MVSB (Meredith Village Savings Bank) is proud to announce the promotion of Jami Bourdeau to Branch & Business Development Manager to oversee the Bank’s Wolfeboro Office. Jami previously served as Branch Services Supervisor at the same location and will be following in the footsteps of Robyn Masteller, who recently retired after 17 years of service.

“Jami is a strong and compassionate leader both at the bank and in the community,” said Cathy Sleeper, Regional Vice President, Branch & Business Development Manager. “Her 20 years of banking, customer service and management experience will serve her well, and I know she will do a phenomenal job to continue the level of service and care the Wolfeboro community expects from us.”

“Through my time and experience here, MVSB has proven to be a values-driven organization that believes in giving back to customers, employees and the community, and I look forward to furthering that in my new role,” said Jami. “We have an amazing team here in Wolfeboro that works hard to support our customers every day and I am excited to lead and collaborate with them.”

Jami joined MVSB in 2006 and has served in a variety of positions throughout her career in Wolfeboro. She volunteers for the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction Community Challenge and is a 2022 Graduate of Leadership Lakes Region. She enjoys spending time with her two boys. 

Unlike a stock bank, MVSB is a mutual savings bank that operates for the benefit of its depositors, borrowers and surrounding communities. As a result, MVSB has remained steadfast in fostering the economic health and well-being of the community since it was founded in 1869. For over 150 years, Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB), has been serving the people, businesses, nonprofits and municipalities of New Hampshire. MVSB and its employees are guided by the values of accountability, mutuality, excellence, respect, integrity, teamwork and stewardship. To learn more, visit any of the local branch offices located in Alton, Ashland, Center Harbor, Gilford, Laconia, Melvin Village, Meredith, Moultonborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Rochester or Wolfeboro, call 800.922.6872 or visit mvsb.com.

 

Caption: Jami Bourdeau, Branch & Business Development Manager at MVSB’s Wolfeboro Office

Atkinson, NH – Palmer Gas & Oil is excited to announce several changes to its management team that reflect a strategic approach to continued long-term growth for the company.

Says Peter Iacobucci, General Manager of Palmer Gas & Oil (PGO), “We are excited to welcome these new managers to the team. We are committed to ensuring that we are prepared to meet the needs of our customers both now and in the future and supplementing an already high-performance team with these new talents will help to achieve that.”

Ben Kaul has been promoted to Delivery Manager and will lead the fuel delivery team with a focus on data analytics and optimization. Ben is well-versed in transportation and logistics management having been with PGO for five years as a delivery scheduler and with a major package transport company for several years prior.

Jim Martin has joined PGO as the Sales Manager, replacing industry-veteran Leslie Steeves who has transitioned to the newly created role of Key Account Manager. Jim is a sixteen-year veteran of the fuel industry and has worked in both sales and operations management. Jim’s focus will be on new business while Leslie will shift her focus to large customer retention.

Scott Ireland is PGO’s new Safety Manager, chartered with ensuring that employees put PGO’s core value of safety above all else. Scott will be working especially closely with field teams to ensure strictest adherence to safety protocols. Scott has held many varied safety positions across a number of industries in his 35+ year career.

Bill Chisholm is new to the industry but not new to purchasing product and maintaining inventory levels. As the Supply and Pricing manager, Bill will lead a team responsible for ensuring that PGO has plenty of fuel on hand to meet the many challenges of New England weather.

Award-winning Palmer Gas & Oil provides propane and oil, as well as related equipment and services to customers in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. For more information, please visit PalmerGas.com.

