U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan

NEW HAMPSHIRE – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan honored the New Hampshire citizens she recognized in 2020 as Granite Staters of the Month this past Saturday during a virtual event, where she commended them for all that they have done to help improve their communities and help their neighbors.

“At the end of a deeply challenging week for our country, it was wonderful to gather virtually with 2020’s Granite Staters of the Month to thank them for their hard work to strengthen their communities,” Senator Hassan said. “The Granite Staters that we recognized this past year showed fortitude, determination, and creativity in serving others amid the COVID-19 pandemic, even when many of them were facing their own personal challenges. I am proud of their dedication to embodying the Granite State’s all-hands-on-deck spirit by identifying struggles that their friends and neighbors are facing and helping to address them.”

Senator Hassan recognized the following individuals and groups in 2020:

· January: Rahul and Karthik Chalumuri of Keene for their efforts to organize donation drives at their school to support patients at a local cancer center.

· February: JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, and Valerie Cunningham, founder of the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail for their work to bring to light New Hampshire’s too often forgotten Black history and engage communities across the state in conversations about New Hampshire’s full past.

· March: Senator Hassan recognized all Granite Staters for coming together during the COVID-19 pandemic to try to slow the spread of the virus and help those in need.

· April: Salem High School cheerleading team for coming together, even while social distancing, to help raise the spirits of residents at a local nursing home.

· May: Kearsarge Regional High School’s student group, Students Working on Community Outreach (SWOCO) for continuing to lift up their fellow classmates and support community members – even from a distance – amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

· June: Emily Aho of Jaffrey for her efforts to provide emotional support to health care workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

· July: Carter Manson of Manchester for encouraging Granite Staters and all Americans to get outside and help clean up their communities.

· August: Kendra Smith of Nashua for working to provide substantial and popular hot meals to community members in need amid this public health and economic crisis.

· September: Kristina Folcik of Tamworth for completing a 100-mile nonstop hike across part of New Hampshire’s Appalachian Trail in tribute to women in abusive relationships.

· October: Brielle Paquette of Salem for using her creative talents to confront the stigma around mental illness and open up about her own mental health struggles in the hope of inspiring others.

· November: Jo-Ann Clark of Stratham for starting an organization in her late son’s name to fund adoptions of shelter animals by veterans.

· December: Gorham Middle & High School Sophomore Student Council for choosing to resell surplus chocolate that they received to benefit their school’s food pantry, rather than sell it to benefit their class.

Senator Hassan launched the “Granite Stater of the Month” initiative in 2017 to recognize outstanding New Hampshire citizens who go above and beyond to help their neighbors and make their communities stronger. To nominate a New Hampshire citizen to be a “Granite Stater of the Month,” constituents can complete the nomination form here.

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