Barbara Lemieux, 2016

Community Involvement

NHMB takes the value of stewardship very seriously. We aid the communities we serve in the forms of scholarship, sponsorship and grants. We encourage our employees to take active roles in the community – and we proudly support the thousands of hours of community service offered by them in each year.

Sponsorships and Contributions

If you are interested in having either Merrimack County Savings Bank, Meredith County Savings Bank, or NHTrust support your non-profit organization, please contact your local office.

Sharing your message

We are always happy to help local non-profits share information about their organizations and special events:

  • Each office has a community board to display flyers and posters
  • MVSB can post messages and event information on digital signs in front of our offices in Laconia and Meredith
  • The Merrimack can post messages and event information on digital signs in most of our office lobbies
  • Agencies can provide inserts to distribute in lobbies and cash envelopes

Please Note: that we cannot promote lotteries or religious or political messages.  Other restrictions may apply.

Non-Profit Checking

Both Banks recently designed a checking account with non-profits in mind.  Please contact your nearest branch office for details about benefits available only to you.

Scholarships

The Merrimack County Savings Bank Dr. Robert E. Boucher Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to one graduating senior from Merrimack Valley High School. Information and applications for this scholarship are available at the guidance office at Merrimack Valley High School.

The Merrimack County Savings Bank in Honor of Dudley W. Orr is awarded annually and managed through the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Interested students should contact the Foundation for more information.

The William H. Hilton Community Service Award is awarded annually to one graduating senior from Bow High School. Information and applications for this scholarship are available at the guidance office at Bow High School.

The MVSB James D. Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to one graduating senior from each of the following public high schools:

  • Gilford High School
  • Interlakes High School
  • Kingswood Academy
  • Laconia High School
  • Moultonborough Academy
  • Plymouth Regional High School
  • Prospect Mountain High School

Information and applications for this scholarship are available at guidance offices at the schools listed above.

The MVSB Culinary Arts Center Scholarship
The MVSB Culinary Arts Center is part of The Huot Technical Center, a regional program for students at Laconia, Gilford, Belmont, Inter-Lakes, Franklin and Winnisquam Regional High Schools. The Center provides students the opportunity to begin to develop skills that are essential to employment in all facets of the food service trade.

Information and applications for this scholarship are available at Huot Technical Center Administrative Offices.

Interest on Lawyer’s Trust Accounts (IOLTA)

The IOLTA program was created in 1982 when a NH Supreme Court ruling began requiring attorneys to maintain a pooled interest-bearing trust account for clients’ funds which were nominal in amount or to be held for a short period of time. Under Supreme Court Rule 50, the interest generated in those accounts was required to be transferred to the New Hampshire Bar Foundation for charitable purposes. Since its inception, the IOLTA program has raised more than $28 million to help provide legal services to New Hampshire citizens who are struggling to overcome poverty.

To be designated as a Leadership Bank by the NH Bar Foundation, our banks must pay 2% or higher interest on IOLTAs, exceed the bank’s standard NOW account rate, and waive routine service charges.

Grant Awards

The Merrimack County Savings Bank Foundation and the Meredith Village Savings Bank Fund make grants every year to local non-profits that make a significant impact on the lives of people in the communities we serve. These grants are in addition to their regular contributions and the extraordinary volunteer efforts by our employees.

Meredith Village Savings Bank Fund

Established in 1997, the MVSB Fund awards grant-based contributions to non-profit organizations that enrich and improve the quality of life for residents living in the Bank’s service areas. Since its inception, 315 grants totaling more than $1,290,867 have been awarded to a wide range of environmental, social, educational and historic projects throughout the Lakes Region and Plymouth areas.

Over the years, the Fund has supported literacy programs, after-school programs, environmental monitoring as well as education and restoration of historic structures, organizations that provide support for individuals and families in challenging circumstances and equipment that helps save lives. While not focused on a particular category, Fund administrators are mindful of the receiving organization and its contribution to the quality of life in the communities served.

