Community Colleges Manufacturing Initiative Receives Federal Praise

Employment and Training Administration Assistant Secretary Jane Oates, right, of the U.S. Department of Labor, speaks with Nashua Community College President Lucille Jordan, center, and Mark Dodge, associate professor, on October 19. (courtesy photo)

$19.9 million grant awarded to Great Bay & six other community colleges

NASHUA –

“Manufacturing creates wealth,” said the U.S. Department of Labor’s assistant secretary for the Employment and Training Administration, Jane Oates.

She checked last week at Nashua Community College on progress made statewide under a $19.9 million federal Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant awarded to Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth, and the six other colleges in the Community College System of New Hampshire.

“Health care, education - they’re great, but manufacturing simply creates more wealth,” she said. “We need to make sure we keep it out front.”

William “Rick” Holka, president of Omni Components Corp. in Hudson, agreed.

“There’s nothing we touch every day that hasn’t been machined,” he said, adding the community colleges have made “absolutely fantastic advances in infrastructure” under the grant for their advanced manufacturing programs.

During her visit, Oates toured NCC’s advanced manufacturing laboratory and met with school officials, advanced manufacturing business leaders and students positively impacted by the community college system.

A newly renovated teaching laboratory, its floors quite literally sparkling underneath state-of-the-art computer-controlled precision machining equipment, was called not only proof of the early success of an educational partnership between local manufacturers and the school consortium, but also evidence to support a stigma-busting mission taken on by the colleges on behalf of the industry.

For one, advanced manufacturing is healthy in New Hampshire, representing nearly twenty percent of the state’s entire economy, according to the N.H. Center for Public Policy Studies. In fact, employers poised for growth said a main challenge they face is not a lack of demand, but a shortage of qualified applicants for high-tech, high skill jobs. Reasons for the shortage are varied, but two main concerns of employers and the community colleges are a misperception that manufacturing is an unstable industry of repetitive, low-skill jobs and low enrollment in core science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) academic programming.

Contrary to beliefs, Oates said, “It’s not enough to have a strong body. You need a strong mind and a skilled hand.”

James Jacobs, president of Rapid Machining, said of his 27,000-square-foot facility with more than twenty computer numerical controlled milling and turning centers, “It’s not a dark, oily, dirty place; it’s a high-tech environment, it’s a good wage.”

Mark Dodge, associate professor for advanced manufacturing tool technology at NCC, said during a recent interview “Our grads can expect between $14 and $15 an hour to start. A good machinist could go to $30 or $35 an hour. Typically, there’s overtime - five to 10 hours a week - so even at $15 an hour, that’s a pretty substantial paycheck for a beginning job. For an experienced machinist, $80,000 to $100,000 is not out of the questions for a year’s pay.”

“As we continue to expand,” Jacobs said, “the ability to hire CNC machinists with the right skills will be critical to our success.”

Jacobs said partnering with community colleges in the state will help ensure a pool of qualified machinists will be available in the future.

Said Holka, “If you can do precision machining, we are hiring.” He added he had seven to eight jobs he’d fill today if applicants qualified to operate his Swiss-type machining equipment were available.

Omni manufactures products for the medical, aerospace, optical, communications, electronics, instrumentation and commercial high-tech markets.

Oates called the qualified-employee shortage “a national crisis.”

“You can’t wait,” she said to the employers seeking qualified applicants. “We need to make sure everyone’s working together to eliminate the workforce slowdown. It’s amazing; you could grow if you (just) had the people.”

And that, in Oates’ view, is the importance of the grant. She said community college training programs were in need of a paradigm change. The new measure for success would need to be employment and, thus, employer input would need to be a central part of an updated and expanded advanced manufacturing curriculum.

Congress agreed, and in 2010, President Obama signed off on $2 billion to be used over four years for the nationwide TAACCCT grant program.

The payoffs are already obvious, she said, citing examples in which community college initiatives have benefited entities from large manufacturers like Pratt & Whitney, Toyota North America and Johnson & Johnson to individual students like Orlando Morales, who is working full time for Rapid Machining while enrolled in advanced manufacturing program at NCC.

