The Chase Home in Portsmouth put out a call for volunteers on its Board of Directors, a request that has yielded tangible results in 2019.
“Each new board member has a skill set that complements one another,” said Meme Wheeler, executive director at The Chase Home. “They have literally hit the ground running this year, and it has been great.”
In total, The Chase Home has welcomed four new Board members in FY19.
Greenland, NH resident Scot Hopps is Director of Hotels for Lark Hotels. Dover, NH resident Jenna Cooke is Project Manager for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Sudbury, MA resident T.D. Thompson opened and runs the Boston Office of Schooley Mitchell. Stratham Resident Justin Rivlin is General Manager for River House in Portsmouth.
Founded in 1877, The Chase Home in Portsmouth is one of the oldest nonprofits in New Hampshire, serving more than 140 at-risk youth and families annually statewide through prevention, early intervention, residential and community-based programs.
Growth of the Board at The Chase Home reflects the nonprofit agency’s strategic direction, according to long time Board of Director Mike LaLime.
“A professional, well-connected board is a critical piece to our strategy,” he said. “We are also in a strategic planning phase where we are looking at our infrastructure.”
For new Board members, whose contributions have ranged from work-flow process improvements to corporate sponsor relationship-building, the opportunity to serve The Chase Home reflects diverse, but focused interests.
“I want to contribute to our community by bringing the planning, organizing, and results driven skills I’ve gained at Wells Fargo to an organization whose mission statement I feel passionate about,” remarked Cooke.
Thompson added, “[I want] to support an amazing organization that has a direct impact on the lives of young people at critical stages in their lives.”
For Hopps, serving on The Chase Home Board reflects a lifelong commitment to people.
“There can be no more important investment than the kids and families that The Chase Home supports,” he said.
Having worked with The Chase Home for years as a volunteer, Rivlin said he is “lucky to have the opportunity to help an organization he described as “humble and deserving.”
“Every day, The Chase home is saving children’s lives,” he said. “I look forward to contributing to the success of this cause.”