Category: Q&A

Change of pace for annual breast cancer fundraiser

The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer movement in New Hampshire is taking a different approach to its fundraising efforts this fall. Instead of its usual community walks, Making Strides will host a series of six socially distanced events, including “Drive-in Experiences” in Nashua, Exeter, Concord/Bow and Manchester and “Rolling Pink Car Rallies” in Laconia and North Conway. Chelsea Paradore, senior manager of community development for the American Cancer Society Northeast Region, talked about what the events will look like, how people can get involved and why fundraising for cancer research is important now more than ever.

What will Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events in New Hampshire look like this year?

We have four drive-in experiences. At the largest one, which is in Concord and will be held in the evening, people can donate luminaries in honor or in memory of someone who has been affected by breast cancer or has lost their battle, and we’ll have those luminary bags lit up as people drive in. There will be a movie screen and a stage set up, so we’ll have a video ceremony; we’ll have survivor speakers; we’ll hear from a researcher; we’ll hear from some of our sponsors and different team leaders; and people will share their stories about how they’ve been affected by breast cancer. Then, after inspiring people, we want to kind of lighten things up and have a little fun, so we’ll have a live band that will play. We’re also asking people to deck out their cars in pink, so there will be prizes for the most spirited car, and we’ll have some other fun games going on throughout the evening. … Then, we have a couple car rallies, which are really more about spreading awareness. … People are asked to decorate their cars in pink and have signs on the outside. … So, it’s not going to be the three- to five-mile walk alongside survivors and caregivers that we would normally be doing, but I think we’ve figured out, this year more than ever, that this isn’t just about a walk; it’s about a movement.

How has Covid-19 impacted Making Strides/American Cancer Society?

It has severely impeded our fundraising activity this year. We’re expecting a minimum of a $200 million shortfall, just in 2020. Essentially, we have gone from a $700 million operating budget to $500 million operating budget, which we had to reduce between personnel and non-personnel expenses. We were sadly forced to eliminate approximately 1,000 staff positions nationwide. The remaining staff have had reduced salaries. Our CEO got a 25-percent reduction in salary. … That’s just the immediate impact; who knows what the next couple of years is going to look like? The scariest part is the impact on our mission. Our hallmark is research funding, and right now that’s in jeopardy. [Covid-19] is going to reduce our ability to fund cancer research by 50 percent in 2020, which is the lowest investment this century.

How does the fundraising work?

It’s actually super easy. When someone registers on our website they get a “fundraising dashboard,” and right from that fundraising dashboard they can email their friends and family, and they can start a Facebook fundraiser, which we know is wildly successful. We also have a fundraising app … which connects them right to their fundraising dashboard. They can take donations by credit card, Google Pay and Apple Pay, and they can take checks, which works just like mobile banking.

How do small community events like these help ACS carry out its mission?

Community events are volunteer-led, so we have a group of volunteer committees at each of these [event] locations in New Hampshire, and they pour their heart and soul into planning these events. Volunteer-led events allow us to save money internally on staffing, and therefore more money is going to the cause. … The awareness piece of it is even bigger, in my eyes. It’s really important to reach people in the community on a local level, to let them know what the American Cancer Society can do, should they ever need to call our number; and to make sure they are getting screened properly, talking to their doctors and taking control of their health.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
Drive-in Experiences
• Nashua South High School, 36 Riverside St., Nashua, Sunday, Oct. 4, 3 to 5 p.m.
• FieldHouse Sports, 12 Tallwood Drive, Bow, Friday, Oct. 16, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
• McDevitt Trucks, 220 Frontage Road, Manchester, Sunday, Oct. 18, 1:30 to 4 p.m.
• Lincoln Street Elementary School, 25 Lincoln St., Exeter, Sunday, Oct. 18, 1 to 4 p.m.
Rolling Pink Car Rallies
• Laconia Middle School, 150 McGrath St., Laconia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m. arrival, 10:30 a.m. start
• Stonehurst Manor, 3351 White Mountain Highway, North Conway, Sunday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. arrival, 10:30 a.m. start
Find registration information for all drive-in and car rally events on Facebook.