In the fall of 2016, grants were awarded to:

  • Belknap House (Laconia, NH) was awarded $5,000 to support their Strengthening Families program, which enhancea the five protective factors that keep families strong and children safe from abuse and neglect. Belknap House is an emergency cold weather shelter that provides support to homeless families in Belknap County.
  • Belmont High School Robotics (Belmont, NH) was awarded $7,500 to go toward the equipment purchase for elementary and middle school-level programs related to robotics. These programs, which encourage student-interest in STEM-based fields, provide engaging experiences in robotics-related activities.
  • Belmont Middle School (Belmont, NH) was awarded $6,000 to go toward the creation of a makerspace area, including a 3D printer, software, sewing machines and electronic kits for students. The space will be made available for Belmont Middle School students and teachers to gather, create, invent and learn.
  • Communities for Alcohol- and Drug-Free Youth/CADY (Plymouth, NH) was awarded $5,000 to support the Launch Youth Entrepreneurship Program, a development program that combines workforce training, paid summer employment and substance misuse prevention strategies for youth living in the Newfound and Pemi-Baker regions. CADY was founded in 1999 to educate families, schools and communities about the importance of drug prevention and mis-use among youth of Central and Northern NH.
  • End 68 Hours of Hunger (Wolfeboro, NH) was awarded $6,000 to expand the food feeding program for children in need from Wolfeboro, Tuftonboro and Ossipee. The program supports children, who would otherwise have insufficient food on the weekends, bring home a bag containing three dinners, two breakfasts, lunches and snacks on Fridays. End 68 Hours of Hunger confronts the hunger some school children experience between the free lunch they receive in school on Friday afternoon and the free breakfast they receive in school on Monday morning.
  • Gilford Youth Center (Gilford, NH) was awarded $2,500 to support transportation costs for summer camp. The Center’s Summer Camp is a seven-week program, offered to local area middle school students. Gilford Youth Center is a safe, affordable and inclusive facility for Gilford and the Lakes Region, offering educational, athletic and community opportunities for youth, adults and families.
  • Got Lunch – Ashland/Holderness (Ashland, NH) was granted $1,000 for support of the Got Lunch program in the towns of Ashland and Holderness for summer 2017. Got Lunch is a community-based program that provides healthy lunch foods to children during their summer break.
  • Grafton County Senior Citizens Council (Plymouth, NH) was awarded $5,000 to go toward the cost of a professional delivery service to pick-up donated food twice per week for GCSCC Seniors. The Plymouth Regional Senior Center receives generous donations of up to 50 cases of food from Hannaford Supermarkets through the Fresh Produce Rescue Program of the NH Food Bank, and funding supports its pick-up and distribution. Founded in 1972, GCSCC provides home-delivered meals, outreach and counseling, on-demand transportation, activities, educational programs, congregate meals, volunteer opportunities, assistance with chores and repairs and telephone reassurance to the homebound community.
  • Greater Meredith Program (Meredith, NH) was awarded $5,000 to expand their Career Partnership program to Interlakes Middle Tier students. The expansion will increase the reach of the program so that every student, prior to high school graduation, is involved with at least one job shadow and one internship. The Career Partnership Program offers work-based learning opportunities through internships, job shadowing, guest speaking and career fairs.
