Hello Friends,

What a year it has been. Expansions, awards, events, advocacy, workforce development, program achievements and delivery of services to approximately 7,000 people across the state. This issue of Along the Way will give you just some of the highlights of our 172nd year. And along the way, not a day goes by that we don’t realize how lucky we are to have people like you by our side.

A monumental project that culminated this year is the opening of our youth resource centers and overnight emergency shelter for young people experiencing homelessness in New Hampshire. This expansion has been a dream in the making since we launched our Runaway and Homeless Youth programs back in the '70s.

Our advocacy program marked its 50th year with a conference that explored the future of child advocacy as it relates to child abuse prevention. Our advocacy team will enter the coming year continuing to fight for (among other things) a restorative approach to juvenile justice, and policy shifts to support senior care.

At our Manchester headquarters, which features an array of family support programs, we merited designation as a Family Resource Center of Quality. This site follows our Nashua center in achieving the coveted “Q.”

Certainly, our special events made a big difference in enabling us to fund programs in regions around the state. Our SleepOut and WZID Christmas is for Kids Radiothon continued to engage the community in our cause, and we added two new events as well: The Summer FamJam to support our Family Resource Center in the Upper Valley, and Touch-a-Truck, to support early intervention services in our Seacoast region.

And just to prove that the community has been watching, we picked up a few accolades along the way, including the prestigious Business and Industry Advantage award, and the Best of the 603 in which over 80,000 people cast their votes during a Manchester Radio Group statewide campaign.

Of course, all these good things (and more) are driven by our 300-member staff who never cease to amaze with their courage, commitment, competence and creativity. You should know that, behind the scenes, we are working hard to build capacities and have developed a number of committees and training opportunities in everything from DEI to mindful leadership to ethics. We continue to evolve with the times, growing a staff that better reflects the populations we serve and fostering our agency culture. After all, in order to be the agency of choice for people who need help, we must also be the agency of choice for people who can provide it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this publication. I hope you’ll feel good about the work being done and motivated to join us knowing that there is always more to do as we power forward, together, into the next era of human service and social change.

Thank you again for your support. I wish you a happy holiday season and a hopeful 2023

Borja Alvarez de Toledo

President/CEO