If there is one philosophy that Lebanon resident John Fenley lives by, it is that which was imparted to him by his parents years ago. 

“My mother taught me that you have to have faith and fight and persevere through the hard moments in life,” says John. “She has shown me what it means never to give up. And my father taught me that you can achieve your dreams if you work hard.”

For John, these words have had significant meaning considering his diagnosis of a craniopharyngioma brain tumor at age three which required five surgeries to successfully remove. And although the resulting brain injury created obstacles, he strives to define himself by his abilities rather than his disabilities.

“My brain tumor has affected my life in countless ways, but I have never allowed it to define my life,” says John. “People of a pessimistic mindset would say it’s so unfair that I had to suffer five brain surgeries. But I would remind them of how blessed I am. I had a strong, loving family to see me through the darkest moments. I was fortunate enough to be born in a time when performing these difficult surgeries has been possible. And, in a time when medicine is advanced enough to provide me hormones in pill form to replace what was lost. I was also fortunate enough to have been born in a country that boasts some of the best hospitals in the world. See? I am blessed.”

Born in Carmel, NY in 1985 to Madeline and Dennis Fenley, John is the youngest of two boys. His older brother Chris was eager to welcome him into a family that values kindness and caring.

“My roots are important to me,” says John. “I’m one-quarter Irish, one-quarter German, and half Italian. Ha! Maybe that’s why I have a loud and boisterous charm like many Irish-Italians!”

When he was five, his parents divorced, so John spent summers with his father in Virginia and Thanksgivings with his extended family in Montauk, Long Island. His mother moved to Hanover, and worked at the Tuck School. “She has been diagnosed with cancer three times and is, without a doubt, the strongest person I know,” says John. “She is my hero.”

Attending the Hanover Ray School and Hanover High School (class of ’04), John forged ahead to Keene State College but “washed out”, as he calls it, with a medical leave – a sure disappointment for a young man who dreamed of becoming an elementary school teacher. He sought out a neuropsychologist who explained that his years at high school were difficult due to frontal lobe scarring which can manifest itself in disorganization, forgetfulness, and lack of initiative – often misinterpreted as laziness by others.

“When that puzzle piece clicked into place, I remember bitterly proclaiming, ‘So, between my hypothalamic damage and frontal lobe scar tissue, Doc, you are basically telling me I have Fat and Lazy Disorder?’”

John’s tumor continued to grow back. It was, as he describes, like an “uninvited, invisible enemy that kept lurking in my skull.” A majority of his childhood memories are fuzzy, hospital scenes. He had brain surgery at ages, 3, 5, 7, and 9. After his parents’ divorce, his mother and father would trade off days with John and his brother at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. “I feel bad about how scary it must have been for Chris growing up with a little brother in and out of the hospital,” said John. “I feel like it forced him into the role of the silent strong one in the family.”

Once back on his feet, John joined SOAR (Speaking About Human Rights), formerly Upper Valley Neighbors, an advocacy chapter based in Lebanon. He had served as its president from 2008 to 2018. In 2012 he was elected President of the statewide advocacy organization, People First of New Hampshire. In that same year, John was appointed to the Council on Developmental Disabilities by the Governor and helped create Advocate NH – an organization that plans and delivers the annual statewide disability rights conference. In 2013 he joined the Self Advocacy Leadership Team (SALT) a group that addresses issues of abuse and neglect, accessible transportation, and mentorship of young advocates. Through his extensive involvement in these organizations, John has had many opportunities to testify at the New Hampshire State House on issues of health and human services.

Then, twenty-four years after he thought he had vanquished his invisible foe, a CAT scan in 2018 revealed that his childhood nightmare had returned. John went under the knife for his fifth brain surgery. “I wasn’t quite as spongy and resilient as I was when I was a kid,” he said. “Now I was an overweight, thirty-three-old adult, and I was terrified.”

This most recent surgery has taught John that “nothing is sure in life”, that “things can go from bad to worse in the blink of an eye.” And yet – as his parents taught him – he forges on; and for the last seven years, in a big way. 

