Welcome to the Upper Valley!

Friendly communities. Beautiful natural surroundings. Fresh, local food. Businesses and nonprofit organizations that care about the place we call home. There’s a lot to love about the Upper Valley!

Vital Communities is here to help you get to know the region. Explore the resources below to find ways to connect with your community today.

Explore the Upper Valley

Find a Quest

Valley Quest is an award-winning, place-based education program that uses treasure hunts to celebrate community, natural history, cultural sites, stories, and special places. Discover the Upper Valley’s hidden gems on one of our 200+ Quests.

Want to support the local economy when you shop? Check out our Local First Alliance member directory to find local restaurants, retail shops, service providers, and more. Look for the logo and Think Local First!

Think Local First

Find a Local Business

Eat Valley Farm Fresh

Find Local Food

Our online guide is the easiest way to find local food and farm products in the Upper Valley. Simply indicate the product or service you’re looking for and we’ll give you a detailed list of all the local places to find it.

Whether you’re commuting to work or heading to school, we make it easy to figure out how to get there with resources for carpooling, active commuting, and local public transit. You can even calculate the annual cost of your commute.

Get Going!

Find Transportation Options

Sign Up!

Join the Discussion

Woodstock Green 2Looking for an easy way to keep in touch with your neighbors and what’s happening in your town? Our local community email discussion lists allow members to post and respond to messages about their town. Join your local list to get connected—and if you don’t see it on our list, check with your town about whether there’s something similar for your community.

Lifelong Learning

The Upper Valley is the perfect place to continue your building your education, your professional network, and yourself.

Vital Communities’ program Leadership Upper Valley provides UV residents with a comprehensive knowledge of leadership and volunteer opportunities within the Upper Valley. Classes meet once a month for ten months.

OSHER@Dartmouth is a lifelong learning institute within Dartmouth College dedicated to educating Upper Valley residents with year-round study opportunities.

The Learning Lab (TLL) is a nonprofit organization in Woodstock, Vermont that brings together an array of valuable courses, from art to history to dream analysis, and is open to the entire community.

Upper Valley Young Professionals (UVYP) brings the Upper Valley community of young professionals together for educational opportunities and social networking events in the area.

Adventures in Learning at Colby Sawyer College is dedicated to helping adults expand their education and knowledge of the world in an informal, no-pressure setting.

Want to Volunteer?

Trek to Taste 2014

Whether you’re new to the Upper Valley, or you have  lived here for a while, you may be looking for new ways to volunteer. Fortunately, here are plenty of ways to give back to this region.

By becoming a box monitor for the Vital Communities’ Valley Quest program, you can explore the area around you while making sure Valley Quest boxes are in place and ready to be found by other Questers.

The Valley News, the news source of the Upper Valley, runs a volunteer section in which new (and continuous) volunteer job opportunities are listed, making applying for some of them as easy as clicking “apply.”

Once a year Hypertherm, in conjunction with the Hypertherm HOPE Foundation, hold a volunteer fair in an effort to encourage Upper Valley residents and Hypertherm employees to volunteer their time with local nonprofits.

Remember to check out our calendar to find even more volunteer opportunities within the Upper Valley.

Get the News!

Want to know what’s going on in the Upper Valley? Then get the news!

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Other Work of Vital Communities

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Community Discussion Lists

Community engagement thru online discussions (“listservs”).

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Corporate Council

Business leaders working on issues facing our region.

Learn More  >

Publications

Spring Newsletter

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Annual Report

FY2015 Annual Report

Fall Newsletter

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Board of Directors

Our Programs

ValleyQuest_LogoMark.green

Valley Quest

LEARN MORE ›

Discover our special places.

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Transportation

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Working to reduce reliance on driving alone.

Leadership Upper Valley

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Inspiring, educating, and engaging leaders.

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Valley Food & Farm

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Keeping agriculture a vital part of regional life.

Local First Alliance

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Pursuing a thriving local economy.

Energy

LEARN MORE ›

Moving towards energy independence.

