Robert Plante is the honorary chair of the Lebanon Great Strides Walk to cure cystic fibrosis (CF). He has been volunteering for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for 38 years. In that time, he’s raised more than $350,000 dollars to support research to find a cure for CF.

Robert Plante and Bill D’Amico, who met through the Special Olympics/Best Buddies program.

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, more than 40,000 people in the U.S. are living with CF. Plante became involved with the organization after his childhood friend Doug Jones, who was diagnosed with CF at the age of 13, passed away at the age of 43. Plante spoke at his funeral.

Bill D’Amico traveled to the Upper Valley from Golden, Colorado, for the event. He met Plante, who is a former Special Olympics athlete, 26 years ago through the Special Olympics and Best Buddies International partnership, which pairs volunteers with Special Olympics athletes who have aged out of or are no longer involved with the program. They first only corresponded by email, but received permission from the organization to meet in person in 2006. Since then, D’Amico has traveled to the Upper Valley each year for the Great Strides Walk.

What has been the most rewarding part of the Walk for D’Amico? “I just think that Robert’s consistency in doing this for 38 years and raising $10,000 a year, every year, all through the Upper Valley” he said. “It’s an amazing testament to the community here, and people that support this type of event. And Robert, specifically. He’s been the ambassador.”

More than 50 people participated in this year’s event, which took place on May 3 at the CCBA Pavillion in Lebanon. The 2026 Great Strides Walk raised $13,685, surpassing its $11,750 goal.

Robert Plante with volunteers and participants at the CCBA Pavillion.

Robert recruits neighbors and friends to join the walk every year, and he reaches out to local businesses to donate lunch for participants.

Paula Garvey of Amherst, New Hampshire, met Robert at a walk 15 or 20 years ago. She got involved because her daughter has cystic fibrosis. She said she and Robert talk every day on the phone. “Robert is the best part,” she said, adding that he brings people together. “He is why this walk happens. We’re all here to support Robert.”

Free concerts at the library? Hearing live music may not be what you first expect while checking out the latest Stephen King or fantasy romance tale, but the Kilton Public Library and the Upper Valley Music Center (UVMC) are working together to bring music education and appreciation to the Lebanon area with varied events for all ages every month.

The two entities started working together around COVID when the library was interested in hosting daytime summer concerts outside at their facility, and the UVMC was happy to oblige. Erin Smith, the education director at UVMC and one of the main people responsible for the work involved in this partnership, expressed that one of the greatest aspects of the collaboration is “making music education accessible to the whole community.” She expressed that having free programs in the library, where free programming for the community is the norm, has become a great way to do that.

After these initial concerts with the Kilton Public Library, both organizations were able to work toward making music appreciation and education more accessible. Because of patron interest, the UVMC received a grant to increase the types of programming they were able to provide. After the library and the UVMC conducted surveys, they were able to provide more participatory events with this funding. Whether they bring down guest program leaders such as the Burlington Taiko Group or utilize the various talented educators at their facility, the UVMC strives to provide the community with the music education they’re looking for. Though some events are still held outside, a good deal of them now occur in the community room inside the library.

One successful recent participatory event was a drum circle headed by percussion instructor Christian Terry. The first event took place in July, and Terry had ten people, spanning from ages 4 to those in their 70s, each with varied musical ability. Terry explained that one of his favorite things about this specific outreach event is that anyone can do it, even if they don’t have a strong music background. After holding another larger drum circle in August with mostly different attendees, he expressed that another exciting aspect is that every drum circle is different. Everyone “shar[es] in this moment that will never happen again,” which makes the experience only more powerful.

Draa Hobbs, a jazz guitar instructor at UVMC, also had a lot to say about unique music moments. In addition to being scheduled to play an upcoming concert with John Stowell this September, he expressed how under-represented jazz is in the surrounding community, partially due to it being an improvised art form. To help remedy this, he held a well-attended workshop at the library a little while ago, where he taught guitarists how to improvise. He expressed how one of the hardest aspects in running a workshop like this is to make sure everyone learns something from the instruction, especially when there is such a wide range of skill levels. Despite the challenges, Hobbs believes the outreach is worth it because “it’s crucial to keep putting…a great music [genre] in front of an audience,” as well as “continue to interest younger people in a very interesting art form.”

