Valley Quest

Check out the hottest new vendors and returning favorites! Samples are listed if the vendor has provided sampling information. Vendors will also have [...]

Join our team as a Communications Intern this summer!

Are you looking for a summer internship in the Upper Valley? Do you know someone who is? Vital Communities is looking for an intern to assist our Comm [...]

Have You Seen Our New Logo?

Have You Seen Our New Logo? What do you think?! Vital Communities brings people together to cultivate civic, environmental, and economic vitality [...]

The Housing Shortage Affects All of Us

It is no secret that there is a shortage of homes to buy or rent in the Upper Valley. That shortage affects all of us. Read more in this Valley New [...]

Party Time! Annual Open House & a Concert!

Join us at The Engine Room to celebrate 25 years of Vital Communities making a positive difference in the Upper Valley! Get to know our staff, board, [...]

Think Local First and Save!

Local and independent businesses bring value to our communities in many ways: preserving community character, creating stable jobs, supporting area or [...]

Crossroad Farm is the BOM!

Crossroad Farm is the Local First Alliance November Business of the Month and to celebrate they are raffling off all the fixing for a Thanksgiving fea [...]

Bringing ‘Visions of a Better World’ to Your Community

Join Vital Communities for a community discussion on “Visions of a Better World: Social Movements for Transformation.” We will consider how millio [...]

Business Leaders Housing Breakfast

We had a packed house at the Fall Business Leaders Housing Breakfast, with more than 180 community members registered to attend. We gained insights [...]

Donuts & Hogwarts: A Transit Travel Training Case Study

One thing a group of Millennial cartoonists doesn’t need is help using a smartphone app – especially an intuitive one that shows the real-time loc [...]

Upcoming Events

	April 2019
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
	1	2 Strong Towns Founder Chuck Marohn in Claremont Strong Towns Founder Chuck Marohn in Claremont Starts: 6:30 pm Ends: April 2, 2019 - 8:30 pm Location: Claremont Savings Bank Community Center, 152 South St, Claremont, NH 03743, USA Description: Strong Towns founder Chuck Marohn will present what communities around the country are doing to restore and maintain the vitality of their towns. Claremont Community Center 6:30 - 8:30 PM. www.strongtowns.org More details... •	3	4 Beginning Farmer Meet-Up Beginning Farmer Meet-Up Starts: 3:00 pm Ends: April 4, 2019 - 5:00 pm Location: Babe's Bar, 221 Main St, Bethel, VT 05032, USA Description: Calling all new farmers in the White River valley! The High Meadows Fund is supporting a series of free peer-to-peer gatherings for beginning farmers to build community and learn. The goal of the project is to create a social network of new farmers to connect and share experiences in ways that support the success of their farm businesses. Each meet-up features a local expert with a short, casual presentation on an important, relevant topic. Each session also includes free dinner! Details on each session here. Please RSVP to lauren@vitalcommunities.org if you plan to attend. More details... •	5	6
7 Flavors of the Valley Flavors of the Valley Starts: 11:00 am Ends: April 7, 2019 - 3:00 pm Location: Hartford High School, 37 Highland Ave, White River Junction, VT 05001, USA Description: Taste the flavors of the Upper Valley at the 18th annual premier local food tasting expo, with samples from over 45 farm and food-related vendors. Attendees enjoy fresh produce, artisan bread, award-winning cheeses, tasty jams, hand-crafted sweets, goat milk gelato, and many other delicious local goods. More details to come! https://vitalcommunities.org/flavors/ More details... •	8	9	10 Leadership Upper Valley - Transportation and Livable Communities Day Leadership Upper Valley - Transportation and Livable Communities Day Starts: 8:00 am Ends: April 10, 2019 - 4:00 pm Location: TBD - Description: This is a Vital Communities Leadership Upper Valley Class of 2019 event. If you'd like to apply for next year's LUV Class, please contact Rob Schultz at rob@vitalcommunities.org. LUV alumni are welcome at current year classes with advanced notice. Please contact Rob for details. More details... •	11 Let’s Talk About Climate Change! - Upper Valley Adaptation Workgroup Forum Let’s Talk About Climate Change! - Upper Valley Adaptation Workgroup Forum Starts: 4:30 pm Ends: April 11, 2019 - 8:00 pm Location: Hypertherm Inc, 71 Heater Rd, Lebanon, NH 03766, USA Description: Join us at our spring forum to learn effective strategies for communicating about climate change. Christa Daniels, PhD from Antioch University, will lead us through a series of exercises that will help you learn how to address common climate change misconceptions, build skills to feel more comfortable talking about climate change with friends and neighbors, and tactfully bring up climate change at the next community party without being a “downer”. Suggested $7 donation at the door. Space is limited, registration required. https://vitalcommunities.org/adaptation More details... Beginning Farmer Meet-Up Beginning Farmer Meet-Up Starts: 5:00 pm Ends: April 11, 2019 - 7:00 pm Location: Arnold Block, 245 Main St, Bethel, VT 05032, USA Description: Calling all new farmers in the White River valley! The High Meadows Fund is supporting a series of free peer-to-peer gatherings for beginning farmers to build community and learn. The goal of the project is to create a social network of new farmers to connect and share experiences in ways that support the success of their farm businesses. Each meet-up features a local expert with a short, casual presentation on an important, relevant topic. Each session also includes free dinner! Details on each session here. Please RSVP to lauren@vitalcommunities.org if you plan to attend. More details... • •	12	13
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21	22 Everyday Bicycling Basics: Fix A Flat & More Everyday Bicycling Basics: Fix A Flat & More Starts: 6:30 pm Ends: April 22, 2019 - 8:30 pm Location: The Newton School, 243 VT-132, South Strafford, VT Description: This easy, welcoming workshop for beginners gives you the skills to manage common problems encountered on a bike ride. While learning how to change a tire, you’ll become familiar with brakes, chain/gears, and how to remove a wheel. Participants leave with free tire levers, chain lube, and patch kit! Bring a bike to practice on, if you have one. Hands-on practice will be done in pairs, and there are always enough bikes to go around! Please note: many entry-level bikes aren’t designed for much adjustment and can be frustrating to work on. If you have questions about whether to bring your bike to this workshop, call 802.291.9100 x111 or e-mail bethany@vitalcommunities.org. More details... •	23	24	25 UVTMA Monthly Meeting UVTMA Monthly Meeting Starts: 4:00 pm Ends: April 25, 2019 - 5:30 pm Location: Lebanon City Hall, North Park Street, Lebanon, NH (unless otherwise noted) Description: We meet in the West Meeting Room, by the City Council Chambers. We typically NO NOT meet in August and December. More details... •	26	27
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Go to the Full Calendar