  • Interlakes Community Caregivers (Center Harbor, NH) was granted $3,500 for an expanded and improved volunteer screening program to include critical background checks. Interlakes Community Caregivers is supported by caring volunteers who provide services to individuals and families in times of need. Its program complements existing public and private resources that assist neighbors live independently in their homes for as long as possible.
  • Laconia School District – Office of Extended Learning (Laconia, NH) was awarded $4,000 to provide elementary students from low-income families the ability to rent or purchase instruments for Beginners’ Band. Beginners’ Band is an individualized and group instrumental instruction program for elementary students in Laconia.
  • Lakes Region Art Association (Tilton, NH) was awarded $1,000 to go toward the replacement of the Association’s computer, printer and software. The Lakes Region Art Association, formerly known as the Laconia Art Association, was founded in 1940 to encourage the creation of art and to further community appreciation of art by the promotion, education, sale and display of visual fine arts by local artists.
  • Lakes Region Humane Society (Ossipee, NH) was awarded $7,400 to go toward the repair and refinishing of the Society’s concrete floor, where shelter dogs wait before they are adopted. The Lakes Region Humane Society provides year-round rescue and shelter services to dogs and cats.
  • New Beginnings – Without Violence and Abuse (Laconia, NH) was awarded $5,000 to update the organization’s computer network and information security systems. New Beginnings is dedicated to ending sexual, domestic and stalking violence through the provision of safe and effective services, including emergency refuge and support.
  • New Durham School (New Durham, NH) was awarded $6,000 to help students attend the Camp Invention Enrichment Program for one week. Camp Invention is a summer STEM enrichment program where students are given the opportunity to practice innovation, creative problem solving and apply engineering skills.
  • NH Historical Society (Concord, NH) was awarded $2,500 to support the expansion of the Society’s education program to Lakes Region students. New Hampshire Historical Society is the independent nonprofit that saves, preserves and shares state history, serving thousands of children and adults each year through its museum, library, education, publications and outreach programs.
  • Patriot Resilient Leader Institute (Gilford, NH) was awarded $6,000 to support the Institute’s four-day Camp Resilience program for 12 disabled veterans. Camp Resilience, which consists of life-skills training and outdoor team-building activities, empowers disabled veterans to gain greater self-confidence and to improve their quality of life.
  • The Village Players (Wolfeboro, NH) was granted $5,000 to go toward the repair and replacement of its theater roof. The Village Players is a non-profit amateur community theater in Wolfeboro.
  • Wamesit Engine Companies (Meredith, NH) was awarded $2,500 to go toward the purchase of thermal imaging cameras for all fire trucks at the Meredith Fire Department. Thermal imaging cameras allow firefighters the ability to see in a smoke filled room. Wamesit Engine Companies was founded by active and retired members of the Meredith Fire Department to serve the Greater Meredith Community.
  • Wolfeboro Senior Center and Meals (Wolfeboro, NH) was awarded $1,500 to extend the Center’s meals and activities service period one month; beginning services in August instead of September and lasting through May of the following year. The Wolfeboro Senior Center was founded in 2010 to enrich the lives of local seniors through educational programs, informative events, recreation and nutritious meals within a welcoming community.
  • Women’s Health at Memorial Hospital (North Conway, NH) was awarded $5,000 to support the Hospital’s New Life Prenatal Substance Abuse program for prenatal drug addicted women and their drug-exposed newborns postpartum.