Officers:
Bill Geraghty, Hanover, NH, Chair
Clifton Below, Lebanon, NH, Vice Chair
Stan Williams, Norwich, VT, Secretary
George Newcomb, Norwich, VT, Treasurer

Ellen Arnold, Plainfield, NH
Jenn Hayslett, S. Royalton, VT
Jenny Levy, Norwich VT
Barry McCabe, West Hartford, VT
Ron Shaiko, Hanover, NH
Cindi Taylor, Meriden, NH

Janet Taylor, Post Mills, VT
Peter Thurber, Canaan, NH
Dan Weinstein, Grantham, NH
Tuck Students:
Ryan Amica, Hanover, NH
Sebastian Restrepo, Hanover, NH

Advisory Council

Clay Adams, Norwich, VT
Lisa Cashdan, Norwich, VT
Jon Chaffee, West Lebanon, NH
Steve Christy, Lebanon, NH
Delia Clark, Taftsville,VT
Glenn English, Haverhill, NH
Charlotte Faulkner, Hanover, NH
Sharon Francis, Charlestown, NH
Byron Hathorn, Fairlee, VT

Rick Hausman, Ryegate,VT
Harvey Hill, Charlestown, NH
Sandra Hoeh, Hanover, NH
Henry Homeyer, Cornish Flat, NH
Biddy Irwin, Newport, NH
Barbara Jones, Grantham, NH
Peggy Kannenstine, Woodstock, VT
Carola Lea, Lyme, NH
Richard Lewin, Hanover, NH
Jane Kitchel McLaughlin, Lyme, NH

Charlotte Metcalf, Norwich,VT
Lizann Peyton, Norwich, VT
Bill Ploog, Lyme, NH
Betty Porter, Norwich, VT
Sylvia Provost, White River Junction, VT
Allie Quinn, Hanover, NH
Barry Schuster, Lebanon, NH
Bruce Schwaegler, Orford, NH
Anne Silberfarb, Norwich, VT

Becky Smith, Concord, NH
Stuart V. Smith, Lyme, NH
Vicki Smith, Lyme, NH
Peter Stein, Norwich, VT
Steve Taylor, Meriden, NH
Fred Thomas, Thetford, VT
Peter Welch, Hartland, VT
Diana Wright, Thetford, VT

Vital Communities Program News

Leasing Your Land to a Farmer

Leasing Your Land to a Farmer Workshop Join Vital Communities and Land For Good to learn about leasing your land to a farmer. This workshop is for private landowners interested in making their land available to ...more

Food Hub Meeting Notes

The goal of the activities during the food hub meeting was to collect information from participants about pain points in the food system and prioritization of uses/functions of a shared food/farm facility. You'll find a summary of ...more

Vital Communities & VT Climate Commission

  This summer I got a call from Montpelier asking me to serve as the transportation representative on Governor Phil Scott’s Climate Action Commission. The 21-member Commission began with an August meeting and four public scoping sessions in September and early ...more

Co-op Food Stores: Nourish. Cultivate. Cooperate.

Since 1936 The Co-op Food Stores has been nourishing our community through their stores, educational activities, and community support. The co-op is owned by more than 20,000 families, and is one of the oldest and most ...more

The Skinny Pancake is the October BOM!

Celebrate our wonderful, community-building, locally owned businesses with Local First Alliance Business of the Month (BOM) The Skinny Pancake will be our October featured business with a delicious promotion and engagement opportunities. Our friends and neighbors are the people behind ...more

Farm to School Forum: King Arthur Flour Bake for Good Kids Program

Join Upper Valley Farm to School Network as we learn how to make the dough!     King Arthur Flour Bake for Good Kids Program Kids LEARN to make bread from scratch. Math + science + reading + baking ...more

Chugga Chugga, Chugga Chugga, VTEN!

The Vermont Transportation Efficiency Network (VTEN), convened semi-annually by the Vital Communities Transportation Program, met on Monday, September 18 to discuss community-driven multi-modal improvements in Brattleboro and a new statewide transportation advocacy coalition. Eight attendees (including ...more

Member Resources for Holiday Promotions

Trying to compete with box stores and online retail advertising budgets ability to dominate many marketing channels means that locally owned businesses need to be creative and work collaboratively. Plaid Friday and Cider Monday are grassroots campaigns ...more

Everyday Bicycling Selfies

Some Upper Valley folks shared their new bike routines on Facebook and let us share them with you!   Kim: "I borrowed my neighbor's bike and rode to work today. It wasn't that much fun, but someone's gotta ...more

Enter our Watershed Quest Challenge!

This summer we launched our 2017 Watershed Quest Challenge, designed to encourage YOU to get outside and explore your favorite Upper Valley pond, stream, river, or swimming hole—and write a Valley Quest! Watershed Quest submissions ...more

Welcome Our New Valley Quest Coordinator!