Our
Core
Values

About Us

Vital Communities’ agenda and programs emerge from, and are driven by, regional needs and community interests.

As a neutral convener, Vital Communities brings diverse people and organizations together to devise and implement collaborative solutions.

Vital Communities takes on issues where regional coordination and leadership can achieve results.

Greatest Hits

You're Invited! The 12th Annual Upper Valley Energy Committee Roundtable is Tuesday, May 7, 5-8 pm in West Lebanon! This annual gathering of local energy volunteers is open to all, whether you serve on an energy committee, wish to ...more

April Meet-Up Series for Beginning Farmers

We have an exciting project for new farmers in the White River valley portion of our region! The High Meadows Fund is supporting a series of free peer-to-peer gatherings for beginning farmers to build community and learn. ...more

Dazzlingly Reflective, 80's Style

We love pairing style with nighttime visibility, so we've ordered REFLECTIVE SLAP BRACELETS to reward people who bike or walk to Flavors of the Valley on Sunday, April 7! If you bike and walk to the ...more

The Benefit of B Corps

Certified Benefit Corporations are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by government and nonprofits alone. The B Corp community works toward reduced inequality, lower levels of ...more

Intern with Valley Quest!

Are you passionate about the Upper Valley? Do you feel motivated to share our region’s special places with the community at large? Love working with people of all ages? Vital Communities is looking for a ...more

Eat. Meet. Buy. Flavors of the Valley 2019 Vendors are here!

Check out the hottest new vendors and returning favorites! Samples are listed if the vendor has provided sampling information. Vendors will also have many delicious items for sale! April 7, 11 am - 3 pm at Hartford ...more

Apply for a Farm to School Mini-Grant!