Morales said he’d been working retail jobs for years when he decided he wanted something more. With the support of his wife, he enrolled in the CNC program at NCC and took part in a tour of Rapid Machining.

Now, Jacobs jokes Morales is “not going anywhere,” as he’s a valued employee who came to the company already prepared with skills necessary for success.

“The math classes were valuable,” Morales said about the education he’s receiving at NCC. “It’d been eight years since I’d been in (advanced) math, and it refreshed my memory.”

When he started at Rapid, Morales said the work was exactly the type he’d been trained for in the community college system.

“What you said made me jump up and down – that (businesses) were doing exactly the same thing outside” the schools,” said Oates. ”That’s what we’re working for (with this grant); we aim to have ninety-five percent of students ready to go straight into a job.”

The seven community colleges in the New Hampshire consortium are designing and implementing expanded programs in advanced materials (composites, aerospace) manufacturing technologies, mechatronics and automation/robotics, precision welding, advanced machine tool technology, energy systems for precision manufacturing, and advanced manufacturing processes and controls.

Offerings run the gamut from fast-track job preparation and certification services from WorkReadyNH, to short course and certification programs, to full associate’s degree educational tracks.

As part of the grant, state-of-the-art equipment and technology upgrades are being made at colleges across the state, with direct input from regional manufacturers who will be relying upon the program to help create a qualified workforce for hiring.

While progress is quickly being made at all sites, NCC had a leg up, according to its president, Lucille Jordan.

“When other colleges were closing their machining programs, we never did,” she said. “We were ready to run as soon as we got the grant.”

Other advanced manufacturing program milestones on the horizon include the opening of Great Bay Community College’s Advanced Technology and Academic Center in Rochester, which will educate and train students in composites manufacturing ahead of the opening of a 340,000-square-foot production facility being built in that city by Safran Aerospace Composites and Albany Engineered Composites. The project is expected to generate more than 400 jobs.

At Manchester Community College, computer and machining equipment is purchased and ready to be installed in a newly renovated student laboratory as the school works to expand its advanced manufacturing courses and course types.

Federal Financial Assistance for NH Farmers & Forest Landowners

 

DURHAM –

Agriculture or forest landowners in New Hampshire: If you are interested in protecting, conserving, or restoring the natural resources on your property through technical or financial assistance, contact your local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) field office to begin the conservation planning process.

Once an NRCS Conservation Plan is developed, you can work with NRCS to determine which programs would best suit your conservation needs. Applications for NRCS programs and initiatives (see below for details) may be submitted at any time year-round; however, the next application cut-off date is December 3 of this year. In order for your application to be considered in the February 15, 2013 ranking, landowners/operators must submit a complete application packet (including eligibility paperwork) by December 3. Additional application cut-off dates may be announced, if funding becomes available.

Applicants must be eligible in the USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) system by February 15 of next year to be considered in this round. If your landowner eligibility has not yet been cleared by USDA, you are strongly advised to get your landowner eligibility documentation submitted to your USDA Service Center as soon as possible (ASAP), because it may take several weeks to clear eligibility in order for your application to be ranked.

“NRCS conservation programs help farmers and forest landowners promote stewardship and environmental quality on farm and forest land, address water quality and quantity challenges, and protect valuable wetland ecosystems, agricultural lands, and wildlife habitat,” said Rick Ellsmore, NRCS state conservationist for New Hampshire. “NRCS conservation professionals will discuss with you your conservation objectives, help you identify resource concerns, and suggest options and alternatives for treatment. We will also identify conservation programs that may provide you with financial assistance for the implementation of many conservation practices.”

