You Want Me To Do What?!

I am not exactly what you call outdoorsy. I like creature comforts. So when I was asked to join about 50 other people to sleep outside in downtown Manchester in March to raise awareness about homeless youth in the city and raise money to support Child and Family Services’ programs to help them, I was not exactly stoked.

So what would convince me to spend a snowy NH winter night outdoors in just a sleeping bag? 1. Child and Family Services stressed this was not a celebration, a camp-out, rally, nor an attempt to replicate homelessness. Rather the “SleepOut” was described as a solemn event, bringing community leaders together to raise community consciousness about the plight of homeless youth, show solidarity with homeless youth, and raise funds to help stabilize and transform the lives of youth who become homeless. 2. They pointed out it was probably the first time a nonprofit invited me to sleep with them. 3. The real clincher—my recently adopted sons had been homeless when placed in the foster system.

There are some alarming facts about homelessness in NH. Child and Family Services serves more than 1,500 runaway, homeless and at-risk youth annually throughout NH. Through its Street Outreach program, the organization provides immediate aid, such as food and showers, as well as a way off the street through counseling, training and support. The SleepOut raised more than $139,000—surpassing the $100,000 goal—and proceeds will help with the development of a new resource center facility and support existing programs for homeless youth. The SleepOut also allowed me to see first hand the continued leadership and dedication of past recipients of our Business of the Year award. Major sponsors included ProCon Inc. (a 1991 Business of the Year), McLane Law Firm (among this year’s winners), Eastern Bank, which recently acquired 2006 winner Centrix Bank, and People’s United Bank (NH division president Dianne Mercier was the 2014 Business Leader of the Year), as well as Bellwether Community Credit Union (a three-time winner of our Best Companies to Work For competition).

The presidents and CEOs of these organizations joined other volunteers and community leaders sleeping out in frigid temperatures. (A friend said she would double her donation if I spooned a bank president. While tempting for the body heat alone, professional decorum won out.) But this event proved that NH leaders don’t just write checks (though there is nothing wrong with that), they get involved in their communities. It’s that type of leadership we look for in the people and businesses we honor annually through the Business of the Year awards. As you will see in this issue, NH has a rich resource of community-minded businesses.

Sincerely,

Matthew J. Mowry

Editor