The Park Theatre Awarded New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Grant

$20,000 Award Given To Jaffrey Performing Arts Center

Photo courtesy of The Park Theatre

JAFFREY, New Hampshire (January 22, 2024) The Park Theatre recently received a $20,000 unrestricted Community Grant award from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. The grant will help support general operations to further the Theatre's purpose to present the best film, live performance, and special events for the community.

The Park Theatre is a community-focused performing arts center with programming designed to entertain, educate, enrich and inspire all. With two auditoriums, a large 27' movie screen with 17-speaker surround sound plus a proscenium stage for live music and productions, the Theatre showcases local, regional, and national talent. To find events and information about The Park, go to www.theparktheatre.org.

"The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has been a great partner throughout the campaign to build the Theatre and the first years of operation," said Steve Jackson, CEO and Managing Director of The Park Theatre. "We are immensely grateful to have their confidence and support."

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation is New Hampshire's statewide community foundation, founded in 1962 by and for the people of New Hampshire. It's the place where generosity meets the dedication and ingenuity of nonprofits and the potential of New Hampshire students. For six decades, thousands of people have entrusted their charitable resources to the Foundation, creating a perpetual source of philanthropic capital and making it possible for the Foundation to award more than $60 million in grants and scholarships every year. For more information, please visit www.nhcf.org or call 603-225-6641.

Agriculture Committee advances bills on PFAS and to support farms and farmers

(Boston, MA) - On Friday, January 19, the Joint Committee on Agriculture, chaired by Representative Paul Schmid (D-Westport) and Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton), favorably advanced several bills, including a bill to protect our farms and food from PFAS contamination and a bill to support and strengthen food systems across the Commonwealth.

"The Agriculture Committee continues to make great progress in our work, and as always, I thank Senator Comerford for her partnership. I am continuously grateful for the opportunity to highlight such an important industry in its committee," said House Chair Schmid. "A standout of this poll is H.101/S.39, An Act protecting our soil and farms from PFAS contamination. This legislation addresses critical issues facing the agricultural industry in the fight against PFAS contamination and ensure the state's cooperation and intervention in the most serious of circumstances. As a farmer, I support all measures that maintain the integrity of our food system while protecting those who work so hard within it."

"The Agriculture Committee has advanced additional legislation to support and strengthen the Commonwealth's farms, farmers, fisheries, and food systems," said Senate Chair Comerford. "I am grateful for Chair Schmid's leadership and collaboration on this poll, as well as for his partnership in advancing our bill to protect farms and food from PFAS contamination. Our bill would provide funding to help farmers access alternatives to fertilizers made from treated wastewater (which often includes PFAS), among other provisions to understand and limit PFAS in our soils and to provide liability protections for farmers. I am also heartened that a bill I filed in partnership with Representative Natalie Blais, An Act strengthening local food systems, is advancing. This bill makes a number of critical reforms to state law to support farms and farmers, including providing hands-on training to new farmers, ensuring that farmland is taxed as farmland, and creating other initiatives to help farmers remain competitive and viable."

The Committee favorably advanced the following list of bills:

An Act relative to creating an animal advisory board to the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture (S.491) filed by former Senator Anne Gobi

An Act addressing the impact of climate change on farms and fisheries (H.91) filed by Representative Mindy Domb

An Act relative to buffer zones on land under the APR Program (H.100) filed by Representative Schmid

An Act protecting our soil and farms from PFAS contamination (H.101/S.39) filed by Representative Schmid and Senator Comerford

An Act relative to agricultural crop and property destruction (H.97) filed by Representative Schmid

An Act protecting the viability of farms in the Commonwealth (H.98) filed by Representative Schmid

An Act relative to the Farm Technology Review Commission (S.46) filed by Senator Su Moran

An Act strengthening local food systems (S.42) filed by Senator Comerford

An Act relative to a cranberry wetland mitigation bank (S.539) filed by Senator Moran

Bring the World to Your Home This Coming Fall - Host an International Exchange Student

ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE), a Non-Profit, Public Benefit Organization, is inviting local families to discover the many rewards of hosting a foreign exchange student. ASSE students come from more than 50 countries worldwide: France, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Ukraine, Japan, Australia, to name a few. They are between the ages of 15 and 18 years, and they are enthusiastic and excited to experience American culture, family life, school, sports. etc. They also love to share their own culture and language with their host families, who welcome the students into their home, not as a guest, but as a family member, giving everyone involved a rich cultural experience. Host families may be single parents, couples and single persons.

The exchange students have pocket money for personal expenses and full health, accident and liability insurance. ASSE students are carefully selected based upon academics and personality, and host families choose their student from a wide variety of backgrounds, countries and personal interests.

ASSE also offers qualified American students the opportunity to learn another language and culture by spending a school year, semester or a summer with a host family in another country.

Those interested in hosting an exchange student or becoming an exchange student abroad, should call Alina at 1-800-677-2773, visit www.asse.com or send an email to asseusasouth@asse.com to request more information or start the application process. Students are eager to learn about their American host family, so begin the process of welcoming your new son or daughter today. The memories and the friendship you create with your exchange student will stay with you forever.

Contact: Alina Clements, ASSE Eastern Regional Director, 1-800-677-2773 - asseusaeast@asse.com