Some big things happened for community building this summer in the North Country, with the progress at the North Country Community Recreation Center and the success of the Firefighter Appreciation Day we helped to plan. But the small things matter too, sometimes more...
Hub Happenings in the Canaan / Colebrook / Stratford Region
Previous Events
Spring 2025- Unleashing Community Power!
Looking back at what took place from late March to the end of June in the Stratford/Colebrook/Canaan area, here are some highlights in community building work that come to mind: The 2nd Ann. Coffee & Muffins before Stratford’s Annual Town Meeting was a positive...
Community Building Recap – Building Relationships & Aligning Goals
Community building activities and events from this past fall and winter in northern Coos and northeastern Essex County have truly served to strengthen community ties and align goals. Energy is building around common issues of importance, and community members are...
Summer Event Highlights up North
This summer was very busy, but a couple of events I was heavily involved in stood out as truly embodying the work we are doing in community building. After several months of planning with local partners, we pulled together a very successful Splash Pad Social at the...
Strengthening Our Communities – Stratford Rising
Stratford is definitely on a positive up-swing, and the community is making that happen together. As a Community Steward I meet a lot of people and hear about a wide range of needs and goals in the area I serve. The challenge is to find and prioritize common threads...
Summer Picnic & Play Series!
We are teaming up with the Family Resource Center to host a series of three “Picnic & Play” meet-ups on Fridays at parks in the North Country this summer. After listening to what families we were looking for, we came up with fun offerings at three different...
Stewartstown Student Showcase
The classroom showcase will be from 5:00 to 5:30 pm. Pizza will be available from 5 to 5:45 pm The concert will begin at 6:00 pm We are excited to be partnering with the Stewartstown Community School on an event on May 30th, starting at 5 p.m. at the school. As a way...
Stratford Community Pre-Town Meeting Social
On the morning of March 16th, residents of the Stratford area are invited to the Fuller Town Hall, located at 1956 US Route 3 to visit prior to the town meeting. The Community Builders Hub is providing free coffee, and the Stratford Grange 238 will be offering...
Sunday Funday at “The Tilly”
Families are invited to come play board games at the Tillotson Center for the Arts in Colebrook, from 3-5 p.m. on January 21 and 28. We will have tables set up for families to sit down and choose a board game to play together for the afternoon, as well as...
CBH December Happenings – up North!
In Canaan, VT we have been working closely with the organization, Canaan Naturally Connected, as their activities align well with our community building efforts. We were glad to help empower and connect a new member of the group to lead the planning of a new series...
Coming Together and Gaining Steam
Nearly three years into this community building work, positive momentum is building in our communities, and it’s all from working together. It starts with being observant, knowing the landscape, meeting people where they are at and identifying the gaps. It grows from getting people together in person to build relationships, find common interests and goals, pulling in those who have potential to get involved and connecting to resources. Add in fun and food in a comfortable atmosphere, make it free or low cost/low barrier, and you’ve got the recipe for community building magic!
As trust builds, connections are made and different people start working together to combine their strengths, support each other and feel like they belong here. This can happen in countless ways. From sitting down to coffee one on one, to getting a small group together to chat, to gathering at large events, every encounter matters. From pumpkin painting with families at a school, to gardening group socials, to a harvest dinner paired with community discussions at a brewery, to a lunch for seniors cooked by teens, or a winter sliding party, it takes all forms. The results are so rich, and the ripples keep on spreading outward.
This work spans across communities, through every corner. It is interconnected and interwoven with the fabric of our people and places. The more we truly take care of each other, take responsibility for the well being of our communities and understand that we have the power to make positive differences with every action we take, the stronger we all become as a whole. I can see the strength and pride building, and can’t wait to see what you all do with it next. This is your home, your North Country, and it is one very special place to live.