Challenge accepted: Chamber to tour 100 members through Belknap House to help secure matching gift

LACONIA — Karmen Gifford, president of the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, says she is ready to accept the challenge of touring chamber members through Belknap House, in order to help the homeless shelter secure a $25,000 donation.

The challenge, issued through an article in The Daily Sun on Sept. 8, tasks the chamber with offering five tours to about 100 of its members. If completed, Dan Dagesse of Gilford, co-owner of the NuCar dealership chain, will give $25,000 to Belknap House, an organization which provides temporary housing, education and skill building programs for families with children experiencing homelessness.

"This challenge fits right into the chamber's mission to create value through collaboration and education that promotes a more engaged community and thereby building a stronger community," Gifford wrote to The Daily Sun in an email. 

The challenge came about through somewhat of a chain reaction. The $25,000 from Dagaesse would be his second gift to the organization. He recently gave $25,000 after touring Belknap House, and was inspired to do so after reading in The Daily Sun about the generosity of Chris Brown, owner of Jersey Mike’s Subs in Tilton. Brown read yet another article in The Sun about Belknap House's fifth anniversary, and made a gift of $25,000 to the shelter. 

Gifford and Paula Ferenc, executive director of Belknap House, worked together to schedule five dates for chamber members to tour the shelter on Court Street.

Dates include Oct. 12, Oct. 19, Nov. 2, Nov. 9, and Nov. 16, all Wednesdays.

Since opening its doors five years ago, Belknap House has sheltered 86 families and 1,628 people, and provided 11,065 bed-nights for children.

Chamber members can register for a tour by visiting lakesregionchamber.org.