Even when events seem more passive, like a concert, the music educators at the UVMC still impart music history and appreciation to the Lebanon community. Take Faith Goodness, a flutist who led a recent concert on August 18th. Goodness expressed how, in her latest concert at the Kilton Public Library, she focused on more “modern playing” techniques in classical music, from “flutter-tonguing,” along with “multiphonics,” “overtones,” and even singing while she plays flute. Throughout, Goodness took time in between pieces to cue listeners into what they were about to hear, as well as talk about the history of each piece that she was playing. Selecting works from the Baroque period to the modern era, she worked to encapsulate an entire primer of flute classical music history.

It’s not just educators who perform. In the past, a group of students from the UVMC came to the library to perform music set to picture books. These experiences illustrate some of the values incorporated by major programs at the UVMC, including Music Together and the Suzuki method, which encourage the strengthening of musical bonds between parents and children and within their larger surrounding communities. Benjamin Van Vliet, the UVMC’s Executive Director, expressed that one of his favorite aspects of the events was that the Kilton Library keeps the community room doors open, and it’s “so fun to see people wander into these experiences. Sometimes, it’s a little kid dragging their parent along, but sometimes, it’s an adult just going for a book that gets sidetracked and curious.”

In outreach like this, sometimes the impact can be greater than ever imagined. Erin Smith shared one incredible example, where the UVMC worked with the Kilton Public Library to put on a couple of jam sessions where musicians with any instrument or ability level were invited to participate in playing New England fiddle tunes. The attending group enjoyed the accessibility and welcoming nature of these events so much that they continue to run similar events, even though the UVMC is no longer involved in hosting them.

Whether you want to learn more about different genres, participate in music events regardless of your skill level, or simply hear great music, the Kilton Public Library and Upper Valley Music Center have their Lebanon residents covered as they continue to make music more accessible to everyone.

A Family-Friendly “Oasis” at the End of 12A

Nestled at the southern end of the Route 12A commercial corridor – past the Best Buy, Walmart, and Applebees, and tucked behind the Home Depot parking lot – comes something of a surprise, if you haven’t been. The destination in question is the Fore-U Golf Center: an all-ages “oasis” that boasts a double-decker driving range, mini-golf course, batting cages, and ice cream – a local business shaped by economics, family ties, and an impressive level of community engagement.

Owned and run by sisters Meredith and Jennifer Johnson, the story of Fore-U began in the 1970s, when their father, Peter, partnered with a local farmer and landowner named Paul Korpela to develop the 12A corridor. The first business to result from their handshake deal was Johnson’s Home Center, which opened in 1972, and was located on the current site of the recently-opened Jersey Mike’s Subs. The partnership would eventually bring a laundry list of businesses to the area: Wendy’s, Walmart, Price Chopper, Home Depot, Golf & Ski Warehouse, BJ’s, and Staples – and, of course, the Fore-U Golf Center.

The mini-golf course

The business has changed over the years, starting as a simple driving range in the ’80s and growing into the well-rounded family fun center of today. In 1988-89, its modest center of operations shifted from a garden shed to the snowboard corner of the Golf & Ski Warehouse. In 1996, they added mini-golf and a short-lived Par 3 course – though the mini-golf course has relocated since then. Meredith and Jennifer had worked there since they were fifteen, but by 1998, Meredith had just gotten out of college, Jennifer was getting out of teaching, and it seemed like a good time to sign on to be owners of the family business. Their first official act? Expanding into ice cream sales with the opening of the aptly-named Ice Cream Fore-U. Later, in the mid-2000s, the Home Depot moved in, and the mini-golf course shifted to where it is today, a pocket of green between the double-decker driving range and the Connecticut River.

But the business was shaped by more than simple economics. “Our parents took up the game of golf in 1980, and our grandfather as well,” Meredith says, “and they just fell in love with the sport.” That love was clearly passed on to the next generation: not only do the sisters now own Fore-U, but their brother Mark is also a golf professional, the COO and general manager of a golf development down in North Carolina. “Family is a huge priority for us,” Meredith says, “and that’s an environment we try to foster here.” It’s a priority that’s clear in everything from the free mini-golf admission for children three and under, to the playground setup next to the ice cream shop, to the simple number of parents and children in evidence at the driving range.