John is a co-founder of Spark! Community Center in Lebanon – a place where adults with special needs, their families and caregivers, and members of the Upper Valley community can come together and take part in fun and educational activities and whose vision is “to be a vibrant center that embraces a diverse integrated community where all participants are inspired to realize their fullest personal potential”. 

Although he spent years developing a career in self-advocacy, John realized that other disabled individuals were also in need of a life goal. It angered him that many were wandering aimlessly during their days off.

“I felt they deserved better,” John said. “I envisioned a warm and welcoming space where they could pursue their passions for free with community members of all shapes and sizes. I called it Spark! with the hope that it would ‘spark’ creativity and conversations of equality. Everyone has a talent or ‘spark’ worth sharing.”

So, John met with a local mother of an adult-disabled child and shared his dream. With her business degree, she used her professional acumen to help file for a 501C3 status and enlist a board of directors to serve the new organization. Spark! Community Center went from dream to reality.

John has served as Community Outreach Coordinator since the grand opening of Spark! in 2014.

“I love my job because it allows me to pursue my passion of art by creating graphic design elements for flyers and announcements,” John says. He makes drawings of the nonprofit’s mascot, Sparky the Spark Plug, to promote upcoming classes and events. “And in an ironic twist of fate, I guess I did become a teacher! I have the joy of teaching virtual classes on Zoom every day. Right now, I am teaching a Virtual Road Trip class every Monday in which we’re exploring the East Coast states from Maine to Florida and learning fun facts about their state symbols, famous residents, history, and cool places to visit. What I love about the center is that it has endless possibilities, and we can add new and different activities based on community interest.”

Spark! Community Center Executive Director Melissa Valcourt has known John since February 2020 when she began working at Spark! “John is a very dependable employee and the founder of Spark! Community Center in 2014, who created and followed the vision and mission statements to a T,” she said. “He is currently the Outreach Specialist and teaches 65% off our online classes daily as well as the lead person for our Friday Fun Night events. He is always thinking of others and making sure that everyone feels included in whatever we are doing. John is a huge advocate for the disability community and is a great speaker. He has had some medical conditions that put him in a coma a few years ago but has overcome all of these roadblocks and is thriving at 15 hours a week with Spark!” 

John has a vision for the future of Spark! With enough local community donations, he hopes to move Spark! into a bigger, more vibrant space.

“I see a future where more families with young children, teens, and seniors all come to take advantage of what Spark! has to offer,” he said. “And I will continue to advocate for the voiceless and strive to be a friend and mentor to the people who come through our door. And maybe someday, if I can find the time, I will publish a book about my life and faith, and what I have learned.”

Long before Mink became famous, naturalist Mary Holland had the privilege of accidentally encountering and spending time with this enchanting bear. Named after the nearby Mink Brook tributary to the Connecticut River, Mink was beautiful and courageous, having spent most of her 30 years at the mercy of humans whose ultimate decisions guided her destiny until her untimely death in August 2020. During the time we came to know her, she not only exhibited her charisma as an individual but, also her goodness as a mother, leaving behind many offspring, several of whom continue to live in the Hanover/Lebanon area.

Seen often about town or its outskirts, this black bear became a local symbol of confidence and strength, agility and authority. She modeled the kind of perseverance and courage we long for in this dystopian age. Her fearless year-long return journey from the edge of Canada to Hanover as a result of relocation in 2018 became her trademark, the vehicle by which she stood her ground. Through woods, across highways and rivers, in the rain and snow, Mink never gave up her drive to return home. And so, her arrival in the spring of 2019 brought more press, fame and fortune. After all, it not only gave her the comfort of a familiar place but also three new cubs.

She thrived for awhile, photographed and videotaped by local residents who shared their delight in having her home again. But it was not to last. In a busy, bustling area filled with garbage dumpsters, she was bound to face danger – similar, ironically, to the one she unwittingly tackled as a youngster, nibbling on human food handed to her on a daily basis, assuring a lifelong pattern of need that she would pass to at least one set of cubs.

