Pelham News : Fundraiser

Pelham program trades old cell phones for minutes for soldiers

Salem Editor — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:08:00 GMT

Looking for a good cause to donate her old cell phone to, Shannon Sprague stumbled upon an organization that recycles used cellular devices in return for talk time for soldiers stationed overseas.

Inspired, Sprague has worked with local librarians to set up a collection point for old cell phones at the Pelham Public Library for Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization started by two teenagers in Norwell, Mass. So far, the response from the community has been “phenomenal,” she said.

“I had an old cell phone; I had just got a new phone this year and I had heard rumblings about there being a place you could donate old cell phones to that cause,” Sprague said. “I sent out an e-mail asking all of the friends and family that I know to donate. (A librarian) sent me an e-mail back saying ‘I have a couple of phones I’d like to donate. Why not ask the library if they’d be willing to have a box there and make a collection site?’”

The phones donated to Cell Phones for Soldiers are sent to ReCellular, a Michigan-based company that refurbishes, recycles and reuses the electronic devices. ReCellular repays the organization with enough money to provide about an hour of talk time for servicemen and women stationed overseas.

“I know first hand what its like to be far away in a foreign country, thousands of miles away from your family,” said Sue Hoadley, director of the Pelham Public library and an Army veteran. “Every little bit of mail or messages just means an awful lot. I was in a long, long time ago, before there was e-mail. I was stationed in Germany for about a year and I went to the mailbox every day, eagerly looking for a card from somebody.”

After organizing a cell phone drop box at the front desk of the Pelham library, Hoadley reached out to other town offices, as well, to help out and pitch in their own used cell phones. In response, a second location has been set up at the town’s transfer station where, according to Hoadley, discarded cell phones are turned in as waste on a regular basis.

With a brother who has been deployed with the Air Force in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and currently stationed in Texas, Hoadley said she understood first hand the perspective of someone waiting at home and trying to get in contact with a loved one.

“It’s just, you worry about him. He’s in Texas right now and I still worry about him because he’s so far away,” she said. “I think back to even much less hazardous times when I was just in basic training and we had the opportunity – they finally said we could get some packages – and my mother sent me chocolate chip cookies .... When your whole life is changed by being far away from everything you know, sometimes just something that simple is a real connection and a reminder of good times and being with family and friends.”

The library will continue to accept the cell phones until the number of donations starts to taper off, according to Hoadley and Sprague. They hope to continue to accept donations throughout the holiday season.

Sprague, founder and owner of Valley View Wellness Coaching, said the charitable organization had given her the opportunity to reach out and thank the community, as well as help those serving in harm’s way. Those interested in getting involved can reach her at 845-3625.

“I wanted to just do something,” she said. "I’m very passionate about the military and veterans and I really wanted to do something for them. This is more than I could ever dream.”

N.H. volunteers put money where their heart is for Haitian orphans

Salem Editor — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:57:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

After more than a decade of battling the rampant poverty, crime and pollution of Haiti with friends and family, Pat Jussaume has no plans to stop bringing aid to the Caribbean nation.

Jussaume, a Pelham resident, said it is the country’s orphaned children that has kept her and a group of contractors, handymen and good Samaritans from across New England coming back every year.

“It’s the poor of the poor. They live in little huts with tin roofs, with no running water, no utilities, no electricity,” she said. “It’s a whole different culture, but yet the people are basically pleasant, cordial, kind. The kids love it when you come down.”

Jussaume, a music teacher in Lowell, Mass., has returned regularly to the impoverished Caribbean nation to work with a small orphanage on the outskirts of the capital of Port-au-Prince for the past 11 years.

In that time, Jussaume has been joined by a group of friends and family, including her husband and her son and daughter, all of whom have donated their time and resources to making life for 65

Haitian orphans a little better.

“We were able to install and build a bathroom with flushable toilets and showers, screens to keep out the mosquitoes and lights for the kids,” she said. “Last year we built a library for them. We do as much as we can every year, depending on the needs.”