We are excited to announce the 2019 mini-grant program from Vital Communities' Upper Valley Farm to School Network! Funding is available to both Vermont and New Hampshire schools. Start dreaming up your farm-to-school projects—we want ...more

Thinking Local First

Shop or Buy Local First is a common call to action. The threat to local businesses with competition from online commerce is real and growing, so it is important to patronize local businesses if we ...more

Get your bike, boots, or shoes ready!

Get your bike, boots, or shoes ready! From our friends at Local Motion comes the Winter Edition of Vermont's Bike-Walk Challenge, February 1 to 8! Simply record two bike or walk commutes in the Go! Vermont app ...more

Local First Members Give Back!

Locally owned businesses are rooted in the Upper Valley and donate time and money to the community every month of the year as they support nonprofits, schools, and communities. Keep your dollars where your heart and support ...more

Seeking Bids from Solar Installers by Nov. 30

Vital Communities is teaming up with Kearsarge Climate Action to launch a Solarize Kearsarge campaign in spring 2019, following on the tails of the upcoming Weatherize Kearsarge campaign launching in January 2019. We are seeking proposals ...more

Thank you, Ben!

This summer we had the privilege of working with Ben Fletcher, pictured second from left. Ben brought an incredibly well suited array of skills to Vital Communities and was a boon to the Valley Quest ...more

Donuts & Hogwarts: A Transit Travel Training Case Study

One thing a group of Millennial cartoonists doesn’t need is help using a smartphone app – especially an intuitive one that shows the real-time location of buses in the rural transit system, Advance Transit. No, ...more

Bird and Quest

The Vermont Center for Ecostudies lists 382 species of bird that occur in Vermont, whether year-long resident or migratory visitor. The VCE’s Vermont Atlas of Life citizen science operation has recorded sightings of 332 of ...more

Lebanon Area Businesses - Join us on Sept. 27

So many small businesses in the Upper Valley are burdened with high energy costs. And not enough time to do anything about it! We've got some good news for you. A group of Lebanon residents are ...more

A Lot Lighter with More Hands: Leadership Upper Valley

On the bright, sunny morning of June 13, Cobb Hill was waking up, and the soon-to-be graduating 2018 Leadership Upper Valley class was just arriving for their final meeting. Before the ceremony at Harpoon Brewery, ...more

Longevity & Commitment: Keynote Remarks from Heroes & Leaders 2018

Editor's Note: Many thanks to Kevin Peterson, Director of Economic Development for the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, who offered the keynote speech at our May 3 Heroes & Leaders celebration. Read his complete remarks ...more

Long-Standing Stewards: Heroes & Leaders 2018

Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts a Heroes & Leaders celebration to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the greater Upper Valley region. This year, Heroes & Leaders is ...more

Vital Communities Staff

Tom Roberts

Executive Director

Tom Roberts joined Vital Communities as Executive Director in February 2015. A resident of Cobb Hill Cohousing in Hartland, Vermont, Tom has more than a decade of successful leadership experience in Upper Valley nonprofits, including as a Senior Philanthropic Advisor at the Vermont Community Foundation, and prior to that as Executive Director at the Ottauquechee Health Foundation in Woodstock. Before moving to the Upper Valley in 2002, Tom worked as an attorney both in a small litigation and government practice firm, and for the Homeless Advocacy Project with the Bar Association of San Francisco. He has worked in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors on issues of justice, housing, children, and healthcare. He holds a B.A. in English from Stanford University, a law degree from the University of California’s Boalt Hall School of Law, and is a graduate of the Vermont Leadership Institute.

802.291.9100 x101

Sarah Brock

Energy Program Manager

Energy

Sarah Brock joined Vital Communities in 2013 as our Energy Program Manager. Through her work Sarah provides support for our region’s 40+ local energy committees, engaging with dozens of volunteers and clean energy businesses in programs like Solarize Upper Valley, Weatherize Upper Valley, and the Upper Valley Green Real Estate Network. Prior to joining the Vital Communities team, Sarah was an Environmental Philanthropy Associate with the High Meadows Fund, a supporting organization of the Vermont Community Foundation. Sarah now lives in Warner, New Hampshire, with her husband Zach and her chickens. When she's not busy advocating for energy efficiency, Sarah enjoys playing the trombone and taking walks in her backwoods to look for signs of New Hampshire's abundant wildlife.

