​November is Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month. This celebration of Indigenous cultures began as a week-long event in 1986 under President Reagan. Every President since 1995 has issued annual proclamations designating the month of November as the time to celebrate the cultures, accomplishments, and contributions of Native American and Alaska Native communities.
 
We hope the resources below help you learn more about Indigenous culture and history, including right here in N’dakinna, the traditional ancestral homeland of the Abenaki, Pennacook and Wabanaki Peoples, past and present.

​INHCC is a grassroots movement of community members of diverse cultural backgrounds, working to re-frame New Hampshire’s heritage through a decolonial lens. Their website features some great blog posts and resources, and their YouTube channel offers locally produced documentaries about Indigenous heritage in New Hampshire and the Lakes Region.

Now Who Shall Judge the Indians?
How 500 Years of Colonization Has Impacted the Abenaki Peoples of NH and the Northeast

A livestream virtual presentation by Anne Jennison
Saturday, November 9 at 11:00 am
To register, contact the Sandown Public Library 603-887-3428

Anne Jennison is a traditional Native American storyteller and historian of European and Abenaki heritage.
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In this presentation, Anne examines how European colonization of North America impacted generations of Abenaki/Wabanaki people. She also highlights the ways that the Abenaki/Wabanaki peoples have acted as agents of their own change through education, self-advocacy, efforts to revitalize their languages and traditional arts. Finally, she discusses how—working with archeologists, anthropologists, and scientists—they have recovered and revealed more about their history and traditional knowledge.
 
This program is offered by NH Humanities.

​Celebrate by listening to Indigenous and Native voices from across North America on PBS.
 
PBS features a wide range of programming, including documentaries on American Indian boarding schools, a series featuring Native chefs and Indigenous cuisine, and an entire library of documentaries and short films telling a variety of Native stories.

Last week’s match was quickly unlocked by three individual donors and a $3,000 contribution by Melcher & Prescott Insurance!

The Hodges Companies continues to wow us with their support of the Bay Street project. They pledged a third and final match of $3,400 to furnish yet another apartment, if we can raise $3,400 from other donors by Tuesday, October 22!
 
Your donation today will help us get to the point where we have 10 of 12 apartments furnished.
 
Our goal is to raise $45,000 by the end of the year to furnish all 12 apartments. With your support, we will be able to offer fully furnished efficiency apartments to people of very low income who are experiencing homelessness, in partnership with Lakes Region Mental Health Center.
 
This project is a critical step in addressing the homelessness crisis. Please help us in this effort by making a donation today. Thank you!

Rev. John Eaton “For years I saw the need and said to myself that if I had the resources I would construct a building with 8-12 supported efficiency apartments for those in need. When I learned LRCD was doing just that, I jumped at the opportunity to contribute to the project.” Rev. John Eaton

In addition to his generous pledge to furnish an entire apartment, John has also purchased 12 small lamps for the bedside tables, a set of sheets for each apartment, and some artwork and greenery for common areas in the building.

John is very keen to make Bay Street Apartments a welcoming and comfortable home for people who have experienced homelessness.

In fact, this entire fundraising campaign was John’s idea! He read about the project in the paper and reached out to us to offer support.
 
Thank you, John, for your kindness and generosity!

Pictured above are Carmen Lorentz of LRCD and Rev. John Eaton of Meredith

​Meredith Village Savings Bank

Pictured above are Carmen Lorentz and Lori Borrin, Vice President & Mortgage Loan Officer at MVSB
 
MVSB was the first local business to answer the call for support, and they generously pledged to sponsor an entire apartment. MVSB has enthusiastically supported many of LRCD’s projects over the years, and has provided strong leadership on our Board of Directors throughout our 30-year history. MVSB is an outstanding community bank that cares deeply about the communities they serve. Thank you, MVSB!

​Resilient Buildings Group

​Pictured above, Chase Pennoyer, President of Resilient Buildings Group (RBG); Tori Gerlt, Director of the Energy Solutions Implementation Team at RBG; and Carmen Lorentz of LRCD.
 
Resilient Buildings Group (RBG) generously sponsored furniture for one of the living spaces in an apartment, which includes a table & two chairs, loveseat, coffee table, and TV with wall mount.
 
RBG also provided consulting services during the design phase for this project, enabling us to make the building 100% electric and to access energy incentives to help pay for construction. After construction, our goal is to apply for additional funding to add roof-mounted solar to the project. We love using renewables wherever possible to reduce LRCD’s carbon footprint. We rely on RBG to help us pursue this goal. Thank you to the entire RBG team for all you do!

​Things are moving right along at Bay Street Apartments. The concrete slab is cured, a new six-inch sewer line has been constructed, and the driveway and parking area are paved. After a lot of site work, the building will finally start to go vertical in the coming days!