Since her first trip to Haiti, the orphanage has grown to three stories and doubled in size. With building materials donated from local businesses and a diverse group of volunteers, Jussaume’s group has done everything from installing plumbing to running electrical wire.

“We actually built a basketball backboard and frame and we put it up in the kids’ village, which is up against the orphanage wall, and we must have had 150 kids high-fiving us,” said Jean Soucy, a metal fabricator from Tyngsboro, Mass., who has been on eight of the trips to Haiti. “Everything is broken, so people don’t have time to put up new stuff. They’re always repairing something, air conditioners or vehicles. To get something new, that’s something that we have to do when we go down there.”

Out of the dozen or so teams of volunteers that visit the orphanage every year, Jussaume and Soucy’s team is the only group that handles construction work. Supplies that have not been donated are purchased from funds raised throughout the year and are either shipped to Haiti from the United States or purchased on the ground.

“We’re up early, we stay late. It’s exhausting work with the heat and everything else. That’s what makes it good to go down there,” Soucy said. “We depend on a lot of people to give us donations and stuff, and we usually pay our own way down there and then we use the donations to purchase the materials we’re going to use down there to do our jobs.”

Each member pays roughly $1,000 out of their own pockets to cover the cost of airfare, food and housing while in Haiti. Any funds received through fund raising or donations are put toward building materials, medicines and food for the orphans.

For Jussaume’s daughter Nicole, who just returned from her fifth trip to Haiti, it’s the children as well as the experience that keeps bringing her back.

“(The orphanage) is very well kept. The staff in the orphanage is wonderful for the kids. The kids are very well taken care of. They’re so excited,” she said.

The group has hopes to eventually be able to build a new orphanage in the countryside with schools and a medical clinic for the children, but without the major funding needed for a project of that size, Jussaume said the team will continue to focus on keeping the orphans fed, healthy and educated.

After having seen what a small group of volunteers can do in one week, Soucy has plans to return to Haiti and stay for a few months.

“We bring so much when we go down there as far as talent and organizational skills to make things happen that a couple of months of a few good guys could make a big difference,” he said. “That’s why we go, we go for the children. In order to be in this orphanage, both parents have to be dead, so we got these little guys looking up at us and they don’t have a prayer unless we get down there.”

Pelham landmark to be demolished, farewell party planned

Salem Editor — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:40:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

It is considered by some to be a historic landmark, a reminder of a once-thriving transportation system. But soon, the old trolley barn in Pelham’s town center will be torn down.

It’s not going to be demolished, however, without a farewell.

St. Patrick’s Parish, which owns the building, is holding a movie night fundraiser – dubbed the “Trolley Barn’s Last Hurrah” – to say goodbye to the building and raise money to remove it.

“It’s a chapter in history that will be closed,” said Selectman William McDevitt, who is disappointed the building will be demolished but understands why it must come down.

The white brick building, according to Bill Scanzani, a member of the church’s capital improvement committee, is suffering from structural problems, including a wall that is separating from the roof. The building is about 106 years old.

About two years ago, an engineering review of church property determined that it would cost about $1.5 million to fix the trolley building, according to the Rev. Robert Guillemette, the church’s pastor. The parish doesn’t have the money to save it, he said.

The building, known as St. Patrick’s Hall, had been used by the church’s parochial school for physical education classes and was made available to outside groups for use. But the Diocese of Manchester, concerned about safety and liability, closed the building.

Although the building is commonly referred to today as the trolley barn, it is not the barn’s entire original structure. The car house portion was razed during World War II.

The building that stands today is actually the barn’s power station, according to McDevitt. A 50,000-gallon water tank that supplied water for steam-powered generators once stood next to it.

The building is slated to be demolished in July at a cost of roughly $40,000. McDevitt is disappointed that a part of the town’s history will be lost.

