Merrimack Chamber Of Commerce: United Way Partners With Local Alderwoman And Hospitals To Support Community Healthcare Heroes

Press release from the Merrimack Chamber of Commerce:

December 07, 2021

On Friday, December 10th, United Way of Greater Nashua will be presenting gifts of gratitude to St. Joseph Hospital and Southern New Hampshire Health. These gifts of gratitude are a small token of community appreciation for the incredible, ongoing, heroic work being done by our Community Healthcare Heroes. Going into our 23rd months of the Coronavirus Pandemic, the inspiration for this support came from local Nashua Ward 3 Alderwoman Trish Klee. Presenting gifts of kindness will be United Way President Mike Apfelberg, along with Director of Volunteer Engagement Sara Ceaser and Director of Partnerhips Samantha Casssista. United Way will be presenting almost 200 gift cards to local restaurants and retailers, 2,000 hand-written greeting cards from United Way volunteers, and artwork designed by 5 Nashua schools including two larger paintings by students at Brentwood Academy.
According to Alderwoman Klee, the inspiration came out of her recent experience of having her brother pass away due to liver failure and her first hand experience with the current healthcare environment. She saw just how taxed, overworked, fatigued, and underappreciated things have become in local hospitals and felt that “as a person in the community, I needed to do something to show them that we still care about them.  We may not be standing out there daily with banners or holding impromptu concerts or taking the time to send goodies to them just to say THANK YOU...BUT we still are grateful that they are there and that even with their own personal issues and physical pains they continue to care for us.” Alderwoman Klee then reached out to her friends and United Way and the partnership was born, with over 60 volunteers writing over 2,000 thank you cards, individuals donating gift cards, and students creating artwork.

According to United Way President Mike Apfelberg, “we are proud to be able to support our local healthcare heroes. They take care of us, and we need to take care of them. That – in a nutshell – is what we mean by our slogan LIVE UNITED. Alderwoman Klee is an inspiration to us with her personal story, compassion, and energy to support our community.” For more information about the healthcare heroes presentation, contact Mike at United Way of Greater Nashua.
United Way is a Charity Navigator / GuideStar Top Rated Charity serving the Greater Nashua Community since 1930. More information can be found online at www.unitedwaynashua.org

This press release was produced by the Merrimack Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.