Featured photo: Chelsea Paradore. Courtesy photo.

Career Academy’s inaugural class gets underway

The New Hampshire Department of Education and the Community College System of New Hampshire have created a program that allows high school seniors to earn their diploma and work toward an associate’s degree or certificate simultaneously over the course of two years at no cost to the student. The first New Hampshire Career Academy class, consisting of 12 students in pursuit of degrees in criminal justice, finance and accounting, culinary arts, cyber security and other fields, will begin courses at community colleges around the state on Sept. 12. Nathaniel Greene, bureau administrator for the Bureau of Educational Opportunities and department liaison for the Career Academy, talked about the new educational opportunity.

How does Career Academy work?

It functions kind of like a dual enrollment program, except, rather than the student getting their high school diploma with some college credit, they’ll be enrolled in a full community college program. They’ll do an additional year [of high school] — they’ll be a fifth-year senior — and at the end of the program, they’ll come out with both a high school diploma and a certificate or associate’s degree from a community college.

How is this being funded?

We set it up through one of our charter schools, because the state makes payments to a charter school, as opposed to traditional public schools, which receive the bulk of their revenue from local property taxes, so we don’t have control over what they do with that money. By having a student enrolled in a charter school while taking courses at community college, the state can give the money that it would normally give to the charter school to the community college system instead, to cover the cost of tuition. It’s actually the same amount of money that the state would pay for a student to attend a charter school … so, in effect, there’s no cost to the student. … I think that’s the biggest benefit of this program, by far; it gives our low-income students across the state an opportunity to get their associate’s degree, which will open up more doors for them when they get out into the workforce.

What kind of student would be a good fit for this program?

It’s a great option for kids who have already figured out what they want to do and want to fast-track to that next step of getting a certificate or associate’s degree. … I think the kinds of kids who are going to be attracted to a program like this and going to be successful are kids who are interested in academics, self-motivated and responsible … and understand that this is going to be a challenge.

What will a student’s day look like?

They’ll be enrolled just like any other adult community college student. They’ll attend all of their courses at the community college … including the high school courses they need to get their diploma. … They’ll move through the [degree] program just like the other community college students do.

Would they be missing out on their high school experience?

We set up the program so that students can still take part in the normal things they would do as a senior in high school. If they want to attend their senior prom or participate in extracurricular activities at the school, they can do that. … They wouldn’t necessarily be graduating with their [senior] friends since they have to do that fifth year, but we have suggested that schools let that student participate in the ceremony and walk with their friends. They’ll just be given a blank diploma and will receive their real diploma after their fifth year.

What are some of the challenges students should be prepared for?

One of the things we stress to students and parents is that they’re entering an environment that is not the same as their high school environment. They’re entering the adult world. They’re going to be taking courses with adults, some [of whom] are in their 30s, 40s or 50s. … Things aren’t as structured, so there’s going to be more personal responsibility placed on the student. … There will be some guidance resources, but it’s not the same as the guidance counselor at their high school, and there won’t be access to the same kinds of social and emotional support and services that exist for students within a high school.

How does Career Academy set students up for success?

I think one of the biggest ways is the partnerships we’re creating with the businesses and industries that the students are going into. … We’re working with the [Health Care] Administrators Association for students coming out with nursing and medical degrees. We’re working with a couple different manufacturing companies for students getting degrees and certificates in mechanical engineering, engineering technology, advanced manufacturing and robotics. We’re reaching out to accounting associations for students who want to go into the financial field. … The intent is not only to get kids into the programs, but also to connect them with New Hampshire [employers] who want to hire them and keep them here in the state.

Featured Photo: Nathaniel Greene. Courtesy photo.

