Fourth-graders all smiles about essay contest
For the 15th consecutive year, Dr. Joseph Cardarelli Jr., board-certified orthodontist, and his staff have recognized National Dental Health Month with an essay contest they call "How to Keep a Healthy Smile." The contest is open to all fourth-graders in Haverhill. This year's grand prize winner of a $500 savings bond is Roger Gosselin of St. Joseph School. Joseph Benson of Sacred Hearts School won the second prize of a $300 bond. Darlene Del Orbe of Golden Hill won the third prize of a $200 bond. Honorable mentions ($100 bonds) went to Sean Bellemore of Tilton Elementary, Jillian Lemieux of Pentucket Lake, Tim Carbone of Sacred Hearts, Erica O'Flaherty of St. Joseph's, Samantha Vets of Silver Hill, Amelia Skoler of Bradford Elementary and Isabel Camacho of Golden Hill.
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Haverhill grad receives $1,000 award
Haverhill High School graduate Vincent Pham, Class of 2008, was this year's recipient of the Michitson Family Scholarship Fund. Pham will attend Brown University, majoring in biochemistry and philosophy. He plans to be part of Doctors Without Borders. The $1,000 award for this year was given in special memory of Arthur and Demeter Michitson, Helen Gull and Harold Baumann. For more information, or to contribute to the fund, call 978-457-0816 or write to: Bruce Michitson, 12 10th Ave., Haverhill, MA 01830.
Lions donate to new hospice house
The new Merrimack Valley Hospice House being built off North Avenue in Haverhill recently received a $10,000 donation from the Plaistow, N.H., Lions Club.
"This is the largest donation the Plaistow Lions Club has made in its 59 year history," Lions Club President Paul Waring said. "I felt very strongly about this project, because this hospice took care of my mother when she was dying — allowing her to die with dignity."
Waring and Plaistow Lions Club board member Jack McSheehy met with Home Health Foundation President Joan Stygles Hull on July 7 to check out the progress of the construction project and present her with the check.
The Merrimack Valley Hospice House is a 14 bed hospice house dedicated to providing care for terminally ill patients and their families. This project will mark the first of its kind in the Merrimack Valley.
"Our agency has been so pleased with the community support we have received to this point," said Joan Stygles