Bringing newcomers – children and adults alike – into the world of golf is the job of Peter Harris, Fore-U’s director of golf. A PGA teaching professional and longtime friend of the Johnson sisters, Peter is “one of the most enthusiastic people you’ll ever meet. He loves the game and loves to share his knowledge,” says Jennifer. He runs clinics for beginners and juniors, offers private and group lessons, and even works with First Tee, a national youth development program that uses golf instruction to build important life skills, “like honesty, sportsmanship, respect, and integrity,” Peter says. He describes his teaching as “a way to connect people outside, as well as introduce them to the game of golf.”

Thea Olsen enjoying some Fore-U ice cream

All three of them are connected to and invested in the community, says Meredith. “Peter lived in Hanover in high school, we grew up in Lebanon, I went to Dartmouth and coached for Lebanon, Jenn taught in Lebanon…we’re all pretty invested.” And that investment shows. The company donates to (and sometimes acts as a stop for) Project Graduation, a substance-free way for high school graduates to celebrate. Last year on the Lebanon Public Libraries website you could find a link to their “Summer Reading Program,” where if you read ten books, (adults, too!), you could get a free coupon for an ice cream, courtesy of Fore-U – and they’re running that program again this year. And if you have a good enough swing at the driving range, you might just hit (and set off) a Hollywood-style “velociraptor” hanging out downrange – a result of a partnership with the Hartford Area Career and Technology Center.

The connection with people is the most important part, says Meredith. “We have a lot of people that come to the ice cream stand that we talk to on a weekly basis, and they share their lives, their ups and downs…I think we’re a really positive place for people to connect.”

“I’ve been here twelve or thirteen years,” adds Peter, “and you get to see them evolve into golfers – young adults, older adults, families – it’s just the connection of people that we’ll see, either people who are here for the first time, or regulars. It’s a welcoming environment, a family environment, and a little oasis.”

And if that oasis comes with over fifty flavors of ice cream, thirty of soft serve, eight flavors of Italian ice, and several non-dairy ice creams as well? “We’re lucky,” says Meredith, “we’re giving them a product that makes 99% of people smile.”

When Kathy Petuck joined the Lebanon Garden Club in the late ’80s, she and her husband Clifton Below were the youngsters, and the club had a strong social aspect with monthly meetings and guest speakers. Since the club’s founding in the 1950s, the seasoned gardeners of the time had been enjoying each other’s company around their shared love of gardening. The group planted hundreds of flowers for the many public gardens in Lebanon and West Lebanon.

More than 60 years later, Lebanon Garden Club members are still planting around 600 plants each spring, providing Lebanon residents and visitors with joyful mounds of three-season color. Kathy is now mentoring other gardeners, along with gardener and long-time Lebanon resident Kathy Elfstrom, working with 10-20 volunteers. “Over the years, many of the club members who were our parents’ age when we joined dropped off, and people lost interest in the social aspect. I think that’s happening to a lot of social organizations because people are so busy,” Kathy Petuck reflects. Still, the club is eager to welcome new members who have an interest in gardening and community service.

Gardening as an industry is alive and well according to the National Gardening Survey, which estimates that more than six million people nationwide took up gardening last year, most of them between the ages of 18-34. Public gardens are receiving more and more attention from a broader, and younger, audience. A “New Perennial” movement is sweeping the industry, and designers are creating wild gardens using naturalized plantings, pollinator plants, and less formal plans. New York’s Highline Garden is a prime example. Designed by Dutch landscape architect Piet Oudolf, many of the plants were selected based on what historically grew wild on the abandoned railroad line, and it boasts more than 7 million visitors each year.

Meanwhile, back in Lebanon, the core group of today’s garden club volunteers still finds time for spring planting, and weekly weeding, watering, and deadheading during the summer. Downtown merchants help to fund plantings, and others are inspired to help as well. Richard Wallace of Omer and Bob’s is an active participant in planting, watering, and weeding the gardens on the Lebanon Mall. Other partners include the City of Lebanon, which supplies mulch and removes debris in the spring and fall. The club has also received discounts on plants at Frost Gardens, the former Longacres Nursery, and Edgewater Farm.

