Pelham - Windham News | April 27, 2012 - 9


Windham Resident Leads Community Project ‘Dreams For Marines’


Senator Ayotte honored Nate Truesdale, the 10-year-old young man who donated his birthday money. He inspired many others to donate time and money to the group’s mission. She presented him with a flag that had flown over the Capital.


one’s going to build him one because no one’s going to build it for him, that’s just the way it is. So, I saw a need there, here’s a veteran that has served his country, especially a World War II vet, and no one’s helped him. I thought that that was wrong and I’m in the construction industry. So it was something that I can do instead of writing a check. That was in November 2010,” Hooper said. That was the


beginning of Dreams For Marines.


“In 2011 it took six months to get the tax exempt non-profit number and three weeks to get the logo approved so once we got everything done everything started rolling,” Hooper said. Dreams For


Te first project of “Dreams For Marines” becomes official with a ribbon cutting. Marine Cpl. Chuck Donnelly cuts the ceremonial ribbon which was held by Governor John Lynch and U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte; wife


Kerry, Merrimack Chamber Executive Director Deb Courtemanche, and Nate Truesdale, a project donator and inspirer.


by Jay Hobson Brian Hooper, Vice President of


Operations at the family owned and operated Mechanical Systems, Inc. sits in his office surrounded by sports photos and a photo of a family trip to Walt Disney World. To the visitor to his office, it is evident that to this 38-year-old businessman dreams are important, whether it be a favorite team’s accomplishments or a child’s wide-eyed first glimpse of Mickey Mouse or making a Marine’s home a more comfortable space. Hooper had been involved with Toys For


Tots, the Marine Corps. Christmas charity that collects toys for children that probably won’t receive one. “I had been involved with Toys For Tots for three or four years using my company vans to go to the various collection points and picking up the donated toys and delivering them to the Marines sorting point and I got to meet and get to know people and build relationships and my wife and I were invited to go to the Marine Corps. Ball that is held on their birthday,” Hooper said.


It was at the ball that a need was introduced to Hooper. “While I was there I was told that there


was a World War II Marine veteran who couldn’t attend the ball because he was in a wheelchair and didn’t have a ramp to be able to leave his house. So, I thought ‘he can’t come to the Marine Corps. Ball which is probably his highlight (of the year) because he doesn’t have a ramp and no


Marines instituted an application process looking for Marines who needed support. “We got our first Marine application last fall and we started the program actually in February.


The application process is fairly straightforward. There’s only three criteria. First, the applicant must have been honorably discharged, second, he or she must have suffered a loss or have limited mobility and third, he or she must live in New Hampshire,” Hooper said. The first project, which was just completed, was for a Marine who lives in Merrimack. “We just completed a remodel for a Marine named Chuck Donnelly. He lost the lower part of his left leg while serving in Afghanistan and uses a prosthetic device during the day, but around 4:30 in the afternoon, he switches to a wheelchair because of the discomfort of wearing the prosthetic leg all day. Anyway, he needed his kitchen and bathroom remodeled to accommodate his chair and we had the ribbon cutting with Governor John Lynch and Senator Kelly Ayotte in attendance,” Hooper said. Even with businesses discounting materials and volunteers doing the work, the project still cost money. “What we did on this project would


have cost $55,000 to $60,000 and with all the discounts and donations, we were able to finish it with a cost of $12,000 to $13,000. But that is still $12,000 that we have to raise. This being what it is, we have fundraisers and network with people to raise the funds necessary to do the work and meet these Marines’


needs,” Hooper said. The Donnelly project required the gutting of his kitchen and bathroom and creating the space to accommodate his wheelchair and there’s a hint of pride in a job completed as Hooper opens a project book that shows the entire process of the remodel in before and after photos. “We took cabinets down off the walls, replaced windows, installed an island, widened the bathroom and installed and replaced the sink and toilet. It’s really more user friendly for Chuck now,” Hooper said. Dreams For Marines needs donations to


pay off this project and to continue helping Marines.


“If people would like to help, they can contact the Website www. buildingdreamsformarines.com. We’re planning a golf tournament in the fall and other fundraising events,” Hooper said. While never having served in the military, this Windham resident leads a volunteer team to help those who have served.


