Lakes Region Scholarship Foundation celebrates, sets scholarship deadline at April 1

At the Annual Lakes Region Scholarship Foundation Board of Trustees meeting, held on Jan. 17, new board officers were elected. They include Donna Hennessey, president; Lori Fasshauer, vice president; Pam Hayes, corporate secretary; and James Waldron, treasurer.

The board said goodbye to Lisa Bianco, who has been with LRSF for nine years and has reached her term limit, and Sarah Svindland, who has served since. 2012. Lisa Bianco has also been one member of a team that has participated in the foundation’s annual community spelling bee for a number of years. Both of these women have been valued members of the team, sharing their knowledge, time, and expertise over the years.

LRSF also welcomed new board members Fredda Osman and Marjory Wilkinson. Fredda Osman recently retired from the state Department of Health and Human Services, working with local health centers and area agencies. Fredda has had a connection to the foundation for a number of years, as she is the donor representative for three of their donor funds: the Ed & Polly Chertok Fund, the LHS Class of 1965, and the LHS Class of 1933, where she has long represented her dad. Marj Wilkinson is a retired teacher who shared her love of language arts for many years with the young people at Memorial Middle School. She is involved in a number of volunteer activities in the area and is the donor representative for the LHS Class of 1964.

These are not the only changes at Lakes Region Scholarship this year. Paulette Loughlin has stepped up to the executive director position and Karen Switzer came on as the new assistant director in the fall. Together, they will be taking on former Executive Director Joan Cormier’s role.

Donna Hennessey, new LRSF board president, thanked immediate past-president, Mike Nolan, for all his accomplishments over his past couple years. She said “I have some big shoes to fill and I look forward to serving the foundation as president the next two years.” Mike Nolan will remain with the foundation for another year as a trustee, finishing out his third three-year term on the board.

Hennessey added, “To recap this past year, we awarded scholarships to 286 local students to continue their education through the generosity of 250 donors. We were the recipients of 11 new funds. We also upgraded our computers and systems with help from the $27,500 in grants we received from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the Bank of New Hampshire. Our 18th Annual Community Spelling Bee was a great success with net proceeds of over $10,000, the best year we have ever had.”

Loughlin added, “We will not be just resting on our laurels in 2018, we are already planning for an outstanding year to follow up our success from the past. Scholarship applications for 2018 are now available online through our website, www.lrscholarship.org, with an application deadline of April 1, 2018. The Annalee Thorndike Art Competition committee is working and planning for the art show in April. Our Donors’ Day date has been set for Wednesday, May 23, and we have plans for our 18th Annual Community Spelling Bee, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 25 of this year at Laconia High School. All of this would not be possible without the support of our donors, benefactors and the Lakes Region Community.”

Assistant Director Karen Switzer said, “Any additional application information or questions may be answered by contacting us via email scholarship@lrscholarship.org or calling the office at 603-527-3533 She wanted everyone to know that LRSF has a number of specially designated scholarships also listed on our site. These are available through an additional application process that can be downloaded from our site. One of these special exception scholarships is the Annalee Thorndike Art Competition. The artwork submitted by local high school graduating art students, who will be continuing their education in this field, will be on display at the Laconia Public Library April 6th through April 12th with an Awards reception on the evening of the 12th. All are welcome to come and see the work of these talented students. I think that you would be surprised to see the work that these young people produce. Two other exceptional scholarship opportunities are the John F. Mullen Memorial Essay Competition and a new award for the Foundation, the Gilmanton Legion Auxiliary Stockwell Essay Competition. Please check our website for the specific requirements to qualify for these awards as well.”

LRSF New Board members and with the newly elected Executive Committee members. Sitting, from left, are Marjory Wilkinson and Fredda Osman. Standing are Paulette Loughlin (Executive Director) James Waldron (Treasurer), Lori Fasshauer (VicePresident), Donna Hennessey (President), Pam Hayes (Corporate Secretary) and Karen Switzer (Assistant Director) (Courtesy photo)

Joan Cormier (center) shakes hands with her successor, the new Executive Director, Paulette Loughlin (at the left). Loughlin is only the second Executive Director to serve LRSF. Simultaneously Joan shakes hands with Karen Switzer, the new Assistant Director who started in the position this past September. Looking on are members of the Executive Committee: L to R: James Waldron (Treasurer), Donna Hennessey (President), Lori Fasshauer (Vice President) and Pam Hayes (Corporate Secretary) (Courtesy photo)