The club collaborates with the Lebanon Fountain Committee on plantings for the city’s growing inventory of fountain sculptures. The fountain in front of Three Tomatoes Trattoria was restored in 2015 as part of an effort to reclaim the City’s historic designation as “The City of Fountains,” but it was formerly planted by the garden club with hundreds of beautiful annual flowers.

Lest you think that being a member of the Lebanon Garden Club is all work and no play, rest assured that members have time to visit each other’s gardens for inspiration and socializing throughout the summer. Kathy notes that new members come and go as new people move in and out of the area. “We used to have monthly meetings with speakers at the Marion Carter Home, which were well attended.”

Each spring, club leaders look over previous designs and evaluate what worked and what didn’t. “Kathy Elfstrom has a great eye for color and I’m good at estimating numbers,” says Kathy Petuck. What are some of the Kathys’ top picks for successful annuals? Try tall blue ageratum and sunflowers for starters. Kathy has found that plant selections today are different than in years past. “A lot of plants have changed over the years. Cleome, for example, is sometimes like a big green Christmas tree without flowers, and for a long time we had alyssum that would self seed every year and grow back, but today’s alyssum doesn’t grow back.”

Still, there are plenty of new plants to try, and the prescient conversation of the day in horticultural and extension research circles is all about plantings that support native pollinators. University extension agencies and commercial growers are actively educating gardeners and horticulturalists on how to attract beneficial butterflies, bees, beetles and, yes, even the common housefly. Why? Insects, and bees in particular, play a vital role in maintaining healthy agricultural ecosystems. The message now is ‘No Bees, No Food.” The Vermont Legislature’s Pollinator Protection Committee addressed the issue in 2016, and its recommendations focused largely on pesticide and land management to protect native pollinators and reverse the state’s declining bee population.

Whatever the flowerbed design, residents and visitors to the City can enjoy the creative work of the Lebanon Garden Club members in more than a dozen locations. “We do the Little Girl fountain, the long bed by the bank, most of the beds on the mall, railroad bed traffic islands, the Carter Home, Colburn Park Memorial beds, and occasional information booth maintenance,” says Kathy. In 2011, club volunteers installed a new bed called “The Garden of Hope and Courage” on the Lebanon Mall to honor the 40th anniversary of WISE, a Lebanon non-profit.

Kathy and the rest of the current garden club enthusiasts would love new members and people with ideas and time. With 60 years of history to celebrate, the club is ready to start mentoring the next generation of volunteer gardeners! For more information and to view additional photographs, check out the garden club’s Facebook page.

People look up to Steve Gordon, and not just because of his commanding height. He has turned part of his second career – massage – into a service for cancer patients, the Hand to Heart project, which sends massage therapists on home visits to cancer patients. Though more acquainted with dying than most people, he radiates a serene calm that perhaps grows from spending so much time thinking about and dealing with death and our journey to it.

“All I ask is that you not be afraid,” the woman from his massage class said to Steve, as they discussed practicing on each other. He was taken aback; it had not entered his mind to be afraid of someone with life-threatening illness like the recurrence of aggressive breast cancer she had discovered as the class began. But cancer patients were often told, “I can’t give you a massage – you have cancer.” Schools taught that the stimulation of massage might encourage cancer cells to detach and relocate. “It’s using science to show 2 + 2 = 9,” exclaims Steve.

An Early Seed

Those who have read the Valley News for years may recognize Steve’s name. Over 25 years, he was a reporter and editor of the Sunday edition. His experiences of massage, as an occasional practice subject for college friends from the nursing school at Keene State in the ’70s, lived in his memory and eventually took him from the paper.

Around the turn of the millennium Steve began a course in massage at [then] New Hampshire Technical College in Claremont while he was still working full time at the Valley News. “I’d leave the newsroom and drive a half hour,” for a 5-hour course and practice, he recalls. “It was like getting on a rocket ship to another planet.”

