Page 8 — THE LACONIA DAILY SUN, Tuesday, November 19, 2013
LETTERS Community Spelling Bee raised $9k for Scholarship Foundation To The Daily Sun, “Our 13th Annual Community Spelling Bee raised over $9,100 this year to be applied to our Friends of the Foundation Fund, which helps us cover the expenses associated with administering our scholarship program.” reported Paulette Loughlin, president of the Lakes Region Scholarship Foundation. “This successful fundraiser involved over 200 donors and/ or volunteers, in addition to an enthusiastic audience, who cheered on the participants. We are thankful to so many people from our community who helped to make this event a success. We would like to thank the Laconia High School Concert Choir, comprised of Ashley Gomez, Bryson Haddock, Marcus Hubbard, Keisha McCrea, Jessica McDermott, Jasmyn Murgatroy, Brittney Pond, Michael Tarling, and Maddie Wunsch, for opening the event with an uplifting rendition of the National Anthem, our Master of Ceremonies (and Hats,) Mr. Larry Frates, our stalwart enunciators, Sandra McGonagle and Scott Laliberte, and our illustrious judges, Marcia Hayward and Christopher Cornog, with special thanks to the Frates Creative Arts Center Dancers, who provided our halftime entertainment. Additional thanks to the Laconia High School and its Maintenance Crew for their hospitality, as well as to the Citizen, Laconia Daily Sun, and LRPA-TV for their publicity, and final kudos to Liam Weldon, who donated his 50/50 winnings to our coffers.” CONGRATULATIONS to First Place Team – Laconia High School “Pica Print Proofreaders: Marian Federspiel, Ashlee Neylon and Chris Ray, sponsored by Steven & Marlene Hodgdon and Runner-up Team – Belmont High School Destroyers: Samantha Mackes, Courtney Pelletier and Alyssa Woods, sponsored by Marcia Hayward. And our appreciation to all the other intrepid spellers and their team sponsors: Bank of New Hampshire: Roberta Fenton, Lynda Gettermann and Kyril Mitchell. Gilford High School Backstreet Boys, sponsored by DeCamp Team at Morgan Stanley: Desi Kirwan, Sean Mulcahy and Pat Scannell. GHS Destiny’s Child, sponsored by Gilford Police Relief Association: Lindsey Corsack, Alyssa Hamberger and Alex Harris. GHS Downhillers, sponsored by Laconia Eye & Laser Center: Shane Byron, Zach Hancock and Bryce Hanover. GHS Interact, sponsored by Gilford Rotary Club: Noelle Benavides, Meagan Curran and Mikaela Wardrick. GHS It Ain’t Easy Being Cheesy, sponsored by Faith, Hope & Love Foundation: Brad Bergman, Libbi Davies and Mike Madore. GHS Mariachis, sponsored by Thom Francoeur Allstate Ins.: Hunter Anderson, Ryan Dubois and David Morrison. GHS Power Puff Squirrels, sponsored by Gregg & Sandra Caulfield: Lauren Barrett, Rachel Chase and Isaiah Oswald. Gilford Rotary Club: Don Clarke, Clara Jude, and David Zebuhr. Holy Trinity School “Lost in Wonderland”, sponsored by Bianco Child & Family Therapy: Dominique Bolduc, Addie Dinsmoor and James Marceau. HTS SPELLcasters, sponsored by Ellis Family: Cathy Corriveau, Peggy Sica and Karen Sullivan. Huot Tech, sponsored by Irwin Automotive Group: Amila Hadzic, Cody North and RJ Pauley. Key Club Word Nerds, sponsored by Kiwanis Club of Laconia: Kaity Neylon, Monika Pesa and Rebecca Sirois. Laconia Librarians,
sponsored by Bob Merwin – State Farm Insurance: Randy Brough, Jamie Dalton and Natalie Moser. Laconia High School Band-aids, sponsored by Calvin Dental Associates: Scott Compton, Sabrina Desaulniers and Denis Zecevic. LHS Class of 1977, sponsored by Belknap Landscape Co., Inc.: Judy Ball, Ruth McLaughlin and Sherry Weeks. LHS Geriatric Gerunds, sponsored by Dana S. Beane & Company, PC: Tate Aldrich, Rick Crockford and Ramsay Eliason. LHS Solfeggios, sponsored by Mary M. VanderNoot: Ashley Gomez, Marcus Hubbard and Jasmyn Murgatroy. LHS Treblemakers, sponsored by Martin, Lord & Osman, P.A.: Quinn Davis, Sebastian Huot and Marissa McDermott. Lakes Region Community College: Nancy