Lauren Griswold joined Vital Communities in May to coordinate Power of Produce (POP) clubs at Upper Valley farmers'markets and farm stands. This month she is transitioning into a new position as Valley Quest and Volunteer Coordinator as well as continuing in her role as the Valley Food ...more

Plug-In to Electric Vehicles at the Upper Valley Electric Vehicle Expo

Plug-In to Electric Vehicles at the Upper Valley Electric Vehicle Expo Vital Communities, Upper Valley Sierra Club, and volunteers from several Upper Valley energy committees are joining forces to host the Upper Valley Electric Vehicle Expo on Saturday, September 9, from 12 to ...more

30 Local Leaders Graduate from Leadership Upper Valley

Vital Communities celebrated its Leadership Upper Valley Class of 2017 on June 14, in a commencement ceremony at Harpoon Brewery. Thirty of the region’s emerging local leaders graduated from the 10-month professional and personal development ...more

Quest of the Month: Lake Morey

Last week, I brought my partner along to do the Lake Morey Quest in Fairlee, Vermont! It was a beautiful July evening, and after some food we headed to the Samuel Morey Elementary School to ...more

Closing Remarks for Heroes & Leaders from Markell Ripps

Thank you all for joining us to celebrate the young leaders who are being honored tonight, and thank you to Vital Communities for recognizing their important contributions to our community. It is so important to ...more

Meet the 2017 Heroes & Leaders Honorees

  Merritt Patridge Merritt Patridge joined the Tuck School of Business in 2015, where she serves as Executive Director of the Center for Business, Government & Society. Prior to Tuck, Merritt worked at The Dartmouth Center ...more

Solar Expo in Lebanon 4/1

Solar Installers Expo Hosted by the Plainfield, Cornish, Lebanon, and Enfield Energy Committees Saturday, April 1 at 2 pm Kilton Library at 80 Main Street in West Lebanon (Contact mary.n.boyle@gmail.com for more information and to RSVP) Act now before Net Metering Tariffs change (and PV Solar ...more

Why Weatherize?

Many thanks to our friends at CATV and Emily Gardner for helping our Hartford Weatherize volunteer team film this hilarious video explaining why YOU should participate in Weatherize Upper Valley. Since Weatherize Upper Valley kicked off ...more

What's Happening

Calendar

October 2017

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Kundalini Yoga to Benefit Vital Communities
2
  • Valley Quest season open
3
  • Valley Quest season open
4
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Vermont Farm to School Network Regional Gathering
  • Revolution
  • Welcome Reception for LUV
5
  • Valley Quest season open
6
  • Valley Quest season open
7
  • Valley Quest season open
8
  • Valley Quest season open
9
  • Valley Quest season open
10
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
11
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
  • Leadership Upper Valley Education Session
  • Business Networking Breakfast on Energy Efficiency
12
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
13
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
14
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
  • Guided Valley Quests at Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historic Park's Annual Peak to Peak Event
15
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
16
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
17
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
18
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
19
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
  • TMA Steering Committee
20
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
21
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
  • Valley Quest Season's End Potluck at VINS
22
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
23
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
  • Farmland Access Transfer Workshop
24
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
25
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
  • Local First Alliance Steering Committee Meeting
26
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
27
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Business of the Month - Skinny Pancake
28
  • Valley Quest season open
29
  • Valley Quest season open
30
  • Valley Quest season open
  • Bake for Good with Farm to School
31
  • Valley Quest season open

Photo Gallery

More Information

Privacy Policy

Vital Communities is a regional nonprofit organization based in White River Junction, Vermont, that works to engage citizens, organizations, and communities in creating solutions to our region’s challenges.

Information Privacy Policy – 08/2010

Vital Communities respects the privacy of its constituents, donors, and those who support its work as volunteers. Our privacy policy is reviewed annually and posted prominently online at our web site.

  1. We collect name, address, phone, and email contact information from people who express interest in our organization, or who attend our events. We use this information to mail correspondence, newsletters, and other informational products, and solicitations. We do not sell, rent, exchange, or share donor names with any firm or nonprofit organization. We honor any constituent’s wish to not receive mail, emails, or phone communications.
  2. Our online forms for donations and product orders collect credit card information for payment via Network for Good and PayPal, both of which use state-of-the-art encryption. Credit card information is not shared with third parties. Donors are advised in printed solicitations that their contributions can be made anonymously.
  3. Personal information about our constituents is rigorously protected using physical, electronic, and procedural protection mechanisms. To review information, and to make corrections, constituents are asked to contact: Stephanie Carter, Database Manager, by email or at 802.291.9100 x 108.

Important Documents

Vital Communities 990 Return

Read about Vital Communities History here.

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