LEBANON — Alice Peck Day Lifecare has installed a rooftop solar system at its senior independent living community, The Woodlands, after receiving a $500,000 donation from an anonymous donor.
“We’re overjoyed by what this generous donor has made possible. This solar array will contribute to our electricity usage with power from the sun for years into the future,” said Cindy Jerome, executive director of APD Lifecare, the parent organization for The Woodlands, in a news release. “We expect to save about $25,000 a year on our electricity costs, and our residents really enjoy knowing we are using renewable energy. It just feels great to be green; that’s a real passion for many of our residents.”
The solar array was installed by ReVision Energy. The array is made up of 511 panels and are expected to generate more than 205,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year for the next 40 years.
WINDSOR — Christine Porter is joining Windsor County Mentors, a Windsor-based youth-mentoring nonprofit organization.
Porter, who served as director of the Windsor Public Library for five years, will coordinate the process for matching youths with volunteer mentors in the northern part of Windsor County as the new north regional coordinator, according to a news release from the organization. Porter joins Patricia Daddona, who is the coordinator for the south part of the county and Ginny White who is the coordinator for central Windsor County.
Porter’s responsibilities also will include managing outreach activities and recruiting volunteers.
WINDSOR — The Board of Trustees of the Windsor Public Library has named Barbara Ball as the new director of the library.
Ball, of Rockingham, Vt., succeeds Christine Porter, who has been the director for five years. Ball will begin work Monday, Feb. 24, according to a news release from the library.
Ball is a member of the Vermont Library Association and previously served as director of the Windsor Public Library from 2012-14.
Ball earned a master’s degree in library and information science from San Jose State University and a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in computer science from Mount Holyoke College. She is a member of the Springfield Community Players and is a trombonist with the Chester Brass Quintet.
HAVERHILL CORNER — Vesta Smith, the Haverhill Library Association board of trustees’ longest-serving member, will be honored during a reception from 2-4 p.m. Saturday at Alumni Hall.
Smith retired after serving as board member since 1984, which included 17 years as board president, according to a news release from the association. She has volunteered at the library since 1977.
In addition to her work at the library, Smith and her late husband, Victor, were involved in the effort to save Bidell Bridge and helped get Haverhill Corner on the national Register of Historic Places.
The couple also worked to preserve the Haverhill Academy buildings, including Pearson Hall and Alumni Hall. Smith also served on the board of Haverhill Heritage Inc. (Court Street Arts) and is still an active member of the First Congregational Church.
Those wishing to contribute to the event should contact librarian Nanci Myers at mail@haverhilllibrary.org or 603-989-5578.
WOODSTOCK — Woodstock Union High School junior Isabelle Hiller has been selected as the winner of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 10th annual State of the Union Essay contest.
Hiller was among 536 students from 41 Vermont high schools who submitted 250-500 word essays, according to a news release from the senator’s office. Hiller’s winning essay was about the country’s criminal justice system.
“We have one of the highest prison populations in the world,” Hiller wrote, according to the news release. “Unless we plan to incarcerate all convicts for life, our approach to detainment should shift from ‘prison’ to ‘rehabilitation,’ focusing on equipping prisoners with the skills to be mentally stable and financially and lawfully successful.”
Sanders will enter Hiller’s essay into the Congressional Record. Upper Valley finalists include Isabelle Chen, a freshman at Oxbow High School, and Woodstock Union High School juniors Ethan Mello and Madelyn Trimpi.
CONCORD — The New Hampshire state Commission on Aging and EngAGING NH are seeking nominees for their “Older Adult Volunteer” awards.
Individuals or couples age 60 and older “who demonstrate outstanding leadership or meritorious achievement as volunteers on behalf of New Hampshire’s older adults and others,” can be nominated for the award, according to a news release from the commission.
Members from both organizations will review all nominations and select one person or couple from each county to be honored during a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Monday, May 4, at the Statehouse in Concord.
Nomination forms can be found at engagingnh.org and must be submitted by Monday, March 16.
NEWPORT — The Newport Farmers Market is looking for vendors for its 22nd season, which is set to begin on May 22 and be held every Friday through Sept. 25.
The market fee is $150 for the entire season. The organization is looking for agriculture vendors and those who have prepared, ready-to-eat foods. Crafters are welcome, but limited and are accepted only after being reviewed by the board of directors.
For more information, visit NewportFarmersMarketNH.com.
— Staff reports