Never underestimate the power and determination of a dedicated group of senior citizens.

A shining example, a group of residents at the Quail Hollow Senior Living Community in West Lebanon raised money to send Quail Hollow military veterans on a trip to Washington, D.C., to view firsthand the war memorials that a grateful nation bestowed upon them.

A committee of Quail Hollow residents was formed, and U.S. Army Veteran Stanley Kenison took over the role of chairperson, quickly discovering that he had inherited a daunting task.

“Fellow Quail Hollow resident Philip Diana first came up with the concept, and I kind of took over in midstream,” Kenison explained. “I realized that perhaps in many ways we were running out of time to pull this off. Three years ago there were about 100 veterans that I knew who lived here at one time and now that number is down to 30 or so. Many of those would not be able to make such a trip due to age and health concerns. We had our work cut out for us, that’s for sure.”

During 2013 the fund raising efforts got underway in earnest. With the permission of Quail Hollow management, the group hosted what turned out to be extremely popular and delicious breakfasts in the community’s dining facilities, along with a lively barbeque on the outdoor terrace during the height of summer. Private donations were received, merchants donated items to be raffled, and fellow residents contributed homemade crafts. Slowly but surely, the financial goal was achieved.

Following a rousing send-off by their fellow Quail Hollow residents, on May 27 five proud veterans ranging in age from 73 to 82 boarded the Ethan Allen Express at the Amtrak Station in Rutland, Vt., bound for Washington, D.C.: Two Korean War veterans, two U.S. Army, and one Air Force veteran were headed for our nation’s capital with wide smiles across their faces.

Was all the hard work and the enthusiastic support from the Quail Hollow seniors worth the effort? Perhaps one single touching moment out of many summed up the entire experience for all involved.

The day of the monument tour it was brutally hot in Washington, with a burning, hazy sun overhead and the temperature hovering around 90 degrees and humidity at 80 percent. Seventy-six-year-old Korean War veteran Sandy Nash, originally from Acworth, New Hampshire, was being pushed in his wheelchair with his leg prosthesis laying on his lap for comfort. Perched on his head was the black baseball cap all were given with two words emblazoned across the front: Korean Veteran.

The intrepid group had decided before they visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier they would spend time under a welcome nearby shade tree. There they encountered a tour group, and one of the ladies remarked about the sheer beauty and tranquility of the adjacent Arlington National Cemetery. It was awe inspiring. Nash nodded in agreement. He then looked skyward before bowing his head and, in a very soft voice, uttering, “Yes, and I never thought I would get to see this in my lifetime.” There was a tear in the corner of his eye.

That was just one of countless emotional moments for the Quail Hollow Five. William Scanlon, 82, was another Korean War veteran on the trip who had served in the United States Air Force from 1951-55. He had an encounter that will remain with him for life.

“I really could not believe it when a young boy around seven or eight broke loose from the school group he was touring with and walked over to me. He stood there politely and extended his hand. ‘I want to thank you for your service, Sir,’ he said, and rejoined his group. I was almost in tears,” Scanlon said.

There was also the school group from South Carolina whose teacher approached the Quail Hollow veterans and requested they pose for a photograph with the class. After the cameras stopped clicking they added in unison. “Thank you for your service!”

The accolades didn’t stop there. At the end of that hot, humid day the group assembled in the lounge of the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel where they were staying. The physically demanding tour called for a round of ice cold daft beers and a toast. One gentleman sitting at the bar announced loudly that the next round was on him and declared, “Thank you for your service gentlemen!”

And there was the high ranking Naval officer attired in her sparkling white dress uniform who passed by the Quail Hollow Five at the Arlington National Cemetery. As she approached, she gave a warm smile, gathered her rigid military bearing, and snapped off an impressive salute.

“Thank you gentlemen. Carry on,” she said.

For all those who worked so diligently to get these veterans to Washington, you can rest assured the effort paid huge dividends. “You can watch all you want on television, but until you get there in person you have no idea what it means. It really hits home,” said Stan Kenison. “It shows you first hand the price you pay to remain a free nation.”

The Quail Hollow veterans on the tour included Stan Kenison, 74; Don Vesper, 73; John Holmes, 74; Bill Scanlon, 82; and Sandy Nash, 76.