“That is a remnant of what once was a thriving transportation system that ran through Southern New Hampshire,” he said.

According to the book, “Reflections,” a pictorial history of Pelham, the advent of mass transportation around the beginning of the 20th century brought trolley cars into small towns in the area, including Pelham, Hudson and Salem.

Electric cars transported workers to textile mills and shoe shops in Nashua and in the Massachusetts cities of Lowell and Haverhill.

To encourage people to travel on weekends, trolley car owners built amusement parks at Canobie Lake in Salem and Glen Forest in Methuen, Mass., according to Reflections.

Eventually, however, trolley routes were abandoned as automobile use became more prevalent during the 1920s.

Seven years ago, a local Boy Scout established a plaque outside the trolley barn to honor the memory of six people who died and 40 people who were injured when two trolley cars collided in Pelham in 1903.

That plaque will be saved when the building is demolished, Scanzani said.

Trolley Barn’s Last Hurrah St. Patrick’s Parish is inviting the public to a Movie Night to say “farewell” to this historic landmark. The movie “Monsters, Inc.” will be shown on the wall of the old trolley barn on Wednesday, July 2. Gates open at 7 p.m., and the movie starts at 8:30 p.m. Bring blankets and lawn chairs.

Popcorn, candy, other snacks, soda and water will be sold. And there will be a chance to win a one-of-a-kind “Monster’s Inc.” door. Tickets cost $10 per car. Cars will be parked in the lower lots at the church. Ticket proceeds will be used toward the building’s demolition.

Church ‘shantytown’ to raise money for homeless

Salem Editor — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:03:00 GMT

BY JIM DEVINE

Homelessness is hard to comprehend for those who can’t see it, according to members of St. Patrick Parish in Pelham. They want to make it a bit more understandable in their community with a demonstration to raise money for local shelters.

Beginning at 2 p.m. on June 14, and continuing through noon the following day, parishioners will camp out in the second annual shantytown benefit for local shelters, said Cheryl Brunelle.

“It was only 24 hours, but it really brought to the forefront the idea of being homeless,” Brunelle said. “We get a chance to go home and take a shower to get back to normal, but this is normal for so many other people.”

Brunelle said the idea came about last year as a lesson to the parish’s confirmation class.

“Our confirmation director last year felt it was important that the kids get involved in a project that would help them understand the plight of homeless people,” Brunelle said.

Following through on the lesson’s intent, the demonstration spun off into a fundraiser, which raised $10,000 for seven local agencies in Nashua, Hudson, Pelham and Lowell, Mass.

Creating a shantytown-style camp of improvised shelters, participants will take a closer look at how the homeless live with cardboard shelters and a small shared meal.

During the course of the evening, representatives of each charity group will make presentations about how they help people in need.

The group is also banned from using items such as cell phones and electronics, she said.

Those interested in participating in the event, sponsoring someone or making a general donation can call the parish office at 635-3525 or e-mail Brunelle at cdbrunelle@comcast.net.

Paddy Culbert suffered stroke in October

Salem Editor — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:08:00 GMT

By Darrell Halen

A raffle has been organized to raise money for Paddy Culbert, a longtime Planning Board member in Pelham undergoing rehabilitation after suffering a stroke in October.

“We really wish him a speedy recovery so he gets back in that chair (at meetings),” said Jeff Gowan, the town’s planning director.

Culbert has made making remarkable progress since he was stricken, Gowan said.

“He’s a tough little Irishman and it’s tough to keep him down.”

Gowan served with Culbert when he was on the Planning Board and considered him a mentor.

“He’s tenacious. He can be demanding but I think people respect him for his involvement and participation,” Gowan said.

He’s also likable and has taken new board members under his wing, Gowan added.

Tickets are available for $20 each. One $500 prize will be awarded for each 100 tickets sold, while 75 percent of ticket proceeds will go to the Patrick Culbert Benefit Fund.

The drawing will be held at 7 p.m. during the Tuesday, Jan. 22, Board of Selectmen meeting.