The formal training was just the beginning. “It’s like everything else: it’s not like you really know it when you graduate college,” Steve says. “After graduation you begin relearning and rebuilding what you know.” He hadn’t begun the training with the intent of going into oncology massage, but experiences led him to more and more involvement with it.

Steve spent some of his internship time at DHMC, supervised by Briane Pinkson, coordinator of healing arts. “The only place in the hospital we don’t go is the emergency room, and the operating room,” she says. She supervises a team of four part-time massage therapists who, for example, give short foot massages to people receiving chemotherapy infusions. The massage and the feeling of being cared for and about can lower the patient’s level of tension.

Taking It on the Road

In addition to his massage practice, Steve was giving massages at DHMC’s cancer center once a week, a service that was then paid for as treatment, since its benefits of pain relief and physical and emotional relaxation were well known. Nurses reported that patients slept better and needed less pain medication. Steve began to think of the patients who were not in the hospital, released to home awaiting another round of treatment, or hospice care. Many couldn’t afford to have a massage therapist come to them. The idea of Hand to Heart was born.

With advice from his friend Leo McKenna, an expert businessman with strong Dartmouth ties, Steve founded Hand to Heart in 2007. The small nonprofit provides a stipend to a handful of massage therapists who visit patients at home. It can be a strenuous task, since it often means carrying a portable yet heavy massage table into clients’ houses. “The whole idea is to work with a range of people,” says Steve. “It’s not a type of hospice, something just for people with terminal disease.” Most referrals come from DHMC, visiting nurse and hospice agencies, friends, or churches. Patients must live within a certain area and have “beyond minimal” cancer. So recovery can mean loss of the massage service.

Though the number can change suddenly, Steve is currently working with about 15 clients. He is the principle therapist with Hand to Heart, now in its tenth year, with Briane being the other primary massage provider.

Relatives of clients experience the release massage brings to their family. A client’s sister said, “The massage therapist… is encouraging, enabling and healing. He has the gift of understanding and contemplating the scary process of dying. He does not judge, criticize or promise.” Briane agrees wholeheartedly, and notes that home visits bring a richer connection for the therapist also. “Family members really appreciate it – they’re so stressed, grieving – they don’t have the psychic energy themselves. The body relaxes… It’s really intimate, kind of sacred. Especially at the end of life, it’s more about soothing, calming. Like laying on of hands.”

Sewing machine has been retrofitted as a treadle machine so it doesn’t need power.

I’d been thinking about Haiti even before the [2010] earthquake, looking for avenues to do something useful down there,” says Lebanon’s Janet Hall. “The earthquake just broke my heart.” Before long, she made her way to the island nation, to the village of Sous Savanne, near the epicenter of the quake. “People were living under blankets and tarps, because they were afraid that what was left would fall,” she recalls. Janet was inspired to organize the Regenesis Project, a non-profit whose “goal is to work alongside of hardworking individuals to help them develop a sustainable income.”

With the encouragement and participation of her Christian community in Lebanon, Janet, whose career has largely been in food service, is finding a market for crafts produced by a handful of Haitians. It’s a challenging task on many levels. “When you go down there and work, you have to take your western mindset and flush it down the toilet,” she explains, adding that schedules go on relaxed and flexible “Haitian time.” She accepts that “you have to work with them where they’re at.” She does not seek to force people into her vision of how they should be. She visits Haiti at least twice a year, bringing back handbags, paintings, and paper-bead jewelry for sale.

Janet is comfortable working on a small scale. “I’m not out to save the world,” she says, “but if I can help one or two people get from point A to point B….” Regenesis currently works with about a dozen people in the town of 400. Many Haitian women are single parents, prisoners of a cultural breakdown where husbands wander, returning home occasionally (and sometimes siring another child). “There are very few traditional married couples raising kids,” Janet notes, adding that in spite of the difficulty of obtaining birth control—a trip to the clinic is an all-day matter, and the Depo shots are not free—she’s seen some changes in birthrates since she started visiting.

In Sous Savanne Janet has collaborated with volunteers from Hope Force International, a Christian disaster relief group. HFI has focused on building reinforced homes to replace collapsed ones. “Houses are the size of a bedroom in the States,” says Janet. Most of life happens outdoors, except for sleeping and storage. In the rainy season storms tend to drop a lot of water quickly and then move on. Travel is hard, and heat and humidity levels surprise New Englanders.