In essence, this magnificent creature was a hostage of human culture, her ability to survive bombarded by the people who ultimately were the conduit of her fate. She became a zoo-like curiosity, even though she was simply a bear whose life sadly had morphed to adhere to the mores of her human neighbors.

She is at peace now and euphemistically back where she belongs, where Holland first met her, isolated from human interruption amidst the coniferous and deciduous forests where she can forage on acorns, tree nuts, and berries to her heart’s content.

Proceeds from writing these articles will be donated to the Kilham Bear Center in Lyme, NH.

First Encounter: The Magic of Mink

by Mary Holland

It was early April, and, although it was melting fast, snow was still on the ground. Friends had alerted me to the fact that the bears that regularly were seen in their back yard had appeared after a winter of being absent. Hibernation had come to an end for Mink, their frequent visitor, and her family. The year was 2017, and I had caught an occasional glimpse of Mink in years past and photographed her at a distance. I knew more than to count on seeing her family when I was spending just a few hours in the middle of the day, where she had been recently spotted. My hope that morning was simply to find some good tracks and photograph them.

I arrived and headed into the woods where I soon encountered multiple black bear tracks, some large, most a bit smaller. With camera and tripod in hand, I decided to follow the tracks to see if I could find the perfect print as well as where they led me and what they told me about the bears’ activity. After I had followed them a relatively short distance, I came to a very large white pine tree that was surrounded by bear scat. Lots of bear scat.

The saplings in the vicinity of this tree had all been chewed on, scratched, broken and bent. Bear hair was evident on many of them. At the base of the white pine there were several shallow indentations roughly four to five feet wide. I was thrilled to have found what I knew must be the location where this family of bears spent a considerable amount of time. The tree had to be a “babysitter” tree – a place of refuge and rest for the bears. When a mother bear goes foraging, or when danger threatens, she sends her offspring up this tree and they remain there until she signals them that they may come down. Much of a bear family’s time is spent in the vicinity of such a tree.

Although my day had already been made by this discovery, I continued to follow the tracks, more in hopes of learning about bear behavior than actually seeing the bears, although that was always in the back of my mind. After an hour or so I decided to turn around and retrace my steps as I headed home. As I neared the babysitter tree, I looked and there, at its base, was a large pile of furry black bodies all huddled together, fast asleep. During my absence, Mink and her three yearlings had returned to the site and decided to take a nap. It probably hadn’t been many days since they emerged from their den, and they were resting.

I immediately set up my tripod and camera, not quite believing I had been presented with this amazing opportunity. Within a short amount of time, they all woke up, and, while they were very aware of my presence, they seemed unperturbed. As they watched, I slowly moved as close to them as I felt was in my best interest. Mink let me know exactly how close that was. Soon the cubs became active and engaged in all kinds of fun and games with each other and with their surroundings. Mink passively observed their behavior as they “boxed” with each other while standing on their hind feet, wrestled on the ground, chewed on all matter of things, from branches to acorns, climbed on their mother, and last but not least, investigated the human who had invited herself into their territory.

Although every encounter I had had with black bears until then had confirmed that they are far more afraid of humans than humans are of them, these bears had been raised near houses, and were somewhat acclimated to the two-legged creatures – so much so that I repeatedly had to discourage one of the cubs from getting too close to me for fear that I was pressing my luck with Mink’s parental tolerance. I knew that I had succeeded in proving my good will toward them when Mink lay down, rested her head and back against the pine tree, and invited all three cubs to nurse.

Never have I felt so privileged to witness wildlife behavior. Of all the experiences I’ve had with wild animals, this is by far the most memorable. Little did I know when I headed out to photograph bear tracks that morning that I would have the most intimate wildlife experience of my life. The magic of that day will never fade.

Naturally Curious blog: www.naturallycuriouswithmaryholland.wordpress.com.