Examples of eligible lands in New Hampshire include privately owned:

- Agricultural land

- Grasslands

- Non-industrial private forest lands

- Freshwater wetlands and salt marshes

- Coastal habitats, and rivers and streams

Emphasis areas in New Hampshire are:

- Livestock and grazing issues

- Cropland – including orchards, specialty crops, high tunnel and greenhouse operations

- Forestry

- Organic Agriculture

- Fish and Wildlife Habitat – including native pollinator habitat

- Energy Conservation

The 2008 Farm Bill, provides higher payments for land owners who qualify as beginning farmers, limited resource producers, or those who are “socially disadvantaged” because they belong to racial or ethnic groups that have historically been subjected to prejudice. Such landowners could historically receive up to ninety percent of the estimated incurred costs associated with planning and implementing conservation measures. However, Farm Bill program policy is subject to change.

- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) – Through EQIP, farmers may receive financial and technical help with structural and management conservation practices on agricultural and forest land. EQIP in New Hampshire offers financial assistance to help off-set the costs of eligible conservation practices. Environmental Quality Incentives Program Initiatives include the Organic, On-Farm Energy, Seasonal High Tunnel, Long Island Sound Partnership, and the Water Quality (new watershed(s) to be determined), and New England & New York Forestry initiative.

- Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) – This program provides assistance to landowners who want to improve fish and wildlife habitat or restore natural ecosystems on their land. This program includes the Working Lands for Wildlife New England Cottontail initiative that was offered last year.

- Agricultural Management Assistance Program (AMA) – This program provides assistance to agricultural producers to voluntarily address issues such as water management, water quality, and erosion control by incorporating conservation into their farming operations.

Historical Tavern Walk Draws Big Crowd

Some of the townsfolk: Rick Griffin and Betty Moore

HAMPTON –

On Saturday, October 13, with apple-crisp New England fall weather setting the stage for an afternoon of food, fun, and local history, downtown Hampton took on a festive spirit as the Old Salt, 401 Tavern, and the Galley Hatch restaurants hosted the Hampton Historical Society’s Old Hampton Tavern Walk.

More than 150 attendees, each taking the persona of an early Hampton citizen, visited the three locations to learn how they had “sinned” and to plead their cases before a “magistrate” who pronounced judgment and awarded prizes. They enjoyed colonial foods prepared by the restaurant chefs, rum punch from Sea Hagg Rum Distillery of North Hampton, mead from Sap House Meadery of Center Ossipee, and pumpkin ale from Smuttynose Brewing Company of Portsmouth. Silas the Double Agent and Olive the Tavern Wench from Portsmouth Underbelly Tours were on hand to wickedly entertain in the Old Salt’s Goody Cole Room.

The Tavern Walk was also the launch of “A Meet and Suitable Person: Tavernkeeping in Old Hampton, New Hampshire, 1638-1783″ by local author Cheryl Lassiter, the book that prompted the Historical Society to put on the event. Historical presenters, attired in period costumes provided by Tracy Theatre Originals and Candace Stellmach, portrayed real-life characters from the book as they talked about life in Hampton during the 17th and 18th centuries.

“The Tavern Walk was truly a reflection of Cheryl’s book. Part history, part adventure, and altogether a delight!” said Betty Moore, the event’s coordinator and executive director of the Hampton Historical Society. “We’d never done an event of this size out in the community before, and we weren’t sure what to expect. We poured our hearts into making this a fun, historical event for the town, and the response from the community was incredible. It exceeded all our expectations. We thank the restaurants for their hospitality, generosity, and enthusiasm. Along with our amazing volunteers, they helped make the Old Hampton Tavern Walk a huge success.”

Story and photo provided by Cheryl Lassiter

Author Talks about Fatwa, New Memoir in Portsmouth

Salman Rushdie says it's "Get-Along Time"

Story and photo by Timothy Gillis

PORTSMOUTH -

Best-selling novelist Salman Rushdie spoke at the Music Hall last week, about his new memoir called "Joseph Anton" and the life he lived in fear since the 1989 "fatwa," or death sentence, imposed on him by the Ayatollah Khomeini.

The fatwa was for his allegedly blasphemous novel "The Satanic Verses," which Rushdie said is actually one of his least political works, much less so than "Midnight's Children," which took on the public life of India or "Shame," which was based on "genuine political confrontation" in Pakistan.