Palmer Gas & Oil (PGO) is a family-owned and operated propane and oil delivery and service company based in Atkinson, New Hampshire with over 90 years serving New Hampshire, Northern Massachusetts, and Southern Maine. PGO's automatic delivery, easy payment, and scheduled maintenance plans make it simple for its customers to keep their tanks full and their equipment serviced. A full sales, service, and equipment installation business, PGO is unique to the industry in that it is truly a one-stop shop. PGO is a Business NH Magazine Business of the Decade winner in the Retail/Wholesale category, a multi-award winner of the Best of Business (BOB) awards for best fuel provider as well as a multi-award winner in Unionleader Readers’ Choice award for oil and propane delivery, a Business Excellence Award winner in consumer services for large organizations from NH Business Review and has an accredited A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Contact:

Palmer Gas & Oil

Linn Kurkjian, Marketing Manager

lkurkjian@palmergas.com

603-898-7986

MVSB (Meredith Village Savings Bank) has purchased $17,500 in tax credits through the Community Development Authority (CDFA) to support the Warner House Association’s Carriage House Project. The project is aimed to construct a replica of the 18th Century Carriage House in downtown Portsmouth, which was demolished in the 1960s.

The Carriage House will feature a meeting room, rotating exhibits, staging area for outdoor events and an archaeology collection. Construction broke ground in November and the project is expected to be completed this spring. 

“Our museum association is grateful for the support MSVB has provided to help us realize our decades-long dream of reconstructing the Carriage House,” said Corey Boucher, Treasurer of the Warner House Association Board of Volunteer Governors. “The completed structure will serve as a gathering space for many community groups and further develop and preserve the rich history of the region."

“The Warner House Association plays a vital role in preserving history and bringing educational opportunities to our community,” said Jim Carrigan, MVSB Regional Vice President. “We are very proud to provide this support to help expand their facilities and programming and we hope everyone has a chance to visit and enjoy the new space when it opens this year.” 

The Warner House Association is a volunteer board of governors tasked with promoting, protecting and preserving the Warner House museum and associated buildings in downtown Portsmouth. Go to warnerhouse.org for more information.

CDFA tax credits allow businesses to fund qualifying economic or community development projects in exchange for a tax credit that can be applied against state business tax payments. The tax credits are administered by the New Hampshire CDFA. Any business with operations in New Hampshire that contributes to a CDFA tax credit project receives a New Hampshire state tax credit worth 75 percent of their contribution. The credit can be used over a period of five years to reduce the business’ state tax liability (business profits, business enterprise, or insurance premium taxes). The tax credit program allows New Hampshire businesses to use their state tax dollars to support local projects that they care about. CDFA reviews many project applications each year, and awards tax credits to those they determine are feasible and will make the biggest impact on economic development in the state. Visit nhcdfa.org for more information.

Unlike a stock bank, MVSB is a mutual savings bank that operates for the benefit of its depositors, borrowers and surrounding communities. As a result, MVSB has remained steadfast in fostering the economic health and well-being of the community since it was founded in 1869. For over 150 years, Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB), has been serving the people, businesses, nonprofits and municipalities of New Hampshire. MVSB and its employees are guided by the values of accountability, mutuality, excellence, respect, integrity, teamwork and stewardship. To learn more, visit any of the local branch offices located in Alton, Ashland, Center Harbor, Gilford, Laconia, Melvin Village, Meredith, Moultonborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Rochester or Wolfeboro, call 800.922.6872 or visit mvsb.com.

 

Caption: Kayley Fouts (left), MVSB Branch Services Supervisor in Portsmouth, present a check to Corey Boucher, Treasurer of the Warner House Association Board of Volunteer Governors, in support of the construction of the Carriage House Project in downtown Portsmouth.

DOVER, N.H. – Wentworth-Douglass Hospital has awarded a $40,000 grant to SOS Recovery Community Organization, to assist in expanding access to treatment for substance misuse.

SOS Recovery provides peer-assisted recovery support, and wellness plan provisions, for those seeking or new to recovery from substance use disorders. The funds will be used to obtain and distribute supplies needed to support daily living and harm reduction efforts.

“SOS Recovery is making a positive and significant impact in the community, and we are thankful to be able to help support them once again,” said Michelle Hanson, Director of Strategic Planning and Community Benefit at Wentworth-Douglass. “The work plan associated with these funds will have a meaningful impact on the health of our community by enhancing outreach efforts and referral to treatment, reducing transmission of chronic infections and diseases, and mitigating the impact of infection for individuals recovering from substance use disorder and experiencing unstable housing and homelessness.”