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Rachel Darrow

Finance and Events Manager

Rachel Darrow joined Vital Communities in November 2016 after two years as Finance Manager of Opera North. Prior to moving to Lyme, N.H., she worked for more than eight years with the Greensboro Jewish Federation in Greensboro, N.C., most recently serving as Director of Finance and Human Resources. She graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English from the University of Maryland University College and an MA in Liberal Arts from St. John's College. Rachel currently serves on the United Way Campaign Cabinet, dances with The Raqs Salaam Dance Theater, and enjoys spending time with her three goats.

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Bethany Fleishman

Transportation Program Manager

Transportation

Bethany Fleishman was born at the old Mary Hitchcock hospital in Hanover, N.H., grew up in West Hartford, Vt., and now lives in Hartford Village, where she can see the White River and the trains from her window. She has a biology degree from St. Lawrence University and has worked in public health outreach, as a line cook in San Francisco, a pastry chef in Hanover, and as a member of the Town of Hartford Selectboard. She serves on the board of directors for both Advance Transit and Upper Valley CarShare and is a lifelong bike commuter.

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Lauren Griswold

Valley Quest and Volunteer Coordinator, Valley Food & Farm Program Assistant

Valley Quest Food & Farm

Lauren Griswold joined Vital Communities in May 2017 to coordinate Power of Produce (POP) clubs at Upper Valley farmers' markets and farmstands. In August 2017 she became our Valley Quest and Volunteer Coordinator, in addition to her role as the Valley Food & Farm Program Assistant. Lauren grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Vermont in 2011 with a Bachelor's degree in English and Environmental Studies. Her passion for sustainable agriculture took her out West, where she served as a garden educator in Bend, Oregon. After an enriching chapter in the high desert, Lauren is thrilled to be back in central Vermont. She is passionate about the rich communities and natural beauty of the Upper Valley, and enjoys engaging the next generation with wonder and enthusiasm about this special place. In her free time, Lauren can be found mountain biking, cross country skiing, gardening, knitting, and savoring meals with friends and family.

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Paige Heverly

Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator

Transportation Energy

Paige Heverly joined Vital Communities in 2017 as the Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator. Hailing from the suburbs of Philadelphia, she moved to Vermont in 2011 and earned a joint BA in Renewable Energy and Ecological Design and Environmental Studies from Green Mountain College. After completing her Master of Energy Regulation and Law from Vermont Law School, Paige worked in energy efficiency consulting in Portland, Oregon. Her love of local food systems, the White River, and the Green Mountains brought her back to the Upper Valley to work on regional issues with localized solutions. Paige is passionate about closing ecological loops and treating waste as food. In her free time, she enjoys baking homemade English muffins, weeding her garden, and writing letters to her pen pals.

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Mike Kiess

Workforce Housing Coordinator

Mike Kiess joined Vital Communities in July of 2018 as the Workforce Housing Coordinator, working to develop and strengthen workforce housing throughout the Upper Valley. Mike previously oversaw organizational development for Veteran Corps of America, a federal contractor in the field of emergency and disaster response. He moved to the Upper Valley in 2011 after years spent living and working across the US and abroad, serving as a Navy submarine officer aboard the USS Lewis and Clark, an administrative director for the United States Peace Corps, and as a project manager in the paper and steel businesses. Mike is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and holds an MBA from Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management. He lives in Thetford with his wife, who grew up in the area, and enjoys mountain biking, volunteering on the town Energy Committee, and encouraging people to try new things and do their best.

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Nancy LaRowe

Local First Manager and Valley Food & Farm Coordinator

Food & Farm

Nancy joined Vital Communities as the Valley Food & Farm Coordinator in 2014. She works to support and grow our local food system and economy. Nancy has lived, worked, and farmed in the Upper Valley for more than 25 years and believes our community is healthier and stronger when our connections to food and the farms that produce it stay vital.

Nancy's informal job title is Farmer-in-Residence: she also runs a pasture-based cattle farm in Norwich, Vt. Nancy is on the Board of the Norwich Farmers' Market, and a retired Norwich volunteer firefighter and EMT. She loves puttering in the garden, hiking with her dog, and visiting farmers' markets.

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Elyse Payson

Assistant to the Executive Director

Elyse Payson first became acquainted with Vital Communities after mistaking a Valley Quest treasure box for litter while out hiking. She joined the Vital Communities staff in July 2017 as Assistant to the Executive Director, with many years of administrative and management experience at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, MedU, and as a private consultant. A lifelong resident of the Upper Valley, Elyse enjoys hiking with her children, including on Valley Quests.