Residents at Wheelock Terrace in Hanover, NH, were in for a special treat in early May when the sounds of brass and woodwinds wafted through the outside air, bringing a fleeting pause to the accompanying distress of the 2020 pandemic.

The music was generated by seven out of over 60 members of the Upper Valley Community Band (UVCB) in the parking lot of the assisted living facility. The musicians, playing instruments including clarinets, trumpet, trombone, and tuba, entertained the residents with polka, waltzes, and ragtime favorites.

“We’re glad we could work with the UVCB to give residents a safe opportunity to spend time outside their homes and enjoy a swing of music therapy in this refreshing outdoor scenery.”

The UVCB usually performs formal concerts at the Lebanon Opera House along with summer parades and seasonal bandstand gigs, but this is one of the few times in a parking lot. UVCB’s executive director, Mark Nelson, related his excitement about the project.

This opportunity “enabled some of us to play together for the first time since quarantine restrictions were imposed,” he noted. “We hadn’t rehearsed since early March.”

In the past, the UVCB has performed on several occasions for the residents of Wheelock Terrace and has offered both summer outdoor concerts there and an indoor concert for the December holidays. Several weeks ago, a small subset of the band gathered at a parking lot in downtown Lebanon to play briefly at an impromptu birthday celebration for one of its senior members.

“The UVCB has also met in a few Zoom conferences during the last month or so,” said Nelson. “These were simply opportunities to stay connected with one another. I’ve initiated a members-introducing-members project whereby members pair up, interview one another, and then introduce their partner to the rest of the band. The weekly two-hour rehearsals of our large group (some 60 players) are intensely focused on music-making; we don’t ordinarily have the luxury of having leisurely conversations with one another. During the pandemic quarantine, we now have time for these; the resulting introductions have been colorful and illuminating.”

Today’s pandemic has generally cut off the livelihood of musicians and composers around the world and has relegated global residents behind locked doors, closed windows, and without social contact except through 21st-century technology.

In response, performances have moved online and from home or even – in parking lots. Determined to offset the virus, people have launched a collective act of social and musical defiance. Windows have been opened, doors unlocked, and thousands rushing to their balconies – to sing. People across the globe have started making music that is deeply rooted in their neurobiology and allows them to attain a kind of interpersonal synchrony that drives them together.

As the conductor of the Upper Valley Chamber Orchestra (UVCO) that has had four Zoom conferences of late, Nelson is intrinsically involved in opening those musical doors and windows in a myriad of ways.

“These seminars have afforded us the opportunity to consider elements of history, aesthetics, structure and narrative – all of which I mention in rehearsal, though in less depth than has been possible during these recent meetings,” said Nelson. “I think it’s fair to say that these presentations have given orchestra members a chance to deepen their understanding in ways that complement our rehearsal process.”

Zoom conferences are also an effective way of “seeing” one another, Nelson noted. In his directing of his a cappella chorus, for instance, he has been leading sectional and full-ensemble rehearsals via Zoom conference. Group members have been concentrating on learning the individual parts of their songs because the technology doesn’t enable them to hear their ensemble sound at all.

“I mute everyone but myself,” said Nelson. “I play audio files of the songs which are mixed to highlight a single part (soprano-alto-tenor-bass). I highlight and review potential trouble spots. Although we miss hearing our ensemble sound, this has been a relatively efficient method for learning the parts.”

But Nelson isn’t satisfied with just online access to bring people together via his music. Inspired by one of his Upper Valley Music Center colleagues who works with young children, Nelson is currently talking to the orchestra about the possibility of driving to the homes of each player, setting up a music stand and orchestral score at the end of the driveway, having them set up with their instrument outside, popping a CD of one of their pieces in his car stereo, and asking his colleagues to play while he conducts in a kind of Music Minus One scenario.

“For me, the recent phenomenon of Zoom-facilitated recordings is getting tiresome and frustrating,” said Nelson. “These performances may technically be impressive but they lack the dynamism, the synergy, of real-time performances, and their audio fidelity is generally poor. I yearn to hear some people actually playing their instruments!”