Rushdie seems to have weathered the storm, though the 600-page book is a harrowing account of the effects of the fatwa decree, including the dissolution of a dying marriage, his raising of his nine-year-old son, and living with a 24-hour security detail from Scotland Yard.

He was shocked at the reaction to "Satanic Verses," especially the accusations in the British press that he did it on purpose to attract attention.

"'Joseph Anton' is how my real life turned into a novel, stranger than anything I had ever made up," Rushdie said.

A dream sequence from the work, in particular, seemed to incite Islamic tension. Rushdie read from this episode to start his talk, and emphasized that "Satanic Verses" was a novel "primarily about migration," he said.

"In the middle of it there was this dream sequence... about a prophet, not called Muhammad, living in a city, not called Mecca, inventing a religion not called Islam. And the person having the dream was losing his mind and going insane. This is what we, in the trade, call ‘fiction.' Unfortunately, it wasn't read like that."

The serious thing that this passage talked about, Rushdie said, was the nature of revelation, or "how does a new idea come into the world?" Also integral to the contentious passage was "what do you do when you are strong? When your enemies are at your mercy?"

After a short break, Rushdie returned to the stage with Virginia Prescott, host of Word of Mouth, for an interview. The Music Hall house band Dreadnaught played the Platters "Great Pretender," and Rushdie noticed the tune and sang along.

Prescott asked how Islamic culture has changed since he was a child. Rushdie said he grew up in a house that was "happily godless," where his father and his father's friends would discuss whatever they wanted. Rushdie was free to think and express himself. That did not mean his opinions went uncontested. There just wasn't a threat of violence for unapproved thoughts. Then came Valentine's Day, 1989, when the fatwa was issued, and there began "the difference between rhetoric and reality," said Rushdie, exasperated after all this time at the extreme reaction.

"Books are books. If you don't like it, don't read it. This is why they have books by more than one person in bookstores," he said. The United States is a very divided country, he pointed out, where half the people are often saying things that the other half of the country can't stand, "but it doesn't occur to either half to burn the country down."

Rushdie was often light-hearted and humorous on the night, belying the years of living in fear. Asked if he was still fearful or looking over his shoulder, Rushdie motioned to the audience and said "Look, there are hundreds of them in the dark. They don't seem that scary."

Audience reaction to Rushdie was overwhelmingly supportive of his plight, even if many in attendance knew more about his life's story than his written works.

Peter Randall, a filmmaker on local farms, was invited to the talk by a friend. He said he was interested in the whole story of Rushdie and the fatwa against him.

"It's ridiculous," Randall said. "I don't understand why people get so upset about something written. An act, I can see, but it's just words."

Henry Linscott said he was in grammar school when the fatwa was issued. "I didn't know what the book was about, but it sounded scary."

Twenty-four years after the fatwa, Rushdie feels it's "get-along time" now and looks forward to discussing the literary merits of "Satanic Verses," a work which has been analyzed through political and religious lenses, but has remained unstudied in the language of literature.

Rushdie said he is proud of the novel, but would have changed its history if he could. Related to the "Satanic Verses," an Italian translator was stabbed, a Norwegian publisher was shot, and a Japanese publisher was killed.

Rushdie lived in hiding, in England first and then in the United States, and tried to provide a normal life for his young son.

"Joseph Anton" tells of his hidden life and was his alias with the police, based on two of his favorite writers, Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekhov. His case, called Operation Malachi, was considered the most dangerous assignment for the police, and they served by volunteering instead of being required to do so. Despite the disdain from some higher-ups who didn't feel he had done anything to deserve their protection, hadn't "performed a service to the state," Rushdie grew close to many of the police officers who were protecting him. He thought they had it tougher than he did, since "sitting around, looking out the window, wondering what to do next" was the typical life for a writer.

"Joseph Anton" was originally written in the first person, a standard voice for a memoir, but Rushdie changed it to third-person.

"I had to get beyond the anger and resentment. That's why I waited so long to write it," he said. The objective voice also gives him some emotional distance and allows him to write more "novelistically."