For the Quail Hollow residents that remained behind, their contribution will be forever remembered. Mission Accomplished!

Across from the Lebanon’s Colburn Park, nestled in the neighborhoods just where things begin to still and the road seems to take on an air of privacy, there is a small sign addressed “WISE” in front of a gray building with lavender trim and a ramp winding up the side. This is the Women’s Information Service (WISE), and this is where Lebanon fights domestic and sexual violence.

What began as a grassroots organization offering support and employment training to new mothers quickly transformed into one of the most determined organizations to end violence against women, children, and men after a shocking number of women reported accounts of domestic and sexual violence. WISE founders joined the New Hampshire Coalition and Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence to install a 24-hour crisis hotline, one of the many services WISE provides and for which the organization is most known.

“Most women can relate to an incident of violence or harassment that has happened to them. It is one of the main things women have in common even if we don’t have anything else in common with each other,” says WISE Executive Director Peggy O’Neil. According to a report released by the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault in January, one in five women are sexually assaulted in college.

Most rapes that occur – roughly 60 percent, according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network – are not reported. In addition to disbelief, self-blaming, and the possible backlash that keeps victims from reporting assaults, researchers at the National Research Council have found trouble putting the numbers together for how often these crimes are committed because of the variations in the definition of rape.

“We get caught up in the language that we use. Sexual violence is any sexual act that is perpetrated against someone’s will and encompasses a range of offenses, including unwanted touch or communication where one person is inappropriately using their power over you,” says O’Neil. “The term ‘violence’ is really speaking to the whole spectrum of acts and language that women often endure – whether it is inappropriate comments, unwanted touch, getting groped on the subway, and being sexually assaulted.”

In response to a widespread spotlight on sexual violence and campus rape, WISE is among a global movement to stop violence against women, including the White House Task Force to Protect Students Against Sexual Violence, the federal Campus SaVE Act of 2013, and the celebrity-endorsed social media campaigns #yesallwomen and #BringBackOurGirls.

“We believe and have always believed that violence against women is a community issue. And the community has been a big part, a partner. As an organization, we can effect so much change when we can engage more people in discussion and then positive action to change it,” says O’Neil. “Just the sheer number of survivor stories that have been shared with advocates at WISE over the years, we have an organizational knowledge and wisdom. We just want to share that knowledge.”

WISE has been in service for more than 40 years, supporting 700 to 1,100 people a year.

“Overall, we have looked at the increased media attention, social media attention, and the debates as conversation which is powerful. What can help in preventing domestic and sexual violence is healthy relationships and respectful communication between people, and when it comes to sexual violence, to learn the language and tools of consent,” O’Neil says.

WISE has developed a Prevention Education Program that offers comprehensive, healthy relationship classes to the middle and high schools in the Upper Valley, usually through the school’s health program. The multi-session programs for students in grades eight through 10 can include anywhere from three to five classes. In addition, WISE provides professional training to local law enforcement and medical staff at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Dartmouth Medical School. WISE also works with other social service organizations.

“Lebanon is a very supportive community. It is very accessible. We wanted to have a permanent, physical presence in this area so that people could come here and they could participate,” O’Neil says. “With our physical, visible presence in Lebanon, we can start to break down some of the stigma and the silence that is often associated with sexual violence. With this location, we want to invite people here to have those conversations.”

WISE is located at 38 Bank Street in Lebanon. Learn more at http://www.wiseuv.org/.

Before the car, there was the bicycle. As a mode of transportation, the bicycle is one of the most widely used vehicles in the world. According to industry analysts, bicycles outnumber cars by a two to one margin.

So it stands to reason that as the City of Lebanon advances the idea of the Mascoma River Greenway, a bicycle and pedestrian trail connection between Lebanon and West Lebanon, people are excited. So excited, in fact, that of the $2.2 million needed to deck four bridges, install signage, and pave the four-mile pathway, an amazing $1.6 million has been raised in just two years from private donations, City investments, grants, and sponsorships.

How is this possible? For starters, it takes patience and perseverance. Back in 1998, the Friends of the Northern Rail Trail was established to develop the 23-mile Northern Rail Trail from Lebanon to Andover. This effort laid the groundwork for a culture of recreational trail use, recruiting volunteers, and negotiating with state agencies overseeing the corridor. The Lebanon Rotary Club joined the party at the same time with its String of Pearls vision of “a riverfront trail system connecting public parks.”