Merrimack County Savings Bank Foundation

The Merrimack County Savings Bank Foundation was funded by Merrimack County Savings Bank in 1997 for grant-based contributions to not-for-profit organizations that enrich and improve the quality of life for residents living in the Bank’s service areas. Five Trustees, selected among the Bank’s Corporators and Board of Trustees administer the Foundation and its activities, distributing a portion of the Foundation’s endowment each year. While not focused on a particular category, the Foundation remains mindful of the receiving organization and its contribution to the quality of life in the communities served.

In the fall of 2016, grants were awarded to:

  • Bhutanese Community of New Hampshire (Concord, NH) was awarded $5,000 to support 50 new American women and girls bring positive changes in their lives through capacity building. Supportive programs include assistance with college enrollment and identifying issues related to gender equality.
  • Circle Program (Plymouth, NH) was awarded $4,000 to support Circle’s new STEM curriculum for program participants. The STEM curriculum will provide Circle girls and teens with experiential learning opportunities in the seven dimensions of conservation leadership. Circle fosters positive, personal growth for low to moderate income girls and teens statewide through its adult mentoring program.
  • Concord Dental Sealant Coalition (Concord, NH) was awarded $5,000 in support of the Coalition’s mission to address the unmet dental needs of Concord-area school children in grades K-3. The grant will assist with temporary therapeutic fillings in some clinical situations.
  • Concord Family YMCA (Concord, NH) was awarded $5,000 to help support the Kydstop Afterschool Scholarship Fund, which makes quality childcare affordable for low and moderate income families.
  • Family Promise of Greater Concord (Concord, NH) was awarded $3,200 to support the organization’s case management services and its mission to help homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response.
  • Front Door Agency (Nashua, NH) was awarded $5,000 to support Front Door’s Transitional Housing Program, which offers affordable housing, supportive services, and extensive case management to homeless women and children in Greater Nashua. Front Door serves families transitioning from crisis to self-sufficiency, offering a range of essential services to Nashua’s disadvantaged population including; shelter, food, heat, child care, transportation, supportive services, and education.
  • Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains (Bedford, NH) was awarded $2,500 to support its after-school scouting program, which serves up to 150 vulnerable and at-risk girls in grades 1-5 at local Concord elementary schools and other community-based organizations.
  • Harbor Homes (Nashua, NH) was awarded $5,000 to support the organization’s emergency shelter, which provides housing and supportive services, such as healthcare, mental health treatment and employment training for more than 150 Nashua area residents. Harbor Homes serves low-income individuals and families who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or living with mental illness and other disabilities.
  • Mayhew Program (Bristol, NH) was awarded $2,500 to support tuition assistance for 32 Concord-area boys (age 10-18) who are enrolled in the Mayhew Program during the 2016-2017 year. The at-risk boys will be supported with a residential summer program as well as school-year mentoring at no cost to their families.
  • NAMI NH (Concord, NH) was awarded $3,500 to support NAMI’s sessions on Mental Health First Aid. Mental First Aid is an evidence-based program that trains participants on how to recognize and respond to those in mental health crisis. NAMI NH is a grassroots non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by mental illness through support, education, and advocacy.
  • New Hampshire Historical Society (Concord, NH) was awarded $2,000 to support the underwriting for all seventh-grade students in Concord, NH to participate in the Society’s on-site “Colonial Life New Hampshire” education program. New Hampshire Historical Society is the independent nonprofit that saves, preserves and shares state history, serving thousands of children and adults each year through its museum, library, education, publications and outreach programs.
  • New Hampshire Humanities Council (Concord, NH) was awarded $3,000 to support “Connections”, the organization’s literacy program for new readers within Concord and Greater Nashua. The mission of NHHC is to strengthen communities with education programs fostering reflection, discussion and connection to new ideas. Connections is offered statewide in partnership with adult learner service programs, ESOL classes for new immigrants and refugees, GED classes and prison parenting support programs.
  • Pittsfield Youth Workshop (Pittsfield, NH) was awarded $5,000 to go toward after school programming for more than 220 students in grades 6-12 in Pittsfield and surrounding towns. Pittsfield Youth Workshop offers a variety of programs, activities, and trips, with the mission of empowering the youth by helping them develop useful skills, self-esteem, and meaningful friendships.
  • Red River Theatres (Concord, NH) was awarded $2,500 to help fund the purchase and installation of equipment to meet the needs of patrons with hearing and/or sight impairment. The theater’s mission is to present films and the discussion of films as a way to entertain, broaden horizons and deepen the appreciation for life.
  • YMCA of Greater Nashua (Nashua, NH) was awarded $4,000 to support a 6-week summer learning loss prevention program for low-income youth living in Greater Nashua who are behind in literacy grade levels. The goal of the program is to teach participating children to read at their grade level by the third grade.

If your organization is interested in applying for a grant, please download and complete an application. Note that applications are due annually in October.

Download MVSB Fund Application

Download The Merrimack Foundation Application

 

 

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