Eckert, Tim Moreau and Jay Plyler. NSISR (Not Sure It’s Spelled Right), sponsored by Lawson Persson & Weldon-Francke, PC: Gary Francke, Liam Weldon and Susanne Weldon-Francke. Pleasant Street School, sponsored by Mary B. Orton: Noah Mousseau. Finnian Mousseau and Sullivan Mousseau. Senior Moments, sponsored by Taylor Community, was represented by: Doris Citron, Judy Dean, Mendon MacDonald and Jane Ross, Alternate. TapperMentals, sponsored by Frates Creative Art Center, was represented by: Jeanne Breton, Pat Chase and Joan Frates. The Three Wise Women, sponsored by Congregational Church of Laconia: Brenda Bouton, Jean Clarke and Kathy Giovanni. We really appreciate all the teams who “dressed up” for the event and made it more entertaining. Congratulations to first place costume winners: The TapperMentals (adults) and the Gilford High School Mariachis (students) and to all the runners-up. We are grateful to our Corporate Sponsors: Allstate Insurance – Thom Francoeur, Owner, Bank of New Hampshire, Belknap Landscape Co., Inc., Calvin Dental Associates, Laconia Eye & Laser Center, Lakes Region Community College, Lawson Persson & Weldon-Francke, PC. And all who have supported our fundraiser as Program Sponsors or Direct Donors to FOFOF: Advanced Orthopaedic Specialists, Janet D. Allison, Director of N.E. Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., American Eyecare Express, Inc., Belknap County Sportsmen’s Assn, Belknap Mill Quilter’s Guild, Bianco Child & Family Therapy, Judy Bissonnette, Boulia-Gorrell Lumber Company, George E & Barbara H Brixner III, Michael & Janet Brough, Janet & Gloyd Calley, CBH Landscape Contractors, Children’s Dentistry of the Lakes Region, Alcide O. Cormier Family Fund, Cybertron, Inc., DeCamp Team at Morgan Stanley, Denoncourt, Waldron & Sullivan, Thom Francoeur - Allstate Ins., Claire Giguere, Gilford Hannaford, Gilford Professional Firefighters, Scott & Rachel Gray, HRO Plus, J & J Printing, Beverly Jones, Kennell Orthodontics, Kiwanis Club of Laconia, Laconia Lodge of Elks, Laconia Rotary Club, Lakes Region Floral Studio, Laurent Overhead Door Systems, Paulette & Steve Loughlin, Malone, Dirubbo & Company PC, Martin, Lord & Osman, PA, Melcher & Prescott Insurance, NAPA Auto Parts, New Hampshire Ball Bearings, Normandin, Cheney & O’Neil, F. André & Margaret Paquette, Pike Industries, Inc., Katherine Reardon, Douglas & Alison Scott, Shaker Community Charisee next page
Let’s support our friends & neighbors with our holiday shopping To The Daily Sun, Almost everywhere he goes he sees someone he knows. At the grocery store, the fair, or at the beach in Maine, someone he knows will stop him to say hello or ask for his advice. You may have sat with him in his “office”, better known as the sound room, and shared the recent struggles or joys in your life. He has enjoyed listening to your stories about your kids and about your work. He is quite the story teller himself and before you know it, you’re laughing together and forgetting some of your problems. Over the years, you have become friends with the guy — better known as Pete, at Greenlaw’s Music Store. A Laconia business for 60 years, David Greenlaw’s father first opened Greenlaw’s Music in the early 1950s. Since then you may have stopped in to pick up a musical instrument for your son or daughter’s school band, sheet music for your church choir, a TV and sound system for your new or newly remodeled home, a guitar or drum set so you can take lessons, or like me — buy your first stereo. You see, I went into Greenlaw’s to buy my first real stereo from Peter 30 years ago. So what is the purpose of my letter? You may have heard that it’s important to “shop local.” I encourage you to take this one step further. Look around your local area where you live and witness your friends and neighbors at work. They are the people you know. Your local small business owners and their employees live next to you, go to church with you, or volunteer at your child’s sporting events. Sometimes you
