Dean Shalhoup

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire’s senior senator, just may have discovered the secret to delivering her self-admitted so-so jokes at the PLUS Company’s Wild Irish Breakfast – with no concerns whatsoever about how they’ll be received by her audience.

Shaheen, who as a former governor and with years in the Senate has been a fixture on the Wild Irish Breakfast dais for years, demonstrated her idea for the audience at this year’s 30th anniversary Wild Irish Breakfast, which took place ?on St. Patrick’s Day, albeit in a much different format than everyone is used to.

Expressing confidence at the outset of her comments, delivered remotely from an unknown location and watched by everyone who bought a “ticket” for the link to the event, that the show would be “just as merry and the jokes just as bad” as any other year, Shaheen added, “In fact … ,” then went silent for probably 10 or 12 seconds.

“Oops, I was on mute,” Shaheen said upon breaking the silence. “I guess you missed all my jokes. Too bad. Especially the one about Gov. Sununu … oh, never mind,” she added, no doubt bringing some chuckles from those watching from home or office or some other locale.

Shaheen instead waxed serious for a couple of minutes, in part praising Granite Staters for pulling together with kindness and perseverance during the trying year of the pandemic.

Members of the Marsh family, of Kent, England, who became an Internet sensation known as "The Lockdown Singing Family" for their pandemic lockdown inspired parodies of famous songs, performed – virtually, of course – their rendition of the Les Miserables song "One Day More" at Wednesday morning's Wild Irish Breakfast. (Courtesy photo)

She also gave a shout out to former Nashua mayor and 30-year Executive Councilor Bernie Streeter, a founder of the Wild Irish Breakfast who, hopefully, was watching from home.

“I know from working with Bernie when he was on the Executive Council that he was personally committed, not just to the PLUS Company, but to this event as well,” Shaheen said.

Tribute was also paid to another WIB founder, the late Mike Monks, like Streeter a longtime PLUS Company board member and guiding light behind each year’s event.

While Monks worked mainly in the background, Streeter, blessed with a “gift for gab” honed over his many years in elected office and public service, handled the Blarney Master (Irish for master of ceremonies) duties until passing the symbolic gavel to Chris Williams, a former head of the Nashua Chamber of Commerce who ran, albeit unsuccessfully, for mayor in 2015.

Current Mayor Jim Donchess, the successful 2015 candidate, who said a few words – actually, more than a few words – via video hookup, was quick to remind Williams of the outcome of that mayoral race and called it “an honor” to participate, “whether in person or virtually, a truly special, fun event” featuring “a group of people who are really bad at telling jokes.”

Katie Koczan was one of three PLUS Company clients who addressed, virtually, the audience that tuned in for Wednesday morning's 30th anniversary Wild Irish Breakfast, the agency's signature fundraiser. (Courtesy photo)

Donchess, understandably, couldn’t resist tossing a couple of barbs in the direction of Gov. Chris Sununu over his administration’s “changes” in state funding for cities and towns.

While this year’s speakers – known in WIB parlance as “Irish wits” – did OK in their virtual presentations, the stars of the show, as always, were the three PLUS Company clients who each shared a little about themselves and their experiences with the agency.

First up was Katie Koczan, who said that when she joined the PLUS Company seven years ago next month, she “was nervous to meet new people.

“But once folks started introducing themselves to me, it made me feel better,” she said.

Koczan said she soon began trying out several work sites that partner with the PLUS Company, and at the same time was exploring volunteer opportunities. “I liked the Salvation Army and the Habitat Resale store the best,” she added, referring to “ReStore,” the now-closed second-hand shop whose proceeds benefited Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity. ?

Jess Maki was one of three PLUS Company clients who addressed, virtually, the audience that tuned in for Wednesday morning's 30th anniversary Wild Irish Breakfast, the agency's signature fundraiser. (Courtesy photo)

In what is surely among Koczan’s proudest accomplishments in her years with PLUS is her experience at Marshall’s, which began with tasks she was quite capable of handling before her career trainer suggested she take the next step: Interacting with customers on the sales floor.

“At first that was very difficult for me … I did not want to be with all those people,” Koczan said. But her trainer “kept on pushing me … and after a? while it got easier,” she said, adding that Marshall’s eventually hired her to work in its giftware department.

Bryan Kearns was 20 when he came to the PLUS Company back in 2009, he told participants. He’d been living with his mother since he graduated high school, but independence called.

Like his fellow speakers on Wednesday, Kearns graduated from Project Search, the job-training and skills-development course run by St. Joseph Hospital, which led to him being the successful applicant for a job opening at Moulton’s Market in Amherst.

Kearns said that although he enjoys “all the classes I take” at PLUS, his two favorites are Health Matters and Life Skills.

Donnalee Lozeau, executive director of Southern New Hampshire Services and a former Nashua mayor who has a long history of taking part in the PLUS Company Wild Irish Breakfast programs over the years, addressed this year's virtual audience via hookup from the Molloy company's studios. (Courtesy photo)

Looking back over his dozen years at PLUS, Kearns said he “feels so grateful” to the agency. “They have made a big difference in my life.”

“Top o’ the morning to you!” Jessica Maki said in greeting her virtual audience when it came her turn on the program.

She, too, has been with PLUS for 12 years, a relationship that began when the many friends she hung out with in school began “getting married, having children or moving away …,” Maki said.

“Staying home a lot, watching TV” and using her computer wasn’t cutting it. “Life was not great for me,” she said.

But soon after she and her mother got to work looking for programs she could get involved in, they came across a place called the PLUS Company.

Bryan Kearns was one of three PLUS Company clients who addressed, virtually, the audience that tuned in for Wednesday morning's 30th anniversary Wild Irish Breakfast, the agency's signature fundraiser. (Courtesy photo)

“One day I went to the PLUS Company with my mom, and met with Shawna Sousa to discuss what classes I could take,” Maki said, referring to the agency’s director of individual resources.

First was the Book Club. Then, “Together,” the self-advocacy group. Pretty soon, “I became involved in lots of other classes,” Maki told her audience, ticking off an impressively lengthy list.

“I don’t know if there’s anything that Jess hasn’t been involved in at the PLUS Company,” Williams, the blarney master, quipped.

Dean Shalhoup’s column appears weekly in The Sunday Telegraph. He may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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