"The thing about an autobiography, in the end, is to tell the truth," he said. "Otherwise, why write it?"

St. Thomas Aquinas High School Announces 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award

Gina (McCabe) Pike (courtesy photo)

DOVER -

St. Thomas Aquinas High School is pleased to announce Gina (McCabe) Pike, class of 1971, as the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award. As part of St. Thomas’ Homecoming celebration on Friday, October 12, Pike was presented with this honor by principal Kevin Collins during halftime of the football game.

A devoted faculty member at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Pike recently celebrated thirty years at the school. It is estimated that she has taught and enriched the lives of nearly 5,000 students. In that time, she has moderated service-oriented organizations like Key Club and has worked intimately both with Students Against Destructive Decisions and the Student Advisory Board. Pike has constantly worked to serve St. Thomas students, faculty, and the community as a whole.

At the 2012 Baccalaureate celebration, St. Thomas Aquinas High School presented Year of Service awards to faculty and staff members. For thirty years of service, St. Thomas Aquinas traditionally presents a beautiful wooden chair as a gift. In lieu of a chair, Pike asked that the funds be given instead to a member of the senior class to help them defray the costs of college. It is precisely this compassionate and generous spirit that has endeared her to all who know her.

Pike is also proud to be the mother of two STA graduates, Justin, ’99 and Jillian, ’04, the mother-in-law of Becky Pike and Bobby Cote (’04) and the grandmother of Norah Elizabeth Pike and Adalyn Jane Cote.

The St. Thomas community is honored to present this award to a person who not only believes in the mission of St. Thomas, but has continued to live her life as a journey to make a difference in the world. For more information, visit www.stalux.org or call 603- 742-3206.

Great Bay Community College Hosts Event to Honor Governor John Lynch

Governor John Lynch, who is receiving the 1^st annual Walter R. Peterson Education and Public Service award (courtesy photo)

PORTSMOUTH –

The first annual Walter R. Peterson Education and Public Service Award will be presented to Governor John Lynch at a dinner and reception to be held on Sunday, October 28, at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel in New Castle. Close to 300 people from across the state are expected to attend the event hosted by Great Bay Community College. The award, which will be presented annually by the Community College System of New Hampshire, will recognize an individual whose contribution to higher education best exemplifies former Governor Walter Peterson’s values of public service and dedication to higher education. 

After two terms as governor, Peterson served as president of Franklin Pierce College, interim president of the University of New Hampshire, interim commissioner of the New Hampshire Community Technical College System (now the Community College System of New Hampshire), and a trustee of both the University System and Community College System. His involvement in higher education included service as chairman of the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission, chairman of the New Hampshire College and University Council, and chairman and delegate to the New England Board of Higher Education.

“Governor Peterson set a standard for devotion to his fellow citizens, to higher education, and to the New Hampshire way of life,” said CCSNH board chairman Paul Holloway.  “Few people in New Hampshire’s history have had the impact he has had on education, particularly in the areas of access and affordability. We are pleased to honor him, and to recognize Governor John Lynch for his enduring commitment to education.”

Proceeds raised from the event this year will support scholarship assistance for Great Bay Community College students. Albany International Corp. is the lead sponsor of this year’s event. For more information, to sponsor, or to purchase tickets, contact Annette Brennan, director of Institutional and Alumni Development, Great Bay Community College at abrennan@ccsnh.edu or 603-427-7713.

23rd Annual Chili Cook-Off Heats Up at Portsmouth's Prescott Park

PORTSMOUTH –

Prescott Park Arts Festival will present the 23rd Annual WHEB Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, October 13. Once again, the chili cook-off will be paired with Strawbery Banke Museum's Fall Festival, and held on the grounds of Strawbery Banke, directly across the street from Prescott Park.

Gates are set to open at 10 a.m. and the chili serving will commence at 11:30 a.m., continuing until all the chili is gone. More than a dozen restaurants from the Seacoast area and beyond will serve up their best chili in decorated booths for thousands of attendees to sample and enjoy. Restaurants will participate in both the Judge's Choice and the People's Choice award categories, including a Best Veggie category, that carry generous prizes of $1,500 advertising packages from event co-sponsors. WHEB will be on hand to provide live entertainment throughout the event and Redhook Ale Brewery Beer will be served to complement the chili and to round out the day.

