Rochester Elks donate, Portsmouth NH 400 thanks sculpture team: Community news update

Portsmouth Herald
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Rochester, NH Elks Lodge #1393 donates $2,000 to Vouchers for Veterans

From left to right front row: Norman Gervais, PER, Lodge Secretary, ENF Chair, Rochester Elks; Peter Ducharme, Rochester Elks Exalted Ruler; Jeanne Grover, President, Vouchers for Veterans; Kelly O’Neil, Executive Assistant for Vouchers for Veterans. Second row: Vouchers for Veterans Volunteers, Alan Brock, Dale Labrecque, Ann French and Danielle Reddington. Third row: Veterans: Steve Merchant, James Frost, Dave Hau, Michael Weaver and Michelle King.

ROCHESTER — On Saturday, Feb. 17, the Rochester Elks Lodge #1393 presented the Vouchers for Veterans program with a check for $2,000. This donation was made possible by an Elks National Foundation Gratitude Grant. This money will be used to provide qualified military veterans with $20 dollar vouchers that can be used to purchase food items at local farmers markets.

Representing the Rochester Elks were Exalted Ruler Peter Ducharme and Lodge Secretary /Elks National Foundation Chairman and Past Exalted Ruler Norman Gervais. Accepting the donation was Vouchers for Veterans President Jeanne Grover and Executive Assistant Kelly O’Neil.

The presentation was made at the Rollinsford Winter Farmers Market located at Wentworth Gardens. .

In September 2023, Vouchers for Veterans participated in nine different farmers markets each week, giving out $62,000 in vouchers to 1,500 veterans. From November 2023 to date, the program has given out approximately $54,380 in vouchers to over 900 veterans.

Information: vouchersforveterans.org.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace receives $1,500 donation from Rochester, NH Elks #1393

From left to right are Peter Ducharme, Exalted Ruler, Rochester Elks; Henry Martino, (SHP) Representative and Norman Gervais, PER, Lodge Secretary and Elks National Foundation Chairman.
From left to right are Peter Ducharme, Exalted Ruler, Rochester Elks; Henry Martino, (SHP) Representative and Norman Gervais, PER, Lodge Secretary and Elks National Foundation Chairman.

ROCHESTER — On Saturday, Feb. 17, the Rochester Chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace was the recipient of a $1,500 Elks Gratitude Grant provided by the Elks National Foundation, via the Rochester, NH Elks Lodge #1393.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a nonprofit organization and has over 300 chapters in the United States. The mission of the organization is to build and provide free beds to children who don’t have their own bed. Nationwide, SHP has provided over 100,000 beds to children. The Rochester chapter was founded in 2021 by Jim and Marlene Graves, both residents of Rochester. In 2022, they delivered 126 beds to children within a 15 mile radius of the Lilac City.

Beds are assembled by groups of volunteers. The cost to build each bed is approximately $250.

How to help: shpbeds.org/chapter/nh-rochester

Portsmouth NH 400 thanks Legacy Sculpture Team with presentations

The DPW team gathered for the PNH400 “Endeavor” gift presentation (left to right): PNH400 Legacy Committee chair Ernie Greenslade, City Public Information Officer Stephanie Seacord, City Manager Karen Conard, DPW Director Peter Rice, Construction Project Manager Dave Desfosses, Parks & Greeneries Foreman Corin Hallowell, General Foreman Jim Dumont, General Foreman Jim Tow, PNH400 Managing Director Valerie Rochon.

PORTSMOUTH – The Portsmouth NH 400 Legacy Committee completed one of its most visible and most dramatic projects in December: The installation of artist Sijia Chen’s stainless steel sculpture, “Endeavor” in the newly-established sculpture garden in the Bohenko Gateway Park in Portsmouth.

To thank the donors and members of the PNH400 Board and Executive Committee, the PNH400 Legacy Committee, Art Review Committee and City of Portsmouth Department of Public Works, which installed the 3-ton sculpture with engineering assistance from Alex Ross and Ross Engineering, LLC, PNH400 commissioned a commemorative desk piece with sculptor Sijia Chen’s approval and crafted by Crown Trophy of Portsmouth. Those keepsakes, acrylic blocks containing a 3-D image of “Endeavor,” were recently delivered to the project participants.

In making the presentation, Ernie Greenslade said, “When we launched the Portsmouth NH 400 Legacy sculpture initiative, we had no idea of the challenges involved in selecting the location and preparing the site for the installation. We are eternally grateful to the DPW team and engineering consultant Alex Ross for guiding us through the process. Endeavor is now a beautiful, permanent and highly visible addition to the Portsmouth waterfront and the Market Street gateway to the city.”

The sculpture is located in the Park, adjacent to Market Street Extension where it is visible to all entering Portsmouth from the Market Street or Sarah Mildred Long Bridge gateways.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Rochester Elks donate, Portsmouth NH 400 thanks sculpture team