Deerfield man walks for Ronald McDonald House Charities

On Aug. 17, Dwight Barnes, a Deerfield resident and retired McDonald’s restaurant owner and operator, set out on a 56-day, 1,000-mile walk to visit six Ronald McDonald Houses across New England and raise awareness and funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities, which provides lodging and support for families with critically ill children who are receiving treatment at hospitals away from home. On his ninth day on the road, with nearly 160 miles behind him, Barnes spoke over the phone while walking from Portland to Freeport, Maine.

Why is this cause important to you?

I was in the McDonald’s business for almost 40 years, most of [that time] as a [restaurant] owner-operator. I got involved early on in fundraising. … Owner-operators would have the opportunity to meet some of the families that stayed at the Ronald McDonald Houses, and sometimes we would get video messages from them, thanking us for what we do and for supporting the charity. Their stories were incredibly tough stories to listen to. Hearing all of the things that the families and the kids are going through really tugs at your heartstrings.

What inspired you to do this walk?

It was originally designed to be the kickoff for a capital campaign [to build] new facilities in the Boston hospital area, but with Covid this year, the two major fundraisers for that were canceled, so this project was first and foremost to fill that hole on the revenue side. … I also just love the charity and wanted to shed a light on the Houses and the Care Mobiles and what they do. I thought a walk would be fun, something a little different, and I realized I could do it and do it for long distances; I guess all the time standing behind the counter at the McDonald’s restaurants has built up my lower body.

How’s it going so far?

So far, it’s been great. I’ve visited a couple [McDonald’s] restaurants — I’ll be visiting 65 along the way — and I had my first House visit today in Portland, and that was a really nice time. They gave me a wonderful tour of the facility. … I got to meet the staff members, some of the board members, some [McDonald’s restaurants] owner-operators from the area, and I even had some friends from my hometown drop by.

What’s life like on the road? How are you taking care of yourself?

I laid out the route late last year based on [the locations of] the Ronald McDonald Houses. … I’m mainly staying in hotels and motels … and the team has been working hard to secure the reservations and attempt to get me complimentary nights for the benefit of charity, and they’ve been extremely successful with that. … I’m walking mostly on the side of the road … and on sidewalks. I’ve had the opportunity to go on a couple of trails — one in New Hampshire, from Derry to Epping, and one from Saco to Scarborough, Maine — and that’s been very nice. … I carry a backpack that’s probably between 25 and 30 pounds at the moment. I’ve got water, extra clothes — I do my laundry in the sink every night — toiletries, rain gear … and blister repair items. … I typically have Pandora on while I’m walking. I’m an old guy, so I like the oldies. … Some of the stretches are a little long and lonely, but I was blessed to have some walking buddies with me on four of the days. It sure is nice when I have company. It makes the day go by.

Have you had any crazy or memorable moments during your first nine days?

Yeah, a couple. On Route 28 in Andover, Mass., I had a fella who made a U-turn and came back toward me and yelled out his window, ‘Hey, are you the McDonald’s guy?’ He jumped out, ran around the side of his van, threw the door open, and there were two kids in the back. He said, ‘Would you mind standing next to the door here so I can get a picture of you with my kids?’ He was quite a character. I had another situation where a lady drove by, slowed down right in the middle of the road, took a turn right in front of oncoming traffic, pulled over on the other side of the road, jumped out and said, ‘I want to get your picture!’ People have been pretty nice. However, many people think I’m some sort of a nutcase with the way I dress. I’ve got the Ronald McDonald socks on and a backpack and flashing lights, so they think I’m a little strange.

What do you hope to accomplish by the end of this journey?

To raise as much money as we can for the capital campaign … and to shine a spotlight on the folks out there in the Ronald McDonald charities who are doing this wonderful work to help families and children. … I want to make sure that people recognize what they do. Sometimes life gets busy and you don’t know about some of the good things that are going on out there. … At the same time I want to encourage people to do something for someone else. … Even after you turn 65, if there’s still some gas in the tank, you can get out there and do some good.

Featured Photo: Dwight Barnes. Courtesy photo.