The City entered the picture in 2003 with a cooperative agreement with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to maintain a short section of the trail for recreational use. Five years later, the City established the Mascoma River Greenway Coalition and committed $50,000 to develop a Mascoma River Greenway Action Plan. Armed with cost estimates and a vision for the health, economic, conservation, and transportation benefits of the proposed Greenway, the Coalition got to work. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Under the leadership of Frank Gould, a retired educator and former Chair of the Lebanon Recreation Commission, and Lebanon Director of Recreation & Parks Paul Coats, the project continues to gain momentum and is on track for completion in 2016.

“It is tremendous to be able to utilize the rail corridor again to provide Lebanon with a connection between east and west, and to create markers highlighting the Northern Railroad’s significance to Lebanon’s history, connecting the past with the present,” said Gould.

The Upper Valley Trails Alliance and Upper Valley Healthy Eating Active Living Partnership have provided technical assistance and small grants to the effort.

The Mascoma River Greenway, or MRG as it’s known locally, is one of more than 1,850 converted rail trails in the country, according to the Rails to Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit advocacy group. Rail trails are used for commuting, recreation, tourism, economic development, and of course, to improve your health.

Economists have analyzed these things and report revenues from overnight stays, entertainment, food, and bike rentals in the hundreds of millions of dollars for destination trails like the C & O Canal Trail in Maryland, the Burlington Bike Path in Vermont, and the Confederation Trail in Canada. Having ridden all of these trails, I can vouch for the appeal of ice cream stands, a decent dinner, a reputable bike shop, and a comfortable bed on a long distance recreational ride. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to support the local economy.

There’s a lot to be said for moving under your own steam, even if only for 10 minutes a day, according to researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana. That’s about how long it takes to get up from your desk in downtown Lebanon and walk to one of the many access points along the Northern Rail Trail or the current Greenway segment extending from High Street to the Slayton Hill Bridge. At the very least, one can enjoy the benefit of unplugging from computers and cell phones to check out the natural beauty, cultural history, and soothing sounds of the Mascoma River.

But one of the greatest outcomes of the work of the Mascoma River Greenway Coalition will most certainly be offering up a walkable and bikeable connection between the communities of Lebanon and West Lebanon, and the more than 50 school, work, and play destinations accessible along the corridor. As Victor Hugo said, “There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.” Three cheers for the Mascoma River Greenway Coalition and the City of Lebanon for paving the way to help more people live an active lifestyle. Learn more, donate, or volunteer for the Mascoma River Greenway project at mascomagreenway.com.

When you give someone a great big smile, do you think about what your smile looks like first? If you don’t, then you are very fortunate. Feeling good about your smile is a special gift. It probably means that your teeth have been well cared for during your lifetime. Sadly, there are many people who are not so fortunate. It is hard to believe that nearly 50 percent of three-year-old children in the U.S. already have tooth decay.

Here in the Upper Valley, there are people who are passionate about helping children to get a good start on a healthy smile. And, if passion were the only criteria for getting such a job accomplished, there would be smiling children all over the Upper Valley.

During a recent visit with Dr. Robert Keene and Nancy DuMont – Supervising Dentist and Community Health Director, respectively, of Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital’s Upper Valley Smiles program, it was evident that their goal is to help assure healthy smiles for every kindergarten through fourth-grader in the Lebanon, Enfield, Canaan, and White River elementary schools. Anything less than 100 percent is unacceptable to them.

As the Director of the Department of Community Health, DuMont creates, implements, and evaluates activities related to health improvement/wellness plans for the community. Within the Upper Valley Smiles program, she supervises Mary Davis, the hospital-employed registered dental hygienist, and Shelley Giguere, dental assistant. Giguere provides oral health education, screenings, sealants, and fluoride varnish (the two main improvements in decay prevention now available) to elementary school children in the four towns. DuMont also coordinates referrals of children needing urgent dental treatment to local dentists, writes and manages oral health grants, and chairs the Upper Valley Oral Health Initiative.