In 2016, Wentworth-Douglass also awarded more than $110,000 to the organization to support the development of their recovery center at 4 Broadway in Dover.

“On behalf of our entire team, we want to thank everyone at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital for their generous funding over the last several years,” said John Burns, Director of SOS Recovery. “SOS has had tremendous success because of the funding it received from WDH for our peer-based recovery community organization, and this continues to be an excellent fit with the hospital’s mission.”

Wentworth-Douglass conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years to identify where the hospital should focus its programs and services to improve the overall health of the individuals and families it serves. The funds donated are approved by the hospital’s Community Benefit Funding Disbursement Committee and are not raised through any public or private donations.

MVSB (Meredith Village Savings Bank) is proud to announce the promotion of James “Jim” Carrigan to Regional Vice President. In this role, Jim will oversee the Bank’s Portsmouth, Rochester, Alton, Gilford and Laconia branch offices and will work closely with the branch teams to build on existing relationships and develop new opportunities.

“Jim truly exemplifies the community and customer focus that MVSB prioritizes in its mission. As the Bank has expanded in the Seacoast, he has built and grown exceptional teams to maintain the highest level of service for customers, while staying keenly in tune to the most pressing needs in the community,” said Stacy Trites, Senior Vice President, Retail Banking Officer. “We are very proud to expand his leadership with this promotion.”

“MVSB is committed to caring for its employees and customers, and to supporting its communities by championing local businesses and aiding nonprofit organizations,” said Jim. “Sharing this commitment with the communities we serve has been critical to our success, and I’m very proud to have the opportunity to help further those efforts.”

Jim joined MVSB in 2017 as Branch & Business Development Manager for the Bank’s then-newly constructed Portsmouth office, bringing with him more than 10 years of banking experience. He was promoted in 2022 to oversee MVSB’s development in the Seacoast region, including Portsmouth and the newly constructed Rochester office.

Carrigan is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies at Babson College. He regularly volunteers at the Seacoast Science Center, Parma Music Festival and the gardens at the Monarch School of New England’s Horticultural Therapy Program. He lives on a licensed wildlife sanctuary with this wife and two kids and enjoys baking and gardening.

Unlike a stock bank, MVSB is a mutual savings bank that operates for the benefit of its depositors, borrowers and surrounding communities. As a result, MVSB has remained steadfast in fostering the economic health and well-being of the community since it was founded in 1869. For over 150 years, Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB), has been serving the people, businesses, nonprofits and municipalities of New Hampshire. MVSB and its employees are guided by the values of accountability, mutuality, excellence, respect, integrity, teamwork and stewardship. To learn more, visit any of the local branch offices located in Alton, Ashland, Center Harbor, Gilford, Laconia, Melvin Village, Meredith, Moultonborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Rochester or Wolfeboro, call 800.922.6872 or visit mvsb.com.

Caption: James Carrigan, MVSB Regional Vice President

Rochester, NH – Cornerstone VNA, your local nonprofit home health and hospice care organization, is pleased to welcome and introduce the newest members of their Board of Directors, Marilyn Staff, RN, David Richard, and Laura Davie.

According to Julie Reynolds, RN, MS, President/CEO, “We are thrilled to have Marilyn, David and Laura join our dynamic and steadfast Board of Directors. In addition to sharing a passion for our mission, they all bring extensive experience in health care and leadership skills.” Julie adds, “Marilyn, David and Laura are joining our board during an exciting time as we kick off our 110^th year anniversary, and work together to honor our past, celebrate the present, and look ahead to the bright future of our VNA.”

