The Chase Home recently received a $2,800 donation from The 1623 Foundation, a Portsmouth-based local charitable organization founded by 10 local seacoast residents in 2022. “Chase Home was our inaugural vote winner,” said Co-Founder James Tobin, who said their name is “a play on the year in which Portsmouth was settled.”
Noting they are set up as a “Giving Group,” Tobin described their approach to philanthropy, networking, and community involvement as innovative. “Our mission is to optimize the process through which the New Hampshire Seacoast’s like-minded individuals can connect and expand their social and professional networks while simultaneously impacting hyper-local non-profit organizations in a direct, tangible capacity,” he said.
Founded in 1877, The Chase Home in Portsmouth provides at-risk youth across the state with prevention, early intervention, residential, and community-based services. Meme Wheeler, executive director of The Chase Home, expressed appreciation for the donation by The 1623 Foundation.
“It is wonderful, because it is more than the immediate financial support, but the opportunity to meet with community members and talk about our work,” she said. “This feels like the beginning of a terrific new partnership.”
In looking to the future, Tobin said the goal for The 1623 Foundation is to reach 100 members by late Quarter 2 or early Quarter 3 of 2023. “If we are able to hit our growth target, we will have $10,000 per quarter committed, and we hope to be giving $40,000 per year steadily by 2024,” he said.
To learn more about The 1623 Foundation, visit 1623foundation.org.