A very persuasive leader, DuMont enlisted Keene, who grew up in Hanover, to volunteer for the “Healthy Smiles” Program starting in 2007. Keene’s years of work in many aspects of the dental profession – having owned a private general dental practice from 1963-2000, along with his ideas for improvement that he felt compelled to share – put him in the perfect place to start the Red Logan Dental Clinic in White River Junction in 1997. He remained on the Advisory Board until 2003.

Caring for children’s teeth when families are struggling just to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads can be a daunting task for anyone. Each year, the Upper Valley Smiles staff hears about families where toothbrushes are shared to save money. These parents may not know that, as Keene reports, “dental decay is an infectious disease,” but at the same time, “dental diseases are some of the most preventable diseases of the human body.” For this reason, the oral health education component of Upper Valley Smiles is equally important as the preventive treatments that participating children receive.

More than 1,900 children benefitted from Upper Valley Smiles during the 2013-2014 school year. The weeklong school program starts with oral health education for all children in grades K through four. Davis presents an age-appropriate oral health education lesson, and sends a letter to each parent containing “10 Tips for a Healthy Smile” to reinforce lessons about good nutrition and proper oral care. As she notes, “the focus of our program is on prevention!”

After the oral health education day, participating children receive an oral health screening by the team, and results are sent home to parents. For the remainder of the week, children who do not have a dentist are given preventive treatments including sealants to seal out food and bacteria that cause tooth decay, and varnish to strengthen teeth. Follow-up letters are sent to parents, explaining the preventive services that were provided to their child. Finally, if the child needs more extensive restorative treatment in a dental office, DuMont helps parents find a dentist.

Thanks to grant funds, low-income parents who are uninsured may be offered vouchers to pay for that care. “The local community has been very generous over the years in helping children who so badly need dental services, and who would otherwise continue to suffer,” DuMont says.

For example, the Rotary Club of Lebanon has chosen Upper Valley Smiles as this year’s beneficiary to receive a major portion of the funds raised from this year’s 35th Annual Rotary Auction, being held October 4 at the Fireside Inn & Suites in West Lebanon.

Why is continued community support so important in 2014? The answer, according to DuMont, is simple: “We are doing well in offering oral health education and preventive treatments to many local children, but the benchmarks for success are not yet pointed in our direction. In 2013-2014, the statewide rate of untreated decay found in New Hampshire second and third graders was 12 percent, but the rate for the children we screened in the Upper Valley Smiles program was more than double that, at 28 percent. Similarly, the statewide percentage of that same group of children who had sealants on their teeth was 51 percent, but in our group only 4 percent had sealants.”

For DuMont, the ultimate goal of the program is “to find regular dental care for all of the children in the schools we serve, and to reduce the prevalence of dental disease in our community.”

Echoes Keene, “The Healthy Smiles program for K through grade four leads to a healthier life in many ways. Healthy mouths and teeth make for self-confidence, success in learning, obtaining jobs, and happier lives. Along with early preventive care and treatment, giving children the tools for dental and systemic health is a vital major first step towards a healthier population.”

Although the number of children who participate each year is growing, many children who do not have a regular dentist are not signed up. Some parents are reluctant to have their children participate due to their own fears about dental treatment, but the Upper Valley Smiles team is known for its gentle and non-judgmental treatment.

Keene, DuMont, and the team remain optimistic: “We prefer to view our glass as half full. Each year we reach more and more kids, and we get a lot of satisfaction out of helping those we serve.”

To learn more about the Upper Valley Smiles program, contact Nancy DuMont at dumontn@apdmh.org or (603) 443-9548.

Like many Lebanon residents, the summer Lebanon Farmers’ Market holds a lot of personal meaning for me. For years it meant that, on Thursdays when he came home from work, my dad would bring pies. The “Pie Lady” (as we called her) sold pies at her tent in Colburn Park. They were intricate, beautiful things; often the buttery crust was molded and layered in the shape of leaves. When the Pie Lady moved her operation to Norwich, it was a tragedy in our household, a testament to how the farmers’ market and what it offered had ingrained itself in the weekly rhythm of our lives.

Lebanon itself has this steady rhythm. Every week the town congregates in one place for one activity. The rhythm can be heard in the chatter of voices from the usually silent park, and in music from the Lebanon Recreation Department’s Front Porch Concert Series. Even the title of that concert series reflects the market’s pace: the front porch, a place to unwind, slow down, and watch the world go by.