A graduate of Boston College, Marilyn Staff, BSN, RN, CCM has been an RN for over 35 years and is currently the Director of Care Coordination at FedPoint located in Portsmouth, NH. For over 8 years, she has been overseeing Care Management and Fraud Waste and Abuse for the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program. She has extensive senior leadership and clinical operations management experience in various settings, as well as significant risk and audit experience.  A strategic, analytical, and visionary leader, Marilyn is a past member of the Massachusetts Home Care Alliance and collaborated to establish the first Salem State Universality (previously SSC) Nursing shadow program.

David Richard is currently the sales manager for liquid fuels and equipment as well as head of community outreach for D.F. Richard Energy in Dover, NH. Prior to re-joining his family’s business in 2015, he was an occupational therapist for over 20 years in various settings, including skilled nursing facilities (SNF), and visiting nurse agencies. He has also held department management positions in SNF settings, including lead therapist positions in various VNA settings.

David shares, "I am honored to be a part of such a passionate group of professionals that provide much needed home health services to the greater Rochester area and beyond. Additionally, I have experienced Cornerstones VNA's services firsthand as they have provided amazing care to my mother in her final weeks. All I can say is that I was much impressed with the level of compassion and level of communication to myself and my siblings. It was comforting to all of us. I would not hesitate to recommend Cornerstone VNA to anyone in need of at home care."

Rochester resident, Laura Davie, is the Director of the Long Term Care and Aging focus area at the Institute for Health Policy and Practice (IHPP). She is also the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Center on Aging and Community Living (CACL), a collaboration between IHPP and the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH. Laura joined IHPP in 2005 and provides leadership, project management, facilitation, and evaluation across multiple projects focused on person-centered options for older adults to support them to live and age in communities of their choice. Currently, Laura is a Cornerstone VNA Hospice Volunteer, an active member of the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging’s Advisory Board, and is a collaborative partner in the NH Senior Leadership Series. Laura was a New Hampshire Public Health Association Board Member (2009-2016) and served as Vice President (2011-2015).

Laura shares, “As a hospice volunteer these past two years, I have learned about the breadth and depth of services Cornerstone VNA provides and the high caliber of people they employ. Joining the board is an opportunity to serve Cornerstone VNA, but also our community. Sustaining and expanding home-based services is vital to the health and well-being of individuals in need of care and their caregivers.”

Cornerstone VNA currently serves Rockingham, Strafford, Belknap and Carroll Counties in New Hampshire and York County in Maine. The team at Cornerstone VNA provides award-winning care and support through five distinct programs: Home Care, Hospice Care, Palliative Care, Life Care-Private Duty and Community Care. For 110 years, Cornerstone VNA has been committed to bringing services to people of all ages so that families can stay together at home, even when facing the challenges of aging, surgical recovery, chronic or life-threatening illnesses or end-of-life care. To learn more about Cornerstone VNA, visit www.cornerstonevna.org or call 800-691-1133.

Photo: L to R, David Richard, D.F. Richard Energy, Marilyn Staff, BSN, RN, CCM, FedPoint, and Laura Davie, Institute for Health Policy and Practice.

Club Seacret announces the newly reformulated Makeup Remover Cleansing Milk. You know how important it is to remove your makeup before bed. Now you can do it with Dead Sea minerals, gently, and beautifully. Follow with your favorite Seacret nighttime moisturizer. Your skin will love you for it.

Club Seacret announces new Energize Mud Shampoo. Reinvigorate your hair care routine and enjoy an energizing cleansing experience with this revamped formula featuring Dead Sea minerals and nourishing ingredients for healthy-looking hair.

KEY INGREDIENTS:

• HydraMud Complex
• Dead Sea Mud & Minerals
• Argan Oil
• Pro-Vitamin B5
• Hydrolyzed Silk (silk protein)

Dead Sea Minerals | Seacret Clean

Contact Matt Randall (matt@mattrandall.com) for details and how to order.

Rochester, NH- Cornerstone VNA is thrilled to announce they have received a $60,000 grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. The grant, which will be paid in $20,000 installments over a three-year period, was made possible by gifts from the following fund(s): Charles and Aroline B. Greenfield Fund, Cocheco Fund, Edmond and Margaret Drouin Charitable Fund, Greater Portsmouth Rehabilitation Center Fund, Marcia G. Moody Fund, Robert and Alexandria Lowe Fund. This important funding will help further Cornerstone VNA’s mission to promote the optimum level of well-being, independence, and dignity of those living in the community by providing trusted, compassionate and expert health care.

