Strawbery Banke Museum hosts U.S. Naturalization Ceremony: Community news update

Seacoast Democrats open campaign office with rally

YORK, Maine — Seacoast Democrats, an organization that coordinates campaign efforts for the Democratic committees from Eliot, Kittery, Ogunquit, South Berwick and York, will open its Election 2022 campaign headquarters on Sunday, June 19 from 1 to 2 p.m., at the Meadowbrook Plaza in York on Rte. 1 with an outdoor rally:  We Won’t Go Back:  Defend our Democratic Values.

Democrats are concerned about the latest efforts by Republicans to eliminate a woman’s right to choose, turn down sensible gun safety laws, make it harder to vote, and turn back the clock on gay marriage.  Paul LePage has threatened to follow suit here in Maine if he is elected, along with a Republican led legislature.

Rally speakers will include Ryan Fecteau, Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives; Mark Lawrence, State Senator from our area; Michele Meyer, Representative from Eliot and Kittery; Kristi Mathieson, Representative from Kittery, and Lydia Blume, Representative from York.  Other Democratic candidates will be attending as well.

Organizers for the Seacoast Democrats report that the rally is a great way to meet candidates who will be running for re-election or election in November.  Local Democratic volunteers are familiar the Meadowbrook Plaza, as it was the home of the last several campaign headquarters.  The latest office is located at Suite 103 at the Meadowbrook Plaza, and tours of the office will also be available on Sunday, the June 19.

Strawbery Banke Museum hosts U.S. Naturalization Ceremony on July 4

PORTSMOUTH — Strawbery Banke Museum in partnership with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the United States District Court – District of New Hampshire celebrates Independence Day by welcoming 75 new citizens in a Naturalization Ceremony on July 4. The ceremony is held on the Museum grounds and begins at 10 a.m. The public is welcome to attend the Naturalization Ceremony free of charge. For more information, visit StrawberyBanke.org/events/American-Celebration.cfm.

Naturalization is the most significant benefit USCIS offers. Citizenship is a unique bond that unites people around civic ideals and a belief in the rights and freedom guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. This special naturalization ceremony will welcome 75 new citizens who share in these beliefs and ideals. The United States District Courts’ Chief Judge Landya McCaffery will preside over the 2022 ceremony where the Oath of Allegiance will be administered to the new citizens

Strawbery Banke Museum has hosted the Naturalization Ceremony since 2002, with a two-year break from 2020 to 2021. The ceremony occurs under a large tent on Puddle Dock, the extensive lawn at the center of the Museum.

“Strawbery Banke is, above everything else, a “neighborhood of newcomers,” said Lawrence J. Yerdon, President and CEO. “Like the new citizens participating in the Naturalization Ceremony, a diversity of families first made their homes along the banks of the Piscataqua. The Museum is honored to partner with USCIS once more to host and welcome new citizens on the 4th of July.”

“As America is a nation of immigrants, it is both fitting and truly special to hold a naturalization ceremony on Independence Day,” said Chief Judge McCafferty. “Hosting the event at historic Strawbery Banke also allows attendees the educational opportunity to get a sense of life at the time our country secured its independence. The United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire is honored to participate in this year’s ceremony.”

For more information about the Naturalization Ceremony and Strawbery Banke Museum, visit StrawberyBanke.org.

Rochester, NH Elks #1393 conducts Flag Day Ceremony

ROCHESTER — The Rochester Elks conducted its annual Flag Day Services at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, in the Lodge Hall at 295 Columbus Avenue.  Approximately 50 people were in attendance. Lodge officers performing the service were assisted by members of the Rochester, NH Emblem Club #40 who carried and presented the Flags used in the ceremony. Light refreshments were served after the service.

Chairman for the event was Tom Ducharme, Past Exalted Ruler and current Lodge Trustee. Highlight of the evening was the guest speaker, US Navy Commander Jeffrey Smith, a Long Beach, California native who currently serves as the Executive Officer at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Commander Smith delivered a very thoughtful and emotional presentation of how the American Flag has been an inspiration to him throughout his personal and professional life as an Officer in the US Navy.

Military families play for free all summer at Children’s Museum

DOVER – Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 21 was the start of the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire’s Military Appreciation Summer, during which all current and retired military personnel and their immediate family members are invited to play at no cost, thanks to a generous sponsorship from Service Credit Union. From now through Sunday, Sept. 4, guests can reserve their spots online for free, and then simply show a military ID at the front desk of the museum to receive free admission for the military member, dependent children and spouse.