Perhaps ironically, it is the spring of 2020 but it is also the summer of 1576 when the plague of Saint Charles devastated the Italian north, killing tens of thousands who sang their way through the disease. The same resulted in a rhyme that arose from the medieval Bubonic Plague: Ring Around the Rosie. A symptom of the plague was a rosy rash and posies of herbs were carried as protection and to ward off the smell of the disease and potential death – ashes, ashes we all fall down….

Johann Sebastian Bach wrote his Cantata No.25 after the great plague in Marseilles, France in 1723; The Influenza Blues was written during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic; and John Corigliano composed his Symphony No.1 referred to as the AIDS Symphony after the modern plague of the 1980s.

Nelson and his band members, as it turns out, are following the footsteps of many musicians over the centuries. Their response to the anguish of the pandemic is to bring people together to improve their emotional state and to enhance their sense of social cohesion.

In this time of adversity, he and the UVCB members hope to create art that will reach people in order to have some kind of cathartic healing – whether the music refers to ancient plagues or modern pandemics.

In order to move the Lebanon School District forward in a positive direction this year, district teachers and administrators learned about an educational initiative this fall that has been embraced and implemented by schools nationwide.

Known as SEL or Social Emotional Learning, it is believed that students can be better be served with regard to their social and emotional health with the integration of critical life skills that go beyond academics, Lebanon staff agreed.

At an in-service held on October 11, 2019 at the Lebanon High School, staff members enthusiastically supported the idea of formalizing the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. “What we can do does not require us to buy a curriculum,” said Lisa Scolaro, District Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. “SEL is not an initiative. It’s a value system.”

Tim Koumrian, Director of Student Services at LHS, agreed. “It’s a frame of mind,” said Koumrian. “If it isn’t seen as a separate piece, then we’re able to reach each other as human beings in addition to our professional roles. Ultimately, you can progress further with students when we’re more comfortable with each other as adults.”

In a structured but interactive setting, LHS staff gleaned more about SEL, reflecting on the five competencies that underscore the ability to be available to learn and available to teach including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and
responsible decision making.

“In my role of overseeing different groups of students, we forget sometimes that there are many who come from challenging situations,” said Koumrian. “If you don’t address their social-emotional needs, then a lot of what we ask them to do as educators is not going to happen or it will be really difficult or a long time coming. It is an essential part of what we do now.”

Emily Kehoe, LHS Physical Education/Health teacher, emphasized the importance of classroom culture in order to ensure those needs are met.

“I teach my students that they need to treat people like the way they want to be treated”, said Kehoe. “They learn how to laugh in front of each other or that it’s okay to make mistakes. This builds communication skills and self-confidence, and it allows them to become more comfortable with each other.”

Kehoe also teaches a ropes course at LHS (pictured here), giving students a break in the day when they can feel supported no matter what they are doing. “It gives them the opportunity to develop new or different relationships with one another,” said Kehoe. “The ropes course also helps students take responsibility in a class because they are constantly hands-on and active instead of sitting and listening.”

Slinky Traverse – Teams attempt to have the slinky
walk in traditional slinky fashion down a set of
boards/boxes held in place by group members
as they reflect on the SEL competency of
Responsible Decision Making
(Solving Problems, Evaluating).

SEL is not a new concept and allegedly has been around in educational literature for over two decades. But recently, it has gotten a lot more airtime as schools are realizing that peace building or conflict resolution have foundations in the social-emotional learning frameworks and in that research base. “At the elementary school level, we learn how to use the time allotted to build community,” said Denise Matthews, Special Educator at Lebanon’s Hanover Street School. “As you’re introducing a lesson, for example, if it’s a new concept, you need to do so, allowing the students to feel anxious about it. I tell them that it’s okay to feel uncomfortable. I give them permission to feel that way. As a result, I find that they go with the flow, knowing they won’t be chastised or belittled if they struggle.”

Bonnie Robinson, Director of Curriculum at Lebanon High School, related that the world has changed and students now need different skills to adapt to it. “It’s not only about us teaching but their learning,” said Robinson. “They need to internalize self-awareness and self-management.”

