. of Milford, so much so that Reeds Ferry has agreed to donate a shed to Chloe and Ciardelli will assist with the cost and installation of a heating and cooling system. Her parents will assist with finishing the interior, but in an effort to cover the remaining expenses associated with building and equipping the Shred Shed for year-round use, Chloe and her family have opened up a GoFundMe campaign. For more information and/or to contribute and help realize Chloe’s Shred Shed dream, visit http://gofundme.com/f/chloes-covid-shred-shed.
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