Dan Drye, also of Lebanon, serves on the board of Regenesis. He’s went down to Haiti last December, his first trip there, though he lived in Mexico for six months. “It’s a similar feel because of the abject poverty,” he says, “but it’s a very different culture.” He can see that Regenesis is making a difference, small though it may be. “The people we work with have a positive outlook on the business aspect,” he notes, “and they’ve been able to encourage others in the village. He and the rest of the Regenesis board are looking ahead for more projects. It would be easy, Dan says, to saturate the market for paper bead jewelry. What should be next? A Haitian chemical engineer has expressed interest in helping develop soaps and shampoos that villagers can manufacture. Disposable products could be the way to go.

To see Regenesis crafts, and pictures of participants, visit www.regenesisproject.org.

The Lebanon Police Department had to say farewell to a pair of dedicated servants who have opted for retirement after a combined 54 years serving and protecting the residents in the City of Lebanon.

Lebanon Police Chief Gary J. Smith officially retired May 1st of this year following 28 years on the force, while Lieutenant Scott M. Rathburn completed his last day on April 17th leaving behind 26 years of service. Both look back proudly at their accomplishments while looking forward to whatever lies ahead.

Chief Smith originally hails from Boston, MA and moved to the Upper Valley back in 1985 when he accepted an open position as a Lebanon Patrolman, but the move had a tentative start.

“I had been working in the Post Office in Boston and oddly enough, a friend of mine was moving to this area to take a job in the Post Office system. I had always been interested in doing police work and he told me about an opening in Lebanon so I applied. However, my wife is a city girl who was not happy with the move so we moved right back. She then realized how much I wanted to do that work and we returned in 1986. That turned out to be the best thing in my life. Living here with the Upper Valley lifestyle was the best thing for my family.” Chief Smith explained.

He leaves with a sense of pride and accomplishment and credits his predecessor, Chief James Alexander, with making his transition to the “top cop” position a smooth one where difficult changes had to be made.

“Jimmy Alexander was my mentor,” Chief Smith noted. “With his help, we were able to turn things around in several areas, especially with turnover problems. The changes in community relations was a huge factor. I feel we really turned things around in those areas.”

Lieutenant Rathburn started his service April 16, 1989 and worked his way through the system. He started as a Patrol Officer, was promoted to Sergeant and Patrol Supervisor before acquiring his Lieutenant’s position. He also served the Detective Division and the Prosecution Division and oversaw The Rape Aggression Defense Program (RAD).

After 26 years wearing the Lebanon logo on his uniform, Lieutenant Rathburn looks back fondly on his service with both pride and emotion in his voice.

“Chief Smith and I are the last ones from the ’80s era. When we started, the Police Department was in the basement of City Hall. There were some good times and I got to work with a lot of wonderful people. That included five different Chiefs and a lot of Town Managers. I am proud to have been a member of this department.”

Both men will remain in the Upper Valley and, while Chief Smith will opt to take some time to relax, Lieutenant Rathburn will be searching for a new career.

“I have taken a lot of courses over the years and would like to acquire a position in the Information Technology (IT) field.”

Both dedicated individuals will be sorely missed, not only by their fellow officers, but also by the Lebanon community as well.

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!

Lebanon Crew “Row The Prouty” with teammate and Prouty Hero Cate Pierson (far left). Pictured: Cate Pierson, Tim Hansen, Emily Foster, Hannah O’Conner, Nick Davini, Nick Hanslin, Joe Lauziere, Nick Ogrinc, Ian Girdwood, Ethan Guyer, Aidan Nagel, Vivian Mok, Cassie McCurley, Jack Whittaker, Carin Reynolds, Rowan Carroll.

While we remain held firmly in winter’s icy grip here in the Upper Valley, many residents can’t resist the opportunity to let their minds drift off to the lazy, hazy days of July.

Specifically, July 12, 2014, when once again hordes of excited, dedicated, and determined individuals from every walk of life will descend upon the town of Hanover for the 33rd Annual Prouty fundraiser, staged by the Friends of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center in Lebanon.

