Volunteer drivers are needed in rural New Hampshire. The Volunteer Transportation Center is a non-profit organization providing transportation to non-emergent medical appointments through a network of volunteer drivers. Transportation is provided specifically to those who have Medicaid through a partnership with Coordinated Transportation Solutions, the local Medicaid transportation broker. All volunteer drivers must complete an application process which includes a background check, drug test and extensive training. Volunteers are then issued a tablet on which trips are assigned to them to serve local residents. For each trip completed, there is mileage reimbursement up to $0.58 per mile. However, there is no cost to the client for the transportation. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a volunteer driver, call the Volunteer Transportation Center-NH at 931-9046 or visit NHVT.org to complete an application today.
Get ready for a new take on a great day! To be socially responsible and protect our neighbors, friends and families from the continuing threat of COVID-19, this year’s Gilmanton Old Home Day will be held virtually on our Facebook page. Help us continue to raise funds for the upkeep of the five Smith Meetinghouse buildings and their grounds. Donations of any kind are always appreciated at gilmantonoldhomeday.square.site. We will continue the tradition of selling Baked Beans including traditional pea, kidney and spicy southwestern vegetarian. The cost is $5 for a pint and $8 for a quart. An online store has been established to accept preorders. We will accept orders and until Aug 10 p.m. on the site. Can’t make your order online? Don’t worry, we have an order form inside our annual booklet which can be completed and mailed with payment! Beans will be ready for pick up curbside on Aug. 15 between noon and 3 p.m. Be sure to go check out the silent auction on the Gilmanton Old Home Day Facebook page. Many area businesses have donated goods or services to help support our mission. Keep watching as we add new items right up to the day of the event! Items will be posted online Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. and online bidding will end at 2 p.m. Still much to do, so many volunteers needed! Sign up at signupgenius.com/go/30e0b49aeab2ca1fc1-gilmanton.
There is a way for anyone to be important in the life of a child and that is by becoming a CASA. A CASA is a Court Appointed Special Advocate who volunteers as a Guardian ad Litem to advocate for an abused and/or neglected child in the courts. This may sound daunting, but in reality it primarily requires common sense, a commitment to children and about 10-15 hours a month. CASA’s are trained and have the support of program managers and peer coordinators who provide guidance and ongoing education. Every day a call goes out for a CASA for a new case of abuse or neglect, so the need is ongoing. To learn more about CASA please attend a virtual information session at casnh.org/infosessions, call 626-4600, visit casanh.org, or email speakup@casanh.org. Training for new volunteers is also being conducted online. New sessions begin often. Become a CASA and make the world a better place!
Think ahead to cooler temps and start planning your fall bulb planting. This year, the Merrimack County Conservation District is offering 30 different varieties of fall-planted bulbs — from daffodils to giant snowdrops, muscari, garlic, and more. Order your fall bulbs today and support Merrimack County Conservation District efforts. The order form can be found at merrimackccd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020-Fall-Bulb-Order-Form.pdf. The deadline to order is Sept. 7 and pick up will be Oct. 2 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the MCCD office or Oct. 3 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Contoocook Farmers Market. For more information, email info@merrimackccd.org or call 223-6020.
Concord Hospital Trust has the perfect antidote for the pandemic blues. Have your own party with a purpose! The Trust’s Evening en Blanc event has been reimagined to become Evening en Rose, Party with a Purpose – Stay at Home Edition 2020. Create a party at your home, tailor-made for you and your friends and/or family and support genetic counseling and testing at Concord Hospital Breast Care Center. Evening en Rose will be held from Aug. 27 to Sept. 7. Instead of gathering at a surprise location for a huge evening picnic and dancing, participants will gather at a time and location of their choice – like their own back yard or dining room – for household parties for a purpose throughout the community. Personal parties can be a brunch, late-night dinner or picnic, whatever helps beat the pandemic blues to support an important program. Participants can choose from several at-home party packages that include opportunities to unlock special virtual events including a wine tasting with Martignetti Companies, garden and she shed tour with a local floral designer and party planner, picnic baskets by Local Baskit and a concert with Boston band Legends of Summer. For more information, to register for the level of your choice or donate directly to the Breast Care Center, visit ch-trust.org/events or call 227-7000 ext. 3076.
Corn mazes are now open at Beech Hill Farm every day from 2 p.m. to dusk. Cost is $6 per person and children under 3 are free. The 2020 maze themes are Animal Olympics and Ocean Action.
For nearly 180 years the First Baptist Church has sat on the brow of the hill on Route 107 in Lower Gilmanton. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. In November 2019, the N.H. Preservation Alliance placed it on its 2019 Seven to Save list. Seven to Save brings attention to threatened and endangered historic properties throughout New Hampshire. In December , it received a grant of $81,600 from Land & Community Heritage Investment Program. We must match this grant to start the Restoration Project. To date, we have raised $65,106. We have a contractor able to begin the Restoration Project, but time is of the essence. During the last rain storm, additional leaks in the roof entered the interior of the church. At this juncture, we are continuing to ask for donations to preserve this Lower Gilmanton nationally recognized historic landmark. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law and mailed to Gilmanton Historical Society, P.O. Box 236, Gilmanton, NH 03237 with a notation “Lower Gilmanton First Baptist Church.” The Gilmanton Historical Society, a non-profit organization, is our sponsor and supports the restoration project. Structural repairs include: stabilizing the granite foundation; a new roof; repairing and supporting the leaking bell tower; repairing and lining two chimneys; refurbishing two woodstoves; and updating the ADA ramp.