This multi-year grant will be used in-part for a rehabilitation training platform that will provide standardized patient education for exercises and provide professional education for their rehabilitation therapists. Furthermore, it will support underfunded specialty programs, such as Lymphedema, and specialized training for clinicians, which is critical due to the increased level of care needed to support patients at home with complex medical conditions. Funding will also support access to care for those in need, as well as efforts to attract, retain and train skilled staff.

According to Julie Reynolds RN, MS, Cornerstone VNA President/CEO, “We are so very grateful for the Charitable Foundation funding, which will enable us to continue our important work with expertise and excellence. These funds impact our ability to keep our clinicians up to date with the newest trends in healthcare, and providing specialty services to our most vulnerable residents in NH.”

About Cornerstone VNA: Cornerstone VNA currently serves Rockingham, Strafford, Belknap and Carroll Counties in New Hampshire and York County in Maine. The team at Cornerstone VNA provides award-winning care and support through five distinct programs: Home Care, Hospice Care, Palliative Care, Life Care-Private Duty, and Community Care. For 110 years, Cornerstone VNA has been committed to bringing services to people of all ages so that families can stay together at home, even when facing the challenges of aging, surgical recovery, chronic or life-threatening illnesses or end-of-life care. To learn more about Cornerstone VNA, visit www.cornerstonevna.org or call 800-691-1133.

About the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation is New Hampshire’s statewide community foundation, founded in 1962 by and for the people of New Hampshire. We are the place where generosity meets the dedication and ingenuity of nonprofits and the potential of New Hampshire students. For six decades, thousands of people have entrusted their charitable resources to the Foundation, creating a perpetual source of philanthropic capital and making it possible for the Foundation to award more than $60 million in grants and scholarships every year. For more information, please visit www.nhcf.org or call 603-225-6641.

The Meredith Sculpture Walk recently received a $10,000 donation to celebrate its 10th anniversary from MVSB (Meredith Village Savings Bank). This year’s sculpture walk will feature more than 30 artist creations placed throughout downtown Meredith. The sculptures are available to view all year long and begin on Main Street and continue through the Town Docks, Hesky Park, Scenic Park and Clough Park along Meredith Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee.

“What started as two sculptures displayed in the courtyard 10 years ago has blossomed to a nationally recognized display and destination,” said Bev Lapham, Chair of the Meredith Sculpture Walk. “We are grateful to have so many community partners, like MVSB, who have helped us to grow the Sculpture Walk - and we encourage everyone to get out and admire the artistry on display right downtown.”

“We care deeply for our communities and proudly support local organizations that make them a better place for all of us,” said Cathy Sleeper, MVSB Regional Vice President and Greater Meredith Program Board Member. “We have watched this program grow and flourish over the years and it’s been a joy to see so many locals and visitors alike taking time to step back and enjoy the art and beauty around them.”

The Greater Meredith Program began the sculpture walk as part of the organization’s mission to enhance the beauty of the Meredith community and highlight local artists. A volunteer committee is responsible for choosing and coordinating art pieces each year. The Greater Meredith Program is a community development organization seeking to enhance economic vitality, historical and cultural heritage and town-wide beautification.

Go to meredithsculpturewalk.org or greatermeredith.org/sculpture-walk for a sculpture map and more information. Maps are also available at various locations along the walk.

Unlike a stock bank, MVSB is a mutual savings bank that operates for the benefit of its depositors, borrowers and surrounding communities. As a result, MVSB has remained steadfast in fostering the economic health and well-being of the community since it was founded in 1869. For over 150 years, Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB), has been serving the people, businesses, nonprofits and municipalities of New Hampshire. MVSB and its employees are guided by the values of accountability, mutuality, excellence, respect, integrity, teamwork and stewardship. To learn more, visit any of the local branch offices located in Alton, Ashland, Center Harbor, Gilford, Laconia, Melvin Village, Meredith, Moultonborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Rochester or Wolfeboro, call 800.922.6872 or visit mvsb.com.