That prestigious event has become legendary and established itself as the biggest charity fundraiser in Northern New England, incorporating more than 4,500 people from more than 30 states who gather to celebrate life, hope, and the defeat of cancer, an insidious disease that has struck down so many.

Last year the Prouty surpassed its fundraising goal of $2.75 million, and the praise for that success is heaped upon the army of volunteers and participants who take over the local highways and byways of the Upper Valley.

What makes this well-oiled machine run so smoothly, considering the enormity of the task?

Housed almost in obscurity in the ultra-modern Norris Cotton Cancer Center facility, you will find the true “hidden heroes,” the Administrative Team that implements the mission of the Friends of Norris Cotton Board of Directors. That intrepid staff has steadfastly labored and witnessed the dollar total in the Prouty’s 32-year history exceed $20 million.

Situated between those glass walls of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center are Executive Director Jean Brown; Senior Program Manager Rebecca Gray; Prouty Operations Manager Bruce Bouchard; Program Manager Susan Whelihan; and Financial and Administrative Coordinator Catherine Rentz. Last, but not least, is Christine Pariseau-Telge, coordinator for the Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center South, located in Manchester and Nashua, N.H.

While these stalwart six do their work in a professional and efficient manner, unlike the often harsh environment of the corporate world, these adminis-trators agree that while the task is labor intensive, the job involves a warm emotional connection.

“When I worked my first Prouty I was focused on the logistics of my job, not anticipating the emotional factor,” explained Susan Whelihan. “Watching and hearing the participants’ stories that day brought the emotional piece to the forefront.”

Senior Program Manager Rebecca Gray can confirm that emotional factor of working for such an impactful cause. She is a 16-year breast cancer survivor who served as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense and several grant applications by Norris Cotton Cancer Center researchers. Gray’s daily tasks brings her up close and personal with her work.

“Emotional? Oh, very much so,” Gray explained. “You walk through the cancer center on a daily basis and see friends and neighbors waiting for their chemotherapy, and it’s a constant reminder. However, the work becomes joyous as well. I have been in fundraising all my life and have found it extremely rewarding.”

Program Coordinator Christine Pariseau-Telge handles the southern part of New Hampshire and is also a veteran of fundraising programs. She discovered that the Prouty event has become something very, very special.

“I am an attorney by trade, and after I accepted this position I found out quickly that perhaps it doesn’t fill my wallet but it certainly fills my heart. It’s extremely heartwarming. Everywhere you look there are unbelievable stories.”

Volunteers Bruce Bouchard, Prouty Operations Mgr.; Rebecca Gray, Sr. Program Mgr.; Jean Brown, Exec. Dir.; Catherine Rentz, Financial & Administrative Coordinator and Susan Whelihan, Program Mgr.
Photo by Dave Nelson

Pariseau-Telge coordinates the Prouty Ultimate, a two-day, 200-mile ride that starts in Manchester on the Friday before the Prouty, and travels to Hanover to join the 3,000-plus Prouty cyclists on Saturday. The riders that originate in Manchester each raise $2,500 and the total contribution from that group tops the $300,000 mark.

When all six of the administrative staff were pressed for a one-word answer to best describe their efforts for the Friends of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, one single response appeared to dominate. That word was “organize.” Attending to the thousands of details surrounding such a premier event is a full-time, Herculean task that requires not only time, but special skills.

“Communicate and plan sums it up for me,” said Whelihan. “And volunteers. We have a list of over 2,000 volunteers that we can call upon for any given occasion. That is a real asset.”

One three-member volunteer team from West Lebanon serves as a shining example: Steve Silver, who is employed at Dartmouth College; his wife Deb Springhorn, a Lebanon High School teacher; and their son Ariel, a freshman at Kimball Union Academy. This trio will tackle their 10th Prouty this July and, thanks to their devoted effort to participate and to recruit teammates and volunteers, estimate they have raised nearly $30,000 for the cause.

“Since Steve will be celebrating his 60th birthday this year, he wants to up our total raised to $6,000,” said Springhorn. “That may be a little optimistic but we will try. One of the most important tasks we take on occurs on the Friday of the event, when we work on the Green Team. That effort greatly reduces the enormous amount of trash generated down to just a small amount thanks to recycling. It’s a very important part of the event.”