just recognize their face and wonder “where do I know that person from?” Then you remember she works at the local flower shop or he owns the local bakery. Or you remember she used to work at the local gift shop that went out of business last year because they struggled to compete with the online market place and big box stores. Consider that every time you shop at a local business, you are supporting your friends and neighbors. Put faces and names to those businesses. I’m using Pete, Dave and Abe at Greenlaw’s Music Store as examples of this, but there are so many people in small businesses just like them. Saturday, November 30th is Small Business Saturday. We all do some shopping online, but on this day, throughout the upcoming Christmas shopping season, and beyond, please shop in local stores and businesses when you can. Visit your friends and neighbors who work in your local restaurants, shoe store or jewelry store. They are ready to help you with your shopping list and welcome you in, as friends do. Plus, don’t forget to visit their online store fronts like Greenlawsmusic.com if you can’t get out to see them. Supporting our friends and neighbors reminds me of the 1940s Christmas movie “It’s A Wonderful Life”. In the final scene when George Bailey and his family are surrounded by people who know and love them, Clarence the angel has written this note to George, “No man is a failure who has friends!” Beth Bissonnette Laconia
Thanks to so many for supporting BHS’s 7th Annual Holiday Fair To The Daily Sun, The 7th Annual Holiday Fair at Belmont High School (BHS) was another great success for the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). Accordingly, we would like to thank all of the 100-plus crafters and vendors who participated in the fair, many of whom have been returning year after year to support our event. We would also like to thank Mix 94.1, WLNH (98.3), and WJYY (105.5), and MetroCast for their support in our promotional efforts, as our attendance was once again approximately 2,000 shoppers! There were several local businesses who also supported the fair, including Dunkin’ Donuts, The Works Bakery Cafe, Brookside Pizza, Sal’s Pizza, Hannaford, Shaw’s, Coca-Cola, Tilton Diner, Kitchen Cravings, Pirates Cove, the 99 Restaurant, Fox Country Smokehouse, Contigiani Catering, Jody Fortin, and the Belmont Heritage Commission. Finally, we were pleased to have the BHS PTO join us this year with Santa’s Secret Shopping Experience, allowing children to purchase and wrap gifts for family members
that will be true surprises as they are unwrapped during the holidays. The Holiday Fair means a lot to us as students. It provides many opportunities for us to apply our business skills and knowledge to a real project working with the community, which we enjoy very much! Proceeds from the fair help us to attend NH-FBLA conferences and competitions in the spring and fall. Finally, and of equal importance to us, the fair allows us to support local charities that help other students and families in need during the holiday season! There are many more people that we owe our thanks and appreciation to for the support we have received, so please know that we appreciate all that people have done for us. Best wishes to everyone for a safe and happy holiday season, and we will hope to see you for our eighth year on November 8, 2014! The Future Business Leaders of America Belmont High School Chapter Colton Cadarette, President Mary Kate Russo, Vice President
Mr. Ewing needs to read ‘Deadly Spin’ before opining about health care To The Daily Sun, Don Ewing needs to read the book “Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out On How Corporate PR is Killing Health Care & Deceiving Americans” by Wendell
Potter before he opines about the Affordable Care Act and just how it will impact people’s quality of life. Bernadette Loesch Laconia