Outdoors


Charlie Chalk Unproven to Affect Waterfowl


with Traditional Lead Tackles


On April 17, by a wide bipartisan margin, the House of Representatives approved a bill that contains language that would block ongoing, unjustified efforts by anti-fishing groups to ban lead fishing tackle by petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) using a provision in the Toxic Substance Control Act. The Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012, HR 4089, establishes an exemption for traditional fishing tackle under the Toxic Substances Control Act and clarifies the exemption that already exists for the shooting and hunting sports. The EPA has been petitioned three times in the last 18 months to ban ammunition or fishing tackle containing lead and the agency has rejected all three petitions. There is no scientific evidence that the use of traditional fishing


tackle is having an adverse impact on loons and other waterfowl populations, the reason groups most often cite as the reason for a ban.


Charlie Chalk can be reached at outdoorswithcharlie@areanewsgroup.com


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Brian Hooper presented plaques to all the contractors who helped with the renovations


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PMA Students and Staff Collect $2,300 in Pennies to Build a Home for Nino


submitted by Sister Maria Rosa, PM Presentation of Mary Academy (PMA) students and help support the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary in Hudson by donating pennies/coins to help build an orphanage for Nino and many other homeless children in the Philippines.


PMA students were going home last week and telling their parents that the “Sisters had a baby, well, it’s true!” Last January 2011, a baby was found on the doorsteps of the sisters’ convent in the Philippines. The baby was only two hours old, when the sisters found him naked on their doorsteps. The Sisters immediately took the baby to the hospital to get him checked and called the police to let them know that the baby had been dropped off at their door. To this day, no one has claimed the baby, so guess who’s raising the baby? The Sisters! And guess what has happened with each passing day? The sisters have fallen in love with the baby and have called him “Nino,” short for Anthony. Guess what the Nino’s last name is? Rivier, after Anne Marie Rivier, the founder of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary …


PMA seventh grader Lindsey Bielby


too cute, I must add! Nino now lives with the sisters, an unusual occurrence in convent life! Here’s our dilemma. What to do with Nino? He now has 1,126 moms, all of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary! We have fallen in love with Nino, and none of us wants to give him up. Instead, we have decided to open an orphanage in the Philippines for unwanted babies (we want Nino to have brothers and sisters). The orphanage will open in May, but we need help to finance the orphanage. So anything you can do to raise money for Nino and all the other unwanted children who will join him will be a great help. The Penny Challenge is a great beginning! The orphanage


will be a real home for the children. The Sisters of the Presentation of Mary will care for the children and provide them with a loving home, just like we have been doing for Nino, who turned a year old in January. Thank you for your help! In the Name of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, I thank you for anything you can do to support this project.


When Your Two Year Old Daughter Is Diagnosed With Cancer …


submitted by Ken Eyring The May 8 meeting of the Southern NH 9.12 group will focus on a topic that will impact nearly half of all Americans in their lifetime – Cancer. This unfortunate reality is even more devastating when the news is about your child. Mark Lutter from Hudson has generously offered to share with us the heart wrenching journey and decisions that he and his wife had to make after learning last year that their two year old daughter, Alexa, was diagnosed with Brain Cancer. The surgery had numerous complications and Alexa spent six months in three different hospitals. Every day was a new learning experience. In hindsight the parents wished they could have


made some different decisions. The anxiety they experienced as parents


wanting to do what was right for Alexa is a story that can benefit many of us. One year later, Alexa is now cancer free but with some surgery related disabilities. Mark is haunted by the fact that many of their decisions were made without knowing all of the available options. It is his desire to educate others, and to share why some of their decisions would have been different had they known then, what they know now. Join us on Tuesday, May 8, at 7 p.m. at the


Windham Senior Center, 2 North Lowell Road. This meeting is free and open to the public, snacks and refreshments will be served, and everyone is encouraged to attend.


PMA Jr. High School Students


• Consistently score in the top 28% or higher in core subjects • 95% continue their education in Catholic High Schools • Student/teacher ratio of 16 to 1 • Enrichment Courses


Come spend the day as a student and experience it yourself! Limited Spaces Available.


Contact June Nolet, Director of Admissions x203 Principal Sr. Maria Rosa p.m.


603-889-6054


182 Lowell Road, Hudson, NH 03051 www.pmaschool.org


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Staff photos by Len Lathrop


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