The money raised will help offset Culbert’s expenses while he concentrates on getting better.

Tickets are available at the planning office and at the selectmen’s office at Town Hall.

Thinking pink to fight cancer

Salem Editor — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:00:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

The sales of pink bracelets and freshly baked cookies during a school fundraiser may not bring in a lot of money, but for Taryn Kayo it’s a way to support the fight against *** cancer – a disease that struck her grandmother nine years ago.

“It’s a serious issue for me,” said Taryn, 16, a member of the Future Business Leaders of America chapter at Pelham High School. “I want people to understand it’s a serious thing.”

During lunch periods in the school cafeteria on Tuesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 11, FBLA members are selling chocolate cookies with pink candy-coated pieces for 50 cents each, and pink bracelets for $1 each.

The FBLA chapter sells chocolate chip cookies yearlong to support club activities. But this two-day special fundraiser is part of a program by Otis Spunkmeyer, the chapter’s cookie dough supplier, to support the National *** Cancer Foundation.

“It makes me feel like I’m doing my part,” said Taryn, who is co-chairing the fundraiser with fellow junior Ellisse Goss.

When the company asked business teacher Wendy Dorval, the chapter’s adviser, if the club wanted to get involved in its pink cookies fundraising program, she took the idea to the students.

She was pleasantly surprised when they embraced it.

“I thought the club wouldn’t be interested,” Dorval said. “It’s an older person’s issue and these are teenagers. In reality, they are all affected because of their extended families.”

Like Catherine Byron, an 18-year-old senior, whose grandmother has *** cancer and whose former color guard coach was diagnosed with it, too.

And freshman Frank Santangelo, 14, whose mother was diagnosed last year. She went through chemotherapy, temporarily lost her hair and is now cancer-free, he said.

October is *** Cancer Awareness Month. The students are selling their goods at tables covered with pink table covers. Cookies are served on pink napkins.

“I’m hoping people will think pink and know this is serious,” Byron said.

The bracelets each feature one of four inspirational words: Faith. Hope. Strength. Survivor.

Students who purchase a cookie or bracelet receive a free pink ribbon.

“I like supporting good causes like this,” said Christine Downs, 16, after she bought a cookie.

To Taryn, her grandmother, Jackie Lampert of Salem, is a hero. She was diagnosed in 1998, and learned the cancer had spread six years later.

“She’s been fighting through (this),” Taryn said. “She’s a tough one. She can get through with a smile.”

Bringing home the bacon – Pelham principal kisses pig after kids raise money for diabetes

Salem Editor — Wed, 16 May 2007 18:49:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

After her students raised more than $5,000 to fight diabetes, Alicia LaFrance, Pelham Elementary School’s principal, kept a promise to them to kiss a pig.

Actually, she did it five times – once in front of each grade.

The school not only reached its goal, it more than doubled it.

In just a week, it raised $10,549.58.

“Thank you for all your hard work, boys and girls. Awesome,” LaFrance told an assembly of first-grade students on Friday, May 11.

The week-long fundraiser, “Dollars for Diabetes,” culminated with LaFrance kissing “Diamond,” a 14-week-old pig from Owens Farm in Pelham. When LaFrance kissed the young swine in front of students, they cheered.

The fundraiser was organized by the school nurse and others, with the parents of three students who have diabetes providing a lot of support.

“I just said I would commit to any idea they had but I didn’t want to shave my head,” LaFrance said with a smile. “This seemed like a wonderful idea to me. I like animals, but I’ve never been that up close and personal with a pig.”

The money is going to two groups: the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the American Diabetes Association.

During the week, students brought in money for chores they did at home. The classroom in each grade that brought in the most money each day won an extra recess.

Layne Philipson, 10, a fourth-grader, brought in $28 by picking up sticks in her backyard and cleaning the kitchen.

Alyssa Pantaleo, 10, brought in $10 by cleaning the kitchen and bathroom and helping clean the dishes.