The event will also be zero-waste through the use of compostable bowls, and real metallic spoons. “This event has typically used more than 10,000 bowls in the past,” said Ben Anderson, Prescott Park Arts Festival's executive director. “We are proud to be able to divert that from our local landfill, and know that attendees appreciate it as well.” Audience members are asked to make a $1 deposit for their metallic spoon, refunded at the end of the event in exchange for the return of the spoon. Alternatively, patrons are welcomed to bring their own favorite spoon for tasting.

Each year, more than 4,000 residents and visitors attend the Chili Cook-off. Participating restaurants include a mix of newcomers and seasoned Chili Cook-Off veterans. Competing restaurants include Riverworks, Zahtar, Thirsty Moose, Fat Belly's, Dos Amigos, Flatbread Pizza Company, Mojo's, Portsmouth Brewery, Old Salt, Press Room, Dolphin Striker, and The Kitchen.

Chili lovers can fill their bowls to the brim, enjoy a frosty brew, and the discover all the New Hampshire Fall Festival has to offer. The Festival features four centuries of tradition home and farm harvest festivities and visitors will be able to experience a traditional New England country fair.

 Exhibits will include live demonstrations of historic crafts, trades, and home activities. There will also be farm animal and livestock demonstrations as master gardeners and horticulture experts. Local artisans will be displaying and selling their work, and local food vendors will be on hand to provide great food and drink to supplement the chili.

Entrance is free for the Prescott Park Arts Festival and Strawbery Banke Museum members, and tickets are $15 for adults and $6 for youths (12 and under) for the general public. Tickets are available for an advance discount price at www.prescottpark.org

For more information on the festival, or to see a full schedule of events, visit www.prescottpark.org or call 603-436-2848.

Scarecrow Decorating Contest

(courtesy photo)

ROLLINSFORD – Support your local library and participate in a fun, family activity through the second annual Friends of the Rollinsford Public Library Scarecrow Decorating Contest.

The library’s largest fundraising activity of the year, the scarecrow contest is open to Rollinsford families, individuals, service organizations and businesses. The event culminates with the Fall Friends Celebration on Sunday, October 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. outside the library at the Lower Mill in Rollinsford.

“The great thing about this event is that it’s inexpensive and fun, yet a great way to support the library,” said Tia Pass, president of The Friends of the Rollinsford Public Library. “Both the project of building a scarecrow and the celebration at the library are traditional fall activities that are fun for families, all while supporting an important cause.”

There is a small $5 fee to register for the contest plus the cost to decorate. Simply register by October 14 in person at the library at 3 Front Street or online at rollinsfordlibrary.org. Families are welcome to build multiple scarecrows. Build your scarecrow however you like. Be creative but keep them tasteful. Scarecrows should be built to withstand the elements, i.e., rain, wind and sun.

Alison and Dan Cullity of South Street participated in the 2011 scarecrow decorating contest with their kids Stella, 6, Shane, 4, and Deirdre, now 12 months. The family made a clown scarecrow finding the necessary pieces – a wig, clothes and a jack o’lantern - around the house.

“It probably took us just a few hours to assemble our scarecrow,” Alison said. “We had a fun time picking through the kids’ dress up clothes to see what would make the wackiest clown scarecrow. The kids definitely had a say on what the scarecrow would look like.  They are excited to do it again this year.”

Once registered for the contest, participants will be provided a registration number which should be added to your scarecrow. Post your scarecrow in a public spot such as outside of your home or business. Submit a photo of your scarecrow to rollinsfordlibrary@comcast.net. Then tell friends, family, neighbors and co-workers to vote for your scarecrow at the library or online at the library’s Web site. Voting costs just $1.

