Resident Travels Across the Globe to Do Good

When longtime Windham resident Barbara Coish came before the Board of Selectmen on Monday, she arrived with souvenirs – treasures from across the globe gathered during her recent visit to Suzdal, Russia.

Her choice of Suzdal wasn't random. Coish has been traveling there periodically for years as the Russian town is the sister of Windham, N.H.

This time, she spent a few years saving up the $500 that Windham places in the budget each year to have enough money to do some real good for the European partner.

"I said I'm going to split the money in half," Coish told the Windham Selectmen. "Half of the money went to the orphanage that I visit there... the other half went to more than 20 new LED pressure monitors (at a local hospital)."

Coish said that the orphanage has about 40 children with "really, really serious health concerns."

She thanked the town for placing the money in the budget each year, saying that it has done great things for the Russian community.

"The money has gone a long way," she said.

The trip was unique for Coish. It was her first time in the 20th anniversary of the relationship between the two towns that she traveled alone.

She said that each time she tries to do something different, and seeks to bring back different gifts for town officials.

This time she had a bag full of straw ornaments, each carefully crafted by residents of the community. Coish also had a few in the bag that she learned to create herself.

Part of her experience also included meeting with both the Suzdal town mayor and the Suzdal region mayor.

"In 20 years, whoever has been the town mayor has never met with me with the regional mayor in the same room," Coish said. "Russian politics."

Two letters were brought to the town, drafted by Town Administrator Dave Sullivan with the help of Wendy Devlin.

Coish also attended an old holiday referred to as the blessing of the harvest of apples and honey, where she wore apples around her head and neck. Each backyard in Suzdal, according to Coish, has an apple tree, but none of the fruit gets sprayed.

The tradition is one of many in the 988-year-old Russian community.

The administration of the Russian town also left Coish with a letter, the contents of which she read to the public.

In the letter, The Suzdal mayor thanked Coish for her continued connection to the city, as she is one of the last remaining residents who still travels the thousands of miles to visit.