LEBANON — Peter Decato credits the late Jim Vanier, his longtime friend, with raising multiple generations of children in Lebanon through his work as the director of the Carter Community Building Youth Drop-in Center.
Decato is set to speak before the City Council at its meeting Wednesday night on behalf of Vanier’s family and the Jim Vanier Youth Fund Board, requesting the installation of a bench at the pedestrian mall and potentially renaming the mall itself in honor of Vanier, who died in December.
“Every community has heroes, and this is our hero,” Decato said will be his message to the Lebanon City Council on Wednesday.
Initially, there was an effort to commission a bust to honor Vanier, but Patrick Hayes, a member of the Jim Vanier Youth Fund Board, said it did not reflect who he was.
“A bust really wasn’t what he was all about,” Hayes said. “Not celebrating himself but celebrating all the things he did for people.”
Hayes credited Vanier for serving as a big brother and father figure to “any kid in Lebanon between 20 and 50.”
“He taught them the most important lessons of humility, politeness… he would just give you the shirt off his back to help anybody,” Hayes said.
The bench is one of several ways community members are rallying to carry on and honor Vanier’s legacy.
Community members have established the Jim Vanier Youth Fund as a nonprofit to collect funds to continue Vanier’s work supporting kids in the community.
One major way Vanier helped the city’s youth was by continuing the Pat Walsh sneaker fund, in which people donated money, and he used that money to provide kids with sneakers, shirts, or pretty much anything, according to Hayes.
Additionally, there are plans for a Celebration of Life on Aug. 22 at Colburn Park to remember and honor Vanier.
Even as those close to Vanier look to honor him, Decato acknowledged he probably would not have been too happy about the recognition.
“Jimmy would be upset — he would be upset with me,” he said. “If Jimmy’s watching and in my faith I believe he could be — he’d be upset with me or anybody else that stood up and said, ‘Wow this guy was a hell of a guy’.”
Despite that, Decato said that Vanier’s life needs to be remembered.
“Everyone’s got an opinion — I value them all, that’s fine — but on this one, I bet you there’s not a person that disagrees with this — to do something to memorialize him,” Decato said.
The Lebanon City Council meeting is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The meeting can also be attended online. The link is available at: https://lebanonnh.portal.civicclerk.com/event/2522/files/agenda/8276.