On October 21, bring your scarecrow to the Lower Mill for the Fall Friends Celebration where prizes for first-, second- and third-place will be awarded to contest winners. Scarecrows must be present to win. Voting ends at 3:55 p.m. on October 21.

At the Fall Friends Celebration, from 2-4 p.m., the public is also welcome to tour the library, vote on their favorite scarecrow, and enjoy concessions, kids’ crafts and games. Concessions are being sold for a small fee, all to benefit the library.

Pass said fundraisers like the scarecrow contest and the chocolate tasting in the spring make it possible for the library to have extended hours, services such as public computers and Wi-Fi access, as well as new books, magazines, and other current materials for lending.

For more information about scarecrow contest or The Friends of the Rollinsford Public Library e-mail rollinsfordlibrary@comcast.net or call 603-516-2665.

Children’s Museum Celebrates 1st Anniversary of Special Alzheimer’s Program

Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (courtesy photo)

DOVER –

On Thursday, October 18 from 2 to 4 p.m., the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire will celebrate the one-year anniversary of its Alzheimer’s Café program. The Museum launched the first Alzheimer’s Café in the Eastern United States in October 2011 and has attracted widespread attention from families affected by dementia as well as healthcare professionals. The first anniversary café will feature live music, ice cream and a birthday cake provided by Langdon Place.

The Alzheimer's Café is held at the Children's Museum in Dover on the third Thursday of each month from 2-4 pm. People living with Alzheimer's disease are welcomed during this time, along with their family members and care partners, to gather in a supportive, non-clinical setting to chat, relax, enjoy refreshments and socialize. Reservations are not needed and there is no cost to attend, though donations are accepted.

“This concept of offering a regular social gathering for people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia began in Europe,” said Paula Rais, director of community engagement for the Children’s Museum of NH. “People often find themselves feeling depressed and self-conscious after being diagnosed, and the people in their network may also feel in need of support. Having a regular place to go and meet others in a purely social setting each month can provide a welcome destination with an understanding community of people.”

The launch of the Alzheimer’s Café at the Museum followed on the heels of another successful community initiative called Exploring Our Way – The Children's Museum of NH's Autism Partnership Program. This program has achieved high attendance and acclaim since it began in March 2010. Exploring Our Way is held at the Museum on the second Sunday morning of each month for families with children on the autism spectrum at no cost. This program takes place when the Museum is closed to the public and offers families the chance to explore the Museum together, with support from museum staff, trained volunteers and special materials such as mapping tools and social stories.

For more information about the Alzheimer's Café or Exploring Our Way, contact Rais via email at paula@childrens-museum.org or by phone at 603-742-2002.

Portsmouth Nurse Shares Story of Survival

By Pat Sommers

Staff Columnist

PORTSMOUTH –

A single telephone call prompted Jean Smith to begin shaping a “new normal” in her life.

“My doctor called me and said I probably had breast cancer,” Smith said of that phone call 20 years ago. 

The Portsmouth nurse practitioner had just undergone a routine mammogram. The film image produced by the mammogram immediately raised concerns with the physician who reacted quickly. A biopsy was ordered and was subsequently performed by a surgeon.

“Three or four days later I had the bad news,” Smith recalled. The diagnosis of breast cancer was confirmed. She was just 45.

A wife and mother of two, Smith was promptly scheduled for a mastectomy and for reconstructive surgery. Six months of chemotherapy followed.

In observance of October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Jean Smith agreed to share her experience with breast cancer and its treatment and to emphasize to other women the importance of self-examination and scheduling regular mammograms.

“It saved my life,” she said of the screening procedure which aids in early detection of breast cancer. Early detection can be a critical factor in successful treatment.

“If I hadn’t had a mammogram,” Smith said, “I might have gone three or four years until I felt something in my breast.”

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women, according to the Maine Cancer Foundation. It ranks second among cancer deaths in women, falling right behind lung cancer in current statistics.

As a nurse, Smith said she knew of breast cancer patients who had undergone treatment and “were fine.” But thoughts of the side effects she knew sometimes accompany chemotherapy were unsettling.

