Fourteen years ago, my friend Karen and I set forth from the tiny streams of Western New York to paddle a canoe to New Orleans. We each had families and young children so we couldn't take off for months to do this voyage. Instead, we committed to doing a leg of the journey every year, much as hikers walk on the Appalachin Trail. We would start up where we left off the year before. I was 45, she was 42. We thought we could manage it before we were too old. We have paddled over 600 miles so far. We have moved from small creeks to the Allegheny River and now the Ohio River. We are almost half-way down the Ohio River. This year we head out on June 13th for another week of adventure. Our goal has changed. Now it is simply to GET to the Mississippi River where the Ohio River ends before we die! Goals get us moving and
goals change. It is all OK. As long as we can move forward.
At Good
Beginnings we have goals as well. Our main goal is to help women have the strengths, tools and relationships they need to be great parents. The reason we aim for that goal is to promote an environment in which children have the opportunity to thrive.
Here at Good Beginnings, strengthening families is our Mississippi River. It is our goal. It is our mission. It is our dream. We will get there a bit at a time. Read on to see how you can help keep us moving to build strong families for the sake of the well-being and happiness of the children. It is the basic foundation for preventing child abuse.
Maggie Monroe-Cassel
Executive Director
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Let's plan a stroller parade! In the fall, Good Beginnings of Sullivan County will sponsor
 a stroller parade with prizes for decorated strollers. You don't have to have a stroller-sized child to participate. Get creative. Find a stroller, decorate it and bring it along. If you have a child for the stroller, dress up the child as well as other members of the family. If you don't have a child, how about a doll or stuffed animal to complement your stroller? It will be a fun day. Details will be announced later but right now we are seeking fun-loving people to help plan it. Email
maggie@gbnh.org if you are interested in this short term project.
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Grab a blanket and bring your friends and family to the Dartmouth Green for a series of FREE high-energy concerts and dance lessons-no experience needed-or enjoy classic movies on the big screen in the air-conditioned comfort of Spaulding Auditorium. Free. For all.
Click here for a color flier announcing all the events this summer
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Stephanie Zullo who manages our We Can! nutrition program has started two series of healthy cooking classes geared towards families with children under 8. Sponsored by the Boyle Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation, the classes are held on Thursday at the First United Methodist Church of Claremont. For a flier with more information on how to register,
click here.
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Safe Kids New Hampshire June Newsletter (published by Children's Hospital at Darmouth)
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Many great summer safety tips can be found in this newsetter.
Click here to download it.
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| A Two-Generation Approach |
"Investing in young children is not only the right thing to do from an ethical point of view, but it is also the smart thing to do from an economic point of view for the children, as well as for their families, their communities, and society at large." Quoted from a World Bank Report but it relates to us right here at home.
Read more....
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How Can You Help This Month?
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Corporate Matching Gifts:
Check the attached list to see if you are or have worked for one of the national or international companies that provides matching funds for their employees or retirees gifts to local non-profits. You may be passing up an opportunity to double your donation. Click here to check out the list. If your company is on the list, you can contact them directly to find out how to match your gift or we can contact the company for you.
Diapers and formula: Can you donate diapers or formula to help some of our moms in a pinch? Think about it the next time you shop and consider buying a box of diapers and leaving them off at our office at 109 Pleasant St, Claremont. You will make a difference.
Let your voice be heard! Call your state legislators and/or attend the Annual Meeting of the Sullivan County Convention in Sunapee on June 23rd at the Town Hall at 6:30 pm: The proposed state budget calls for eliminating some of the state offices in Claremont. If this happens, people with the greatest needs will have to find ways to travel a fair distance to recieve necessary assistance. If you feel strongly about this, contact your representatives as soon as possible.
The proposed $11.3 billion state budget headed toward a vote in the New Hampshire Senate has some potentially bad news for the Upper Valley. The measure includes plans to close four district offices for the Department of Health and Human Services - in Claremont, Conway, Laconia and Rochester, according to both SEIU Local 1984 of the State Employees Association and state officials. The Claremont office handles a host of duties, including food stamp benefits; Division for Children, Youth and Families services; and protective services.... It would also inconvenience Lebanon-area residents, who saw several state offices move to Claremont during budget woes a few years ago. "I think there is more money in the budget that could be used to avoid that consolidation," Senator David Pierce said. "It's making life harder for those for whom life is already hard."
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New Items Every Day
Visit
Second Beginnings, our gently used children's clothing and accessory store supporting our mission.
We also have some maternity clothes and nursing scrubs.
109 Pleasant St, Claremont, NH.
Tues-Sat, 10-4.
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Sincerely,
Maggie Monroe-Cassel
Executive Director
109 Pleasant St PO Box 1098
Claremont, NH 03743
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