The summer free admission program is available to active duty and retired U.S. military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps - and up to five family members. To learn more, visit www.childrens-museum.org.

Seacoast Women’s Giving Circle celebrates $1 million raised and 2022 grant recipients

PORTSMOUTH — The Seacoast Women’s Giving Circle awarded grants for 2022 to two local nonprofit organizations at its annual Give Event celebration last month at the Museum of New Art in Portsmouth. One additional grant was awarded following the event, which also marked the organization’s $1 million milestone of collective giving over the past 16 years.

Totaling $110,000, the awards this year will support area nonprofits working to address Women’s Equity, the 2022 topic of focus selected by the SWGC board of directors. According to board chair, Heidi Hanson, “Women’s Equity was our chosen topic this year having learned how disproportionately women were affected by disruptions the pandemic brought to all aspects of life in our community.” Area nonprofits were invited to submit grant applications in January 2022 for work that focuses on a systemic approach to change that will help positively impact women’s equity throughout our community.

Selected to each receive $50,000 were the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Additionally, Community Loan Fund received a $10,000 grant. “Our members helped us reach – and then exceed – our most ambitious annual fundraising goal ever,” said Hanson. “When we learned we had surpassed $100,000 in donations this year, we were excited to be able to provide an additional grant to Community Loan Fund, our runner-up grant applicant finalist.”

The mission of the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation is to invest in opportunity and equality for women and girls in the Granite State through research, education, advocacy, and grant making. The grant they received from the SWGC will be used to focus on the four-fold mission of the NHWF by supporting their core programs including data-driven research on women and girls in N.H., the Women Run! Program, advocacy to elevate issues and legislation that impact women and girls in N.H., and investing in community organizations.

The mission of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England is to provide, promote, and protect access to reproductive healthcare and sexuality education so that all people can make voluntary choices about their reproductive and sexual health. This SWGC grant will be used to make an investment in the Exeter Health Center to strengthen their delivery care systems and long term sustainability. The grant will make the greatest difference for young women who are uninsured and low income and who rely on the Exeter Health Center for the majority of their healthcare needs.

The Community Loan Fund serves as a catalyst, leveraging financial, human, and civic resources to enable traditionally underserved people to participate more fully in New Hampshire’s economy. They do this by providing loans, capital and technical assistance; complementing and extending the reach of conventional lenders and public institutions; and bringing people and institutions together to solve problems.  The SWGC grant will help fund the Child Care Business Support Program which will deliver a “one stop shop” for Seacoast area childcare programs. The Business Support Program will deliver flexible capital, shared back-office solutions, and substantial cost savings for childcare programs and their employees.  Improving the financial outlook of local childcare providers maintains affordability and childcare openings so that mothers can participate in the workforce.

Since its inception in 2006, the SWGC has been committed to improving the quality of life in the region through collective giving and grassroots action. It supports nonprofits that provide services in or to the residents of Seabrook, Hampton, Hampton Falls, North Hampton, Rye, Portsmouth, New Castle and Kittery, Maine. The SWGC giving priorities include improving quality of life on the Seacoast, serving the socio-economically underprivileged, fostering independence and self-reliance, addressing emerging needs and issues, providing long-term solutions, and investing in the expansion of existing organizations rather than the creation of new ones.

The Portsmouth Rotary Club gives Step Up Parents $3,000 for kinship caregiver support

PORTSMOUTH — Seacoast-based nonprofit Step Up Parents received a $3,000 grant from the Portsmouth Rotary Club Basic Needs Committee. This grant will directly impact Portsmouth-area kinship caregivers who have stepped up for children of parents with substance use disorder and are in need of financial support.

“In our mission to help our community, Rotary of Portsmouth chose Step Up Parents for their commitment to financially assisting relatives caring for opioid orphans,” said Patricia Novello, Basic Needs Committee Chair.

As demand for assistance rises across the state, kinship families have been hit particularly hard by the rising cost of living.

“This grant from the Portsmouth Rotary is so greatly appreciated and comes at a critical time of need," says Denyse Richter, Step Up Parents' Executive Director. "The Rotary’s commitment to responding to the community's needs and continued support of our mission helps us touch families in need."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Strawbery Banke hosts U.S. Naturalization Ceremony: Community news update