From January 9, 2022 post.
U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan honored the New Hampshire citizens she recognized in 2021 as Granite Staters of the Month this Saturday during a virtual event, where she commended them for all that they have done to help improve their communities and help their neighbors.
“Amid this pandemic, it has been incredible to see all the ways that Granite Staters are stepping up to help their neighbors and improve their communities,” Senator Hassan said. “2021’s Granite Staters of the Month have made a difference in so many ways, including raising money for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, providing food to those in need, and raising awareness on a variety of overlooked problems in our state and country. All of these worthy efforts deserve to be celebrated and it was a privilege to be able to thank all of our Granite Staters of the Month for their work.”
Senator Hassan recognized the following individuals and groups in 2021:
- January: Elliot Perry of Bedford raised money to build two accessible playgrounds at Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD) locations in Lebanon and Manchester.
- February: Vernis Jackson of Portsmouth founded the Seacoast African American Cultural Center and helped establish the African Burying Ground Memorial Park in downtown Portsmouth.
- March: Olivia Van Ledtje of Durham creates videos — called LivBits — that promote literacy and encourage children in New Hampshire and around the world to love reading as much as she does.
- April: Emily Kim Ae Sun Hunter of Chester organized a peaceful gathering in downtown Portsmouth to demonstrate support for New Hampshire’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
- May: Elizabeth “Izzy” McKinney of Londonderry uses poetry, illustrations, and her personal experiences to bring much-needed attention to neurodivergent conditions in children.
- June: Maurice Mailhot of Berlin worked to redesign the Veterans Memorial Park in Berlin.
- July: Noelle Lambert of Manchester works to provide amputees, like herself, with specialized prosthetics.
- August: Tyler Blanchette of Hudson raised funds for Alzheimer’s research, even as he faced his own medical challenges.
- September: Mike Mariani of Spofford and Devin McLaughlin of West Chesterfield raised money and awareness for suicide prevention following the loss of Mike’s brother to suicide in 2018.
- October: Levi Goodan of Meriden and Maurgan McGrath of Hopkinton started initiatives to donate toys and other goods to patients at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD) to help provide comfort to young patients with serious illnesses.
- November: Jay Anderson of Sandown and Mark Hagopian of Auburn raised COVID-19 relief money for Granite Staters by designing and selling their own special IPA, which they named “Brain Fog.
- December: Caitlin McGrath-Levesque of Portsmouth created a nonprofit with two siblings in honor of their youngest brother to provide free, hot meals to those in need.
Senator Hassan launched the “Granite Stater of the Month” initiative in 2017 to recognize outstanding New Hampshire citizens who go above and beyond to help their neighbors and make their communities stronger. To nominate a New Hampshire citizen to be a “Granite Stater of the Month,” constituents can complete the nomination form here.
Original source can be found here.