Caption: Adam McKinney, MVSB Branch & Business Development Manager, (second from right) greets Bev Lapham and other members of the Meredith Sculpture Walk committee (from left) Liz Lapham, Michelle Brown and Steve Hayden in front of the sculpture titled “Poured” by Michael Alfano on Meredith Bay.

Rochester, NH- January 2023, marks the 110th anniversary of Cornerstone VNA, a local nonprofit home health and hospice care organization serving Strafford, Rockingham, Belknap, and Carroll Counties in New Hampshire and York County in Maine.

Cornerstone VNA is excited to celebrate its 110^th year and is proud to look back on their impressive history of providing care at home.  In 1913, the Rochester Women’s Club, led by president and philanthropist, Norma Snow, and the Ladies Aide of the First Church Congregational founded the VNA to provide homecare services.  For more than a century, Cornerstone VNA has been committed to bringing services to people of all ages, so that families can stay together at home, even when facing the challenges of aging, surgical recovery, chronic or life-threatening illnesses or end of life care.  As a full-service home care organization, Cornerstone VNA provides award-winning care and support through five distinct programs: Home Care, Hospice Care, Palliative Care, Life Care-Private Duty and Community Care.

Julie Reynolds, RN, MS, President/CEO states, “I have proudly worked as a home care nurse since 1987 and joined Cornerstone VNA in 1994. I have experienced so much personal and professional growth in my time at Cornerstone VNA, and it has been an honor to lead this organization as the President/CEO for the past 10 years.” Julie continues, “Although we have grown tremendously in recent years, we still pay tribute to our founder and our remarkable history of providing high quality care to our patients and our community.”

Particularly in the last decade, Cornerstone VNA has experienced significant growth which earned them recognition as the Business NH Magazine 2020 Health Care Business of the Decade, as well as numerous other awards including most recently the Falls Chamber of Commerce 2022 Nonprofit of the Year, and the 2022 Best of the Seacoast Best Home Health Care.

As the region braced itself for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Cornerstone VNA was well-prepared thanks to their ongoing emergency preparedness efforts. They continued providing care to patients and developed innovative ways to remain connected to their local communities. They also broke ground on an important capital project in October 2020 to expand their building and renovate their existing space to address the growing needs of their patients, staff, and community members. Over the years, Cornerstone VNA has remained proactive in its approach to researching and implementing innovative specialty services, including a remote telehealth monitoring program, to meet the complex needs of their patients to ensure positive outcomes.

With a staff of over 170 team members, Cornerstone VNA has a depth of longevity that is quite extraordinary. Sandy Powers, RN, has been a nurse at Cornerstone VNA for thirty-one years, and is known fondly by her patients as “Nurse Sandy”. Sandy remarks, “I’ve had various roles over the last 30 years, and it has been a wonderful ride with all of them. I’ve gained so much knowledge working as an RN in home care.”

From longtime nurse, Sandy, to recently enlisted team member, Megan Casey, RN, BSN, the positive feeling of being a nurse and working in home care is just as strong. Megan shares, “There’s something remarkable and rewarding about caring for patients in the home setting, often at their most acute and vulnerable states, and being part of an agency (family) that provides endless support and appreciation. I don’t just love what I do, I live for it.”

To learn more about Cornerstone VNA, visit www.cornerstonevna.org or call 800-691-1133. Visitors to the website can also learn more about Cornerstone VNA’s history by reading their historical blog posts, which will be posted each month throughout the year.

     

   

Photos include: 110 Banner with members of our Management Team, 110 Banner with members of our Board of Directors, a photo of Megan Casey, RN and Sandy Powers, RN (quoted in the press release), and a portrait of our founder, Norma Snow.