Scolaro noted that the five key skills of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making are not innate. “You have to learn them,” said Scolaro. “You need to take turns and take risks. People learn throu

Belayed by two classmates, Dylan Budner
reaches the top of the leap of faith.

gh those experiences. It’s an intentional reminder that they are as important as other skills that make us successful.”

In other words, with regard to academic learning, if students aren’t able to regulate or down-

regulate in a given situation, they’re not able to be available to process the information of what is being taught, Matthews explained. “With younger kids, there are higher levels of anxiety so, by doing community building, it makes for a safe place to be wrong,” said Matthews. “We have to reassure them that that’s okay.”

The October in-service reminded district staff about the importance of incorporating strategies of respect and mindfulness throughout the school environment as well families and the community at large. In fact, staff members became aware last year – and requested the 2019 workshop as a result – that investing in students by teaching social and emotional learning in the classroom does more than improve academic success. In the long-term, employers seek individuals with the very traits that SEL develops: problem-solving, teamwork,
character and tenacity.

“The goal is to have students recognize their own needs so that eventually they can internalize them and the skills that meet them,” said Scolaro. “This has been one of the areas teachers have wanted to talk about. The work had already begun last year but we wanted more time. This isn’t new. It’s just a deepening of the concept to bring an awareness of how important it is.”

Scolaro noted that threading social-emotional learning throughout the district in all areas complements the mission of LHS that strives to cultivate curiosity and collaboration, achieve academic excellence, respect and value diversity, encourage responsible citizenship, and support the needs of every learner.

Two new options developing in Lebanon

Some New Hampshire residents will soon be able to access a unique living situation in the upcoming year as a result of two new financial campaigns designed to provide affordable housing for adults with special needs. Visions for Creative Housing Solutions and Travis’ House, Inc. have projected to raise $1.2 million combined – with Visions at $800,000 and Travis’ at $400,000 – to purchase and renovate new facilities that are safe and reasonably priced.

“This is an exciting project filled with much potential for serving many high functioning individuals with special needs throughout the Upper Valley,” said Kim Stone, founder and board president for Travis’ House, Inc.

Travis House founder Kim Stone

The Visions model also promotes independence and is geared to adults who want to work, participate in community activities, and choose who they live and spend time with, according to Sylvia Dow, founder and executive director. “At Visions, we make that possible,” said Dow.

Begun as Sunrise Farm House that was run by Dow’s family as Kluge’s Inn, a European style Inn operated until 1989 when it shifted to a bed and breakfast, the Dows moved to the 80-acre property in 1997 to enjoy its beautiful gardens and the refuge that it held for them.

The transition from a private residence to the community service home of Visions in Enfield was seamless, according to Dow. “Just as Sunrise Farm was my home, (my daughters) Ashley and Emma, who have developmental disabilities, consider it (to be theirs),” said Dow. We had already welcomed two other young adults with disabilities into our family as respite and home care providers, so the transition establishing the nonprofit to run Sunrise Farm as a model for supported housing felt natural.”

Dow and her husband built another house and moved down the road, and that’s when Sunrise Farm transformed into Visions, she added. They partnered with Pathways, a local agency that provides services for adults with special needs. The Enfield farm has three bedrooms in the main house, two bedrooms and communal living areas in an attached apartment, a separate “Little House” with three bedrooms and shared kitchen and living room, and another building with four efficiency apartments. Everyone has access to common social areas, the pool and the large kitchen in the main house. There is also a barn, hiking trails, and flower and vegetable gardens on the premises.

Today, there are ten residents and a long waiting list that in turn has prompted a new vision for supported housing – this time in Lebanon. Travis’ House, Inc. was founded in 2014 by Kim Stone of Grafton, N.H. Despite his challenges, her 31-year-old son, Travis, always dreamed of having his own place and living as independently as possible. However, as with many people with special needs, he required some level of assistance to ensure his housing and daily living needs were met. “The majority of adults with special needs are unable to earn a sufficient income to live on their own,” said Stone. “This puts a lot of pressure on families to balance their desire to help their loved one with their own needs.”