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Carole Petrillo

Bookkeeper and Office Manager

Carole Petrillo joined Vital Communities in 2013 as Bookkeeper, Office Manager, and Human Resource Manager. She is also a longtime yoga instructor and practitioner. Since arriving in Vermont in the 1980s, Carole has sought work and play where it contributes to services to lead a healthy lifestyle. Working at Vital Communities is a team effort to practice these goals in the workplace and in our community. Carole takes pleasure in contributing to make the office run smoothly and helping to support Vital Communities’ great programs. Carole grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., where she embraced winter – her favorite season. When not working, you can find her enjoying the adventures of skiing endless wooded trails with Jimmy, her partner and best friend. During all the other seasons, look for her on some mountaintop in the White Mountains or the Adirondack Mountains, her favorite playgrounds.

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Allison Rogers Furbish

Communications and Database Manager

Allison Rogers Furbish joined Vital Communities after a decade-long career in local journalism and public relations in the Upper Valley. A native of Lebanon, N.H., she has a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic, an MBA in Sustainable Business from Green Mountain College, and a passion for telling stories that help make the community more sustainable and vibrant. She was the Founding Editor of The Lebanon Times, a hyperlocal newspaper launched in 2013 to cover the “good people, good places, and good things happening” in the city. She lives in Canaan, N.H., where she enjoys the sights and sounds of nature, explores the local trails and waterways, and is slowly learning to garden with her husband and two children. Outside of work, she loves to bake, eat, read, hike, ride her bike on the Northern Rail Trail (with kids in tow!), and spend time with her family.

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Beth Roy

Valley Food & Farm Manager

Food & Farm

Before joining Vital Communities, Beth Roy worked in the environmental and place-based education fields for 17 years in various positions around New England including at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and as the Director of Education at the Nature Museum in Grafton, Vt. Beth is also on the boards of the Vermont Science Teacher Association (VSTA) and the Vermont State-Wide Environmental Education Programs (SWEEP), a coalition of dozens of individuals and organizations promoting sustainability and environmental education in Vermont. Beth is a New Hampshire native and lives in Hartland, Vt., with her husband and two children. When Beth is not working you will find her exploring the woods around her home with her family or cooking up a new taste test (made of local foods, of course!) for her children.

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Rob Schultz

Leadership Upper Valley Manager, Director of Development

Leadership UV

Rob Schultz is the Leadership Upper Valley Manager and Director of Development at Vital Communities. Most recently, he served as Area Coordinator for Granite United Way in the Upper Valley Region. Rob was Executive Director of COVER Home Repair in White River Junction for 9 years. Before working at COVER, Rob was Executive Director for the Farm & Wilderness Foundation for 8 years; helped start a corporate training center for PT Timah in Sumatra Indonesia; and ran programs for Outward Bound in Minnesota, Texas, and New Mexico. He is a graduate of Earlham College and has done graduate work at University of Maryland in International Political Economy. He lives in Hanover with his partner Diane. He sings with Thetford Chamber Singers and is an avid carpenter, cellist, wilderness traveler, and gardener.

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Becka Warren

Valley Food & Farm Communications Coordinator

Food & Farm

Part of Vital Communities' Valley Food & Farm team since 2012, Becka fosters relationships that keep agriculture a daily part of community life in the Upper Valley. She works with current and future farmers, businesses, schools, and partners across Vermont and New Hampshire to build connections that support farm viability and keep our landscapes working. Becka lived in Seattle for many years, where she worked for the Washington State University Small Farms Program, Cascade Harvest Coalition, Seattle Tilth, and area vegetable farms. Becka is also a writer, founding and writing Ask Umbra at gristmagazine.com until 2009. She holds a BA from Brown University and lives in Hartland, Vermont, with her family.

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What's Happening

Upcoming Events

April 2019

Greatest Hits

Photo Gallery

Program NEWS

Vital Communities Staff

Tom Roberts

Sarah Brock

Rachel Darrow

Bethany Fleishman

Lauren Griswold

Paige Heverly

Mike Kiess

Nancy LaRowe

Elyse Payson

Carole Petrillo

Allison Rogers Furbish

Beth Roy

Rob Schultz

Becka Warren

Want more information?