“I was horrified at the idea of being sick all the time,” she admitted. But the nausea she anticipated was limited, and Smith was able to continue working at her part-time job at York Hospital in York, Maine. “I worked the whole time,” she said.

The diagnosis was difficult for her entire family, she said, noting daughter Courtney was only 16 at the time, and her older daughter, Jennifer, was a college freshmen about to take end-of-semester exams. “I got the diagnosis during finals week,” Smith recalled, “and I didn’t want to put that pressure on her. I called one of her friends to find out when her toughest exams were and then I waited until they were over to tell her.”

Smith’s husband of 42 years accompanied her to appointments for doctor visits and treatments in Portland, Maine, where cancer care facilities were based at that time.

 “It was rough for them to see me go through it,” she said, “but our faith made it easier. We managed it as a family.”

Those insights are a part of what she shares as co-facilitator of the York Hospital Breast Cancer Survivors Group. The group, with just under 100 members, meets monthly for sessions she said are both fun and valuable, particularly for newly diagnosed women coping with the enormity of the illness and the demands of its treatment.

“You find a new normal in your life,” Smith advises these women. “You change your priorities.”

Smith, who has been cancer-free for two decades, made such a change when at age 50 she returned to school, enrolling at the University of Southern Maine and becoming a nurse practitioner. She now works for a private family practice in Portsmouth, N.H.

She also takes part in an annual Walk for Hope sponsored by the survivor group. The volunteer-run summer event benefits York Hospital, the Maine Breast Cancer Coalition and the Women’s Cancer Fund of the Maine Cancer Foundation, all of which provide services to the women of the Pine Tree State.

Medical experts in Maine anticipate that about 1,100 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during the next year. A similar number of new cases are expected to be reported in New Hampshire. That is why hospitals and other health organizations in the region are offering a variety of events and services to help Seacoast women and others learn more about their personal wellness and manage it effectively.

“We are providing several opportunities for the community to become better educated about breast health,” said Nancy Notis, associate director of marketing and public affairs for Portsmouth Regional Hospital in New Hampshire.

As part of its observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the hospital will offer a free lecture, “Taking the ‘Scary’ Out of Your Diagnosis,” on Saturday, October 5, and a “Teacher’s Event” mammogram party on October 17. The hospital launched the observance on Monday with a community lecture on breast reconstruction.

Families First Heath and Support Center, a community health center and family resource center serving the Seacoast region of New Hampshire and southern Maine, will offer a free breast and cervical cancer screening clinic this month, according to Margie Wachtel, communications director.

Families First, which also provides affordable primary health care for people of all ages, prenatal care, dental care and parenting and family programs, will offer screenings on October 24 for women age 40 and over or who have not had a pap examination for at least three years, who have no health insurance or are covered by high-deductible policies, and who meet income guidelines, according to Wachtel.

All women should have a baseline mammogram by age 40, said Jane Cummings, a registered nurse with Families First. This initial screening provides experts with an image with which the results of subsequent mammograms can be compared to detect changes in breast tissue. After the baseline screening, women should schedule mammograms every year or two, depending on personal history and the advice of their healthcare providers, experts say.

Cummings, who is handling appointment requests for the October 24 event, said the fear that sometimes prompts a woman to delay having a mammogram is unfounded.

“Certainly some women have heard tales of the discomfort in having a mammogram,” she said. “Others are just afraid of learning the results.”

But healthcare providers are increasingly aware that “there is a lot of anxiety” associated with mammograms, and improvements have been made, she noted.

“It really has been improved, and it is more comfortable,” she said of newer breast screening equipment that may be bolstered with soft padding or warmed slightly where surfaces touch delicate skin.

“They certainly try to make it more comfortable,” she said of mammogram technicians, and results are available more promptly, often within 24 hours, which eliminates the days of worry many women experienced.

Follow-up treatment is included in Families First care, Cummings noted.

Appointments for the October 24 screenings should be made with Jane Cummings at 603-422-8208, extension 222. Space is limited but should a need be indicated a waiting list will be assembled, Cummings said, and additional clinics will be scheduled.