When Carol Bickford, SVP, Retail Lending Officer, retired from New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp (NHMB) in December of 2020, after 37 years of dedicated service, the Board of Directors for Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB) and Merrimack County Savings Bank (the Merrimack) honored her with a total donation of $10,000 to her choice of nonprofits, serving each Bank’s local footprint. Bickford chose to designate $5,000 to Lakes Region Community Developers (LRCD) and $5,000 to the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH).
In her role, Bickford led a the highly skilled teams of mortgage specialists at Meredith Village Savings Bank, Merrimack County Savings Bank and Savings Bank of Walpole, offering personal, tailored support for individual mortgage needs, including construction lending, second homes, unusual homes and first-time home buyers.
“LRCD is a wonderful choice, and they do great work throughout the Lakes Region to make sure everyone has a healthy home,” said Moe Lafreniere, Chair of the Board for Meredith Village Savings Bank. “Because she dedicated her career to helping people purchase homes, Carol appreciates the joy and confidence that comes with having a stable place to live. She has also supported financial education and programs that help people of all economic situations throughout her decades with our organization.”
“We’re thrilled to donate to the Concord Coalition to End Homeless in Carol’s honor,” said Bill Dunlap, Chair of the Board for Merrimack County Savings Bank. “CCEH offers resources that help people struggling with homelessness meet their basic needs, and they provide permanent housing opportunities to some of our most vulnerable citizens.” CCEH works with community partners, advocating for solutions that actually end homelessness.
Lakes Region Community Developers helps the Lakes Region thrive by developing healthy homes, creating vibrant community assets and engaging residents. Founded in 1988 as the Laconia Area Community Land Trust, LRCD has developed 365 healthy and affordable rental homes in Ashland, Gilford, Laconia, Meredith, Tilton and Wolfeboro. In 2017, LRCD expanded their mission to include new types of real estate development and new programming that empowers residents to effect positive change in their communities. For more information, visit lrcommunitydevelopers.org.
The Concord Coalition to End Homelessness was founded in 2008. They provide support to individuals experiencing homelessness and work to bring solutions to actually end homelessness in the greater Concord community. CCEH operates the Concord Homeless Resource Center at the Tom Fredenburg House and the Emergency Winter Shelter, both located at 238 N. Main St. in Concord. However, because of the pandemic, CCEH has been able to use CARES Act funding to purchase the First Congregational Church building in Concord, and use that as a larger, temporary space for both the Resource Center and Winter Shelter, so guests can maintain social distance. When the pandemic passes, CCEH hopes to convert the First Church building into affordable housing. Through their Housing First Concord program, CCEH helps place people exiting long-term homelessness into permanent supportive housing, and they lead the City of Concord’s Steering Committee in a Plan to End Homelessness. For more information about the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, visit https://concordhomeless.org/.