The emotional impact of working the Prouty resonates with the local family, as both Silver and Springhorn have lost parents to cancer. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and Silver adds a very special touch for the teammates they assemble. Well known for his artistry with pottery, he uses his talent well to create an added incentive for participation.

“Each year I hand-craft a very special bowl and put all the names into it,” Silver said. “At the end I draw out a name, and they receive the bowl. It’s a way of giving back to them.”

While the next Prouty remains months away, the hard work behind the scenes continues. And as Jean Brown has pointed out, “The Prouty has taken on a life of its own.”

Mark Israel, Director of the Norris Cotton Cancer center, explains the mission with precise eloquence: “Sometimes people ask me if there is a secret weapon against cancer. I usually reply that no, there is no secret weapon, but there is the Prouty. The money raised through your efforts as you bike, walk, row, and now golf is making a significant difference to fight the many diseases we call cancer.”

To answer the call this July, all you have to do is participate or volunteer. The “Hidden Heroes” will take it from there.

Robert Plante

Join Robert Plante for coffee and a muffin outside Cravin’s Country Market & Deli at Dartmouth-    Hitchcock Medical Center on a given weekday morning, and you’ll feel like you’re dining with a celebrity. Nearly every person who walks by knows him, and more than one stops for a hug, a quick chat, and to share words of love and admiration for Robert with a local reporter. Clearly his presence in the Lebanon community has made a positive difference in many lives.

Robert’s crowning – and continuing – achievement is his work on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF).

In September, Robert celebrated the silver anniversary of the Robert Plante Fall Foliage Walk, and his personal fundraising of more than $250,000 for CFF in the past 25 years. He has walked more than 7,500 miles to raise that money, despite his own struggles over the past decade with osteoarthritis. Nearly 50 community members participated in this year’s walk.

“I’ve been crying happy tears,” Robert said. “It’s been quite an accomplishment. I love working with children and adults with cystic fibrosis. I’m going to do it as long as I can.”

A quarter-century ago, Robert began walking to raise money for CFF first in honor and later in memory of his dear friend and fellow Lebanon resident Doug Jones, who had cystic fibrosis and passed away at age 43 in 1992. According to CFF, cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States.

Robert’s efforts didn’t start as an organized community event; just a dedicated guy walking around the Upper Valley seeking donations for a cause near to his heart. Over the years, it developed into an annual four-mile foliage walk from Lebanon High School to downtown and back. While CFF provided some logistical support, the major credit goes to Robert and the team of supporters he has cultivated at DHMC and around the Upper Valley.

“He’s an incredibly hard worker and very dedicated to the cause,” said Lindsay Gilbert (née Lindsay Martin, a Lebanon High School alumna), CFF’s development manager. “This is what he does all year – working to make each event more profitable than the last. Lebanon is phenomenal with fundraising and supporting charities, and we’re hoping the 2014 event will be our biggest yet.”

For several years now, the walk has been sanctioned as an official CFF Great Strides event, and in 2014 it will be held for the first time in May in conjunction with other events nationwide. Next year’s event will be held at Storrs Pond in Hanover and include a 5K run along with the walk.

Robert is happy to raise money for the vital research and care programs provided by CFF, whose mission is to find a cure for the disease. “We’ve come a long way with the research since I lost Doug Jones,” he said, adding that many children and adults with cystic fibrosis have inspired his efforts over the years.

Robert proudly displays a September letter from CFF President and CEO Robert J. Beall sent in gratitude for Robert’s contributions to research and community awareness of cystic fibrosis.

“We have made great strides in our mission over the past 25 years that you have been involved. I hope you feel good about the work you are doing and the difference you are making in the lives of people with cystic fibrosis,” the letter reads. “Your dedication is extraordinary and we are most grateful to you for your efforts…. I know I can count on you until we find a cure and cross the finish line together.”

Judging by Robert’s genuine passion for the work he does to serve others, that is faith well placed.

To learn more about the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Great Strides, including their events in Lebanon, visit cff.org.