​Have you ever been in a conversation about the housing crisis and wished you had some data? If so, here are two great resources for you:
 
Lakes Region Housing Needs Assessment
Published October 2023 by the Lakes Region Planning Commission
 
This study estimates that the Lakes Region needs 7,440 additional units of housing by 2040, and that 3,160 of those units need to be affordable for essential workers and seniors with low fixed incomes.
 
2023 Statewide Housing Needs Assessment
Published March 2023 by New Hampshire Housing
 
This study estimates that New Hampshire needs 90,000 additional units of housing by 2040 to achieve a more balanced housing market where people can find housing they can afford within a reasonable amount of time.

​Bullying can occur in multiple ways. It can be verbal, physical, through social exclusion, or via digital sources like email, texts, or social media. Unlike mutual teasing or fighting, bullying occurs when one person or a group of people is perceived as being more powerful than another and takes advantage of that power through repeated physical assaults, threats of harm, intimidation, or by purposefully excluding a person from a valued social group.
 
Being bullied can severely affect a person’s self-image, social interactions, and school performance. Bullying can lead to mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, substance use, and even suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

To participate in Unity Day, check out the resources below and share them with the children in your life.
 
Kids Against Bullying
 
Kids Against Bullying is a creative, innovative and educational website designed by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center (PACER’s NBPC) for elementary school students to learn about bullying prevention, engage in activities and be inspired to take action.
 
Teens Against Bullying
 
Teens Against Bullying was created by and for teens working with PACER’s NBPC. This website is a place for middle and high school students to find ways to address bullying, to take action, to be heard, and to own an important social cause.

Since 2006, PACER’s NBPC has actively led social change to prevent childhood bullying, so that all youth are safe and supported in their schools, communities, and online.
 
Founded in 1977, PACER Center was created by parents of children and youth with disabilities to help other parents and families facing similar challenges. Today, PACER Center expands opportunities and enhances the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families. PACER is staffed primarily by parents of children with disabilities

​Are you concerned about the crisis of homelessness?

You can make a difference by contributing to our fundraising campaign to furnish Bay Street Apartments in Laconia. This property will provide 12 efficiency apartments for people of very low income who are experiencing homelessness. The project is currently under construction with completion scheduled for March 2025. To set the future tenants up for success, we want to provide durable furnishings for all 12 apartments.

We seek business sponsors and individual donors. Click below to see the sponsorship levels or to make your donation today. Thank you!

​Congressman Chris Pappas recently stopped by our office to learn about our Bay Street Apartments project and discuss the importance of supportive housing in addressing the crisis of unsheltered homelessness in the Lakes Region.
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Thank you to the team at Lakes Region Mental Health Center (LRMHC) our supportive services partner in the Bay Street project, for your advocacy on housing needs for the people you serve.

Pictured left in front of the Bay Street site: Beth Vachon, LRMHC; Carmen Lorentz, LRCD; Congressman Pappas; Christine Alvarez, LRMHC; and Senia LaForte, LRMHC.

Site work is wrapping up on Bay Street, and the crew is readying to pour the concrete slab this week. Construction is on schedule so far, with completion planned for late March 2025.

Thanks to our design and construction team, including Northpoint Engineering, Stewart Associates Architects, and Bauen Corporation. We encountered a couple unforeseen challenges during the site work phase, but the team handled them expertly.
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We are happy to be up out of the ground now!

​We are gearing up to make approximately $700,000 in improvements at Millview Apartments in Laconia. This project was built in 2003 and contains 18 apartments in five buildings on Union Avenue and up above on Locust and Jameson Streets.

​After over 20 years, the property is in need of upgrades, including new siding, new roofs, new boilers, and landscaping. We will also install rooftop solar arrays on the three south-facing buildings.

Funding for these improvements is provided by a Community Development Block Grant from NH Community Development Finance Authority and a grant from the Renewable Energy Fund at the NH Department of Energy.

Laconia Multicultural Festival
​A Celebration of Music, Arts, Crafts, and Cuisine in Downtown Laconia
 
Saturday, September 7th
10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Rotary Park and City Hall
45 Beacon St East, Laconia
 
This free, family-friendly event highlights the music, arts, crafts and cuisine of Laconia’s diverse community, from its earliest days to recently-arrived New Americans. The Festival was conceived and is supported by the Laconia Human Relations Committee, as well as many local businesses and individual sponsors.
 
Click here for more information.

​Concord Multicultural Festival
​Sunday, September 22nd
11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Keach Park, Concord
 
The Concord Multicultural Festival is a vibrant event that celebrates the rich diversity of the City of Concord. The mission of the Festival is to promote cultural understanding and appreciation through a variety of art demonstrations, music and dance performances, and more.
 
Each year, the Festival features a full lineup of performances, food vendors, craft vendors, artists, activities, and parade of flags that represent more than 70 cultures from around the world, presented by folks who live and work locally.
 
Visit their website for more information.