BRADFORD, Vt. — East Central Vermont Economic Development District will hold a forum from 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday at the Space on Main to ask community members for input on its updated regional plan for the communities it partners with in Vermont.
The district is looking for ideas about how it can “sustain and strengthen” regional resilience, business innovation, workforce development, commercial infrastructure, workforce housing, quality of life, working lands and community health in the Vermont towns of Andover, Baltimore, Barnard, Bethel, Bradford, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Cavendish, Chelsea, Chester, Corinth, Fairlee, Granville, Hancock, Hartford, Hartland, Ludlow, Newbury, Norwich, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Pomfret, Randolph, Reading, Rochester, Royalton, Sh
For more information, visit ecvedd.org.
WRVSU superintendent
finalist visits Bethel
BETHEL — Community members are invited to meet the finalist selected to become the next superintendent of the White River Valley Supervisory Union during a forum at 6 p.m. on Thursday at White River Valley Middle School in Bethel.
Jamie Kinnarney, the current Williamstown Schools principal, was selected by the union’s Screening Committee to replace outgoing superintendent Bruce Labs.
Kinnarney, originally from South Royalton, was selected from a pool of 13 candidates who applied for the job, according to a news release from the supervisory union, which serves schools in Bethel, Chelsea, Strafford, Sharon, Royalton, Rochester, Stockbridge and Tunbridge, and students from Hancock and Granville. Two candidates were interviewed for the job and Kinnarney was selected as the sole finalist. The supervisory union’s board will make a final decision and members will consider community feedback.
NEWPORT — People interested in becoming hospice volunteers with Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice are invited to attend a free six-session training program that is set to begin on Wednesday, March 11.
In addition to spending time with patients in their homes, hospice volunteers may help with chores or provide respite care for family members. The nonprofit organization is also looking for people who have served in the military, or are currently serving, to be companions for patients who are veterans. Those volunteers must undergo the same training program as hospice volunteers.
The program is 21 hours long and is spread over the course of seven sessions in the community room at the Newport Health Center (11 John Stark Highway) on the following dates and times: 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 11; 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, March 14; 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 18; 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, March 21; 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 25; 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, March 28, and 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 1.
Training topics include an overview of hospice care, volunteer responsibilities, patient symptoms, boundaries, family dynamics, spirituality, bereavement and self-care. Once training is over, volunteers can choose how many hours they want to work.
Class size is limited. RSVP to Lori O’Connor, Volunteer Manager, at 603-526-4077, ext. 281 or loconnor@lakesunapeevna.org.
Lake Sunapee Ice Out contest begins
NEW LONDON — Upper Valley residents are being asked to guess the date when Lake Sunapee will thaw during the annual Ice Out Raffle.
A single guess costs $5 and five guesses can be purchased for $20, according to a news release from the Lake Sunapee Region Chamber of Commerce, which runs the annual contest along with the Lake Sunapee Protective Association.
If multiple people choose the correct date, they will be entered into a randomized selection process and the winner of that will receive a third of the money raised. The rest will be split between the two nonprofit organizations.
Richard Osborne and his family declare the “Ice Out” on Lake Sunapee once a boat is able to navigate from Georges Mills to Newbury, according to the chamber’s website.
Chances can be purchased on-line at LakeSunapeeRegionChamber.com. People must be age 16 and older to participate. The deadline to purchase guesses is March 27.
LEBANON — Lynne Goodwin, Lebanon human services director, John Benson III, the CEO of Simon Pearce, and April Harkness, governance & community engagement specialist at Hanover Consumer Cooperative have joined LISTEN Community Services’s board of directors.
“The talents and skillsets of these three new members will significantly help us as an organization and ensure that LISTEN is at the table representing those who need us most in the Upper Valley for many years to come,” board chairwoman Laurel Stavis said in a news release. “I look forward to working with them to further fulfill our mission.”
HANOVER — Positive Tracks, a nonprofit organization that encourages young people to use athletic activities as a form of activism, has received $60,000 grant from New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
The three-year grant will enable the Hanover-based organization to expand its programming throughout the state according to a news release. The organization’s mission is to get members of Generation Z (people born between 1995-2010) to address societal issues including climate change, mental health and inequality through physical activity. The money will also go toward connecting low-income youth to civic and community leaders to help close the opportunity gap that exists for youth.
“Generous support from New Hampshire Charitable Foundation greatly increases Positive Tracks’ capacity to offer youth the skills, knowledge and resources needed to learn and experience hands on leadership,” Nini Meyer, CEO and founder of Positive Tracks, said in the release. “The Foundation is also connecting us to new youth, schools, and community leaders across the state ensuring that Positive Tracks is accessible to all.”
— Staff reports