When I started talking to market regulars and newcomers alike, it was almost surprising how much people enjoyed this slowed-down quality it has. Don Cann, co-owner and vendor for Cobb Hill Frozen Yogurt, has been at the market for a decade and has observed that “people stay at Lebanon’s market far more than other farmers’ markets. It’s a much slower pace, and people spend hours here listening to the music. It’s more of a social event…the market links people together.”

Don says the market has offered his businesses a valuable marketing tool and connection to his customers, as well. For the first seven of his 10 years on the green, Don sold elk meat from Meriden. He sold the meat for customers to use at home, but the market gave him the opportunity to cook up elk burgers so that interested (and perhaps, like I was, wary) customers could try his product – something not widely found on grocery store shelves. Now Don’s frozen yogurt business at the market can send customers to the supermarket. “It’s a good way for them to experience something new and then go buy it in stores,” he said.

Don estimated that there are about 45 total vendors at the farmers’ market every year, with about 30 regular vendors and some more seasonal offerings. Market organizer Amy Eberhardt was enthusiastic about this year’s set of vendors. “It’s a place of local commerce and local agriculture,” she emphasized. Molly Whitaker, a Lebanon High School 2012 alum who works at the market, agreed. “It makes me proud to be a part of the community, to see people eating locally and supporting local businesses.”

Amy and Molly, among other market workers, are hoping to make eating locally more accessible for more people. Their “main project this year” is their Veggie Dollars program. Eligible customers using EBT cards at the market can double the value of their dollars spent up to $10, and the second half of their doubled money can only be used to buy “locally grown, fresh farm produce.” So for $10 worth of food, EBT card users get another $10 worth of healthy, sustainable veggies and fruits.

“Some markets get the reputation of being too expensive,” Amy said. “Our Veggie Dollar program makes it easier to buy items not normally available on a limited budget.” The program hits at the heart of the market’s benefits: offering food and a comforting place to experience it. Molly gets inspired by “families coming together for dinner… which might not usually happen.”

Molly is one of many workers trying to make the program a success; back from college at the University of Richmond, she spends her Thursday evenings promoting Veggie Dollars and related programs around the market. When I spoke to her, she was planning a “food education seminar” for both Veggie Dollar users and general market-goers.

“Some people don’t know how to use the food here,” she explained, “so we’re going to use some recipes and show them.” She wanted to focus on less traditional foods so that, just as Veggie Dollars gave customers access to a broader range of local foods, her seminar can bring eager learners access to a broader range of food knowledge.

Food is a large draw for the market. Families go to the market for a dinner out. Lebanon High senior Talia Wenig said that “coming to the market offers me a sense of variety that I don’t normally see in town.” In just one block, on one evening, market attendees can buy a crêpe with goat cheese, Pad Thai, Pakastani food, jerk chicken with plantains, or locally pickled vegetables. They can sample dozens of varieties of jams at one tent, and pick between dozens of different handcrafted earrings at another.

The Lebanon Police Department offered variety of its own when it hosted its Fifth Annual Marge Hammond Memorial Bike Auction fundraiser. Intrigued bidders made a circle around one officer while he shouted amounts for the bikes, like a true auctioneer. After each one sold, a nearby woman seated on a bench would look bemused and shout over to the winner: “Make sure you wear a helmet!” Luckily, the department had helmets on hand for winners who didn’t have their own.

It was while I was watching the spectacle of the bike auction that I saw a young man sitting on a bench, looking around at the market and taking notes. Looking for an interview, I sat down next to him and asked him what he was doing. “I’m an Anthropology student over at Dartmouth,” sophomore Rory Page told me. He had an assignment to attend a public event and record what he saw. We decided to trade notes, and I rattled off what I observed about the market.

He asked me: “Do you know a lot of these people who attend the market?” I looked around and nodded. “My friends gather here every week,” I told him, “and I can recognize others simply because I come so much.”

“Is there anything I shouldn’t do? That people would get angry at me for?” he inquired. I thought for a while about this, and about all of the people I had talked to who valued the market for its sense of community, its sense of slowing down and spending time together.
“No,” I replied, “I think we’re a pretty friendly bunch here.”