“We wanted to teach the kids they could do something for their community and make a difference,” said Susan Hancock, the school’s nurse.

Through the program, students learned about diabetes and the importance of healthy eating and exercise. On Friday, each grade walked outside or in the gymnasium before watching LaFrance kiss Diamond.

Diabetes is a condition in which the body has trouble regulating its own blood sugar levels. The first successful insulin preparations came from cows and pigs.

A personal cause

Helping to raise money to cure and prevent diabetes and to improve the lives of those it affects is particularly meaningful at the school, where three students and a teacher have the condition.

“They want to thank you for all your support and efforts to help find a cure for their disease,”

Hancock told the first-graders.

Pat Scanlon, whose daughter, Cathryn, has diabetes said she was touched by the outpouring of support at the school.

“The kids pitched in so much, what a sense of community I felt,” she said. “As a parent, I’m touched they’ve gone this far.”

Two other parents who helped were Sheila Lapa, whose son, Jonathan, has diabetes, and Tracy Shatford, whose daughter, Jessica, has the condition.

The names of the students who brought in donations were written on paper shoes that were placed on school walls during the week. Scanlon said the kids were excited to see their names on the shoes.

The community donated raffle prizes as incentives for teachers to donate. When a teacher made a contribution, their name was entered for a chance to win a raffle prize.

The day before the week ended, the kids had not only surpassed their $5,000 goal but were just $1,200 shy from reaching $10,000. They were challenged to reach the $10,000 mark.

Because they did so, physical education teacher Tony Bolduc, music teacher Erin Palmer and teacher Jennifer Pendergast also kissed Diamond.

“We were overwhelmed by the generosity of the community,” Hancock said.

Pendergast, 37, who was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 21, said the fundraiser was unique for an important reason – it put real faces to a medical condition.

Kids she doesn’t know passed her in the hallway during the week and told her they hoped they could help find a cure.

“It was humbling and emotional,” Pendergast said of the program’s success. “This was a different sort of fundraiser.”

Pelham Cub Scout sells $968 worth of popcorn for fundraiser

Salem Editor — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:38:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

Brandon Greenhalgh could have sold just a few boxes of popcorn to his family as part of a Cub Scout fundraiser.

But he wouldn’t have been satisfied with that.

On weekends and after school this fall, Brandon went door to door on several streets in Pelham, collecting orders for boxes and tins of popcorn. His hard work paid off.

Brandon, 7, raised $968, making him the top seller for Pelham Cub Scouts Pack 25’s popcorn fundraiser this year.

“I just wanted to do it,” said Brandon, who sold 72 boxes and tins. “It was fun.”

His father, Matt, who drove him to each house, said he had the easy part: staying behind in his truck while his son made his sales pitch by himself.

Brandon apparently made quite an impression. Several residents commented to Matt how impressed they were with the boy’s politeness.

Bruce Deacon, the leader of the Cub Scout den Brandon belongs to, knew that Brandon had been going door to door during the sale and later discovered how much money he had raised.

“We knew he did well. He’s a go-getter,” Deacon said. “That’s quite an accomplishment for a little kid such as him.”

Even before the popcorn sale, Brandon has demonstrated a knack for salesmanship. He’s been known to start his own yard sales in front of his family’s house, and sets up “dollar tables” when he joins Matt and his grandmother, Anita, at flea markets.

“This is up his alley,” said Brandon’s mother, Danielle. “He’ll make a good entrepreneur someday.”

Matt and Danielle are both proud of their son’s accomplishment.

Danielle said she’s impressed Brandon worked hard for something he didn’t earn any money from. The annual popcorn sales support Scout activities.

For his accomplishment, Brandon earned a $40 Wal-Mart gift certificate, a buck knife and a special popcorn patch for his uniform. His achievement was announced at a Scout meeting, an experience that for Brandon was exciting.

“Everyone was congratulating me,” he said.