Travis’ House

The organization’s solution is to build a series of tiny houses and one main building offering a creative, energy-efficient, eco-friendly affordable home for adults with special needs. Each tiny home will provide a bedroom/living space and a full bathroom. The main building will house the caregivers as well as provide a common kitchen, dining, social and laundry facilities for all residents. The organization hopes to break ground late this summer or fall as it continues its search for land on which to build. “Finding safe, affordable housing is at the top of the list for individuals with special needs and their families,” said Stone. “Parents will not be around forever, and we need to do something to make sure our loved ones are well taken care of as we age and after we’re gone.”

With the current Visions model, and the one slated for the end of 2020, each of ten residents has a primary staff mentor who helps the resident coordinate the supports he/she needs to get to work, to participate in community activities, and to maintain meaningful friendships. “It involves getting to know each individual, learning what supports that person’s wants and needs to accomplish and then establishing a schedule with them so that everyone has whatever supports they need to live the lives they envision,” said Dow.

Currently, Visions is in the early stages of a project that involves the purchase and renovation of two buildings into ten additional apartments on Green Street in Lebanon. Ten of the 25 people on its waiting list are slated to move in in the fall of 2020. As in Enfield, the Green Street apartments will include common areas, a large kitchen/dining room for family-style dinners, and administrative offices and accommodations for overnight staffing.

Despite the similar goals of the two projects, however, there are key differences found with both, relegating each to unique audiences. At Visions, for example, developmentally disabled adults aged 21 years or older can live as independently as possible and are encouraged to work, volunteer, attend classes, and live a healthy lifestyle.

The main house accommodates those who require 24/7 care while others live in nearby buildings. UK Architects of Hanover has been hired to assist with renovation plans for the Lebanon apartments. “What I think is so magical is that those who are more independent help out those who need more assistance,” said Dow.

The staff of 20 includes Dow and her husband who does the building maintenance and grounds work; mentors who work one-on-one with residents, overnight staff; shared mentors; a nurse who oversees medication administration; and a house manager who oversees resident and staff schedules.

One of the goals of Vision is to create a feeling of family in which dinners, for example, are shared in a communal fashion. This kind of interaction between the residents is also the goal for Visions in Lebanon, Dow explained. Thus, striking a balance between independence and support, Visions residents are actively involved in the community either as volunteers or paid employees. “We’re giving back to society,” said Dow. “For families, it’s peace of mind. For residents, it’s the feeling of independence and the knowledge that this is their home.”

With zoning board approval, Visions anticipates funding part of the new project using the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston with support from Mascoma Savings Bank. The rest of the costs will be funded through a capital campaign, Visions 2020 the goal of which is to reach $800,000.

Unlike Visions, Travis’ House, Inc. offers no services to its residents. “It will be the responsibility of the family to set up services for their loved ones,” said Stone. “These individuals are very high functioning, working full-time jobs or close to full-time. They need
minimal supports.”

Kim Stone’s 31-year-old son, Travis

Travis’ House, Inc. would have three to four tiny homes with a common building on site for social activities. The homes are designed by Chris Kennedy, founder and principal of UK Architects. Individuals would pay rent and be expected to keep their house clean as well as to purchase and cook their own meals and do their own laundry. Travis’ House would manage payments to utility companies in addition to rent, lawn care, the Internet and plowing. The goal is to keep the monthly rent affordable, Stone related.

“We need to raise the funds to purchase the property in order not to have a mortgage payment,” Stone said. “Our goal is $650-700 per month or even lower if we can make that happen.”

Travis was scheduled to move in to his own home on August 17, 2019. “He has completed his goal,” said Stone. “He purchased his land and hired a contractor to build his home. It is his (wish) to share his dream with others.”

For further information on both projects, contact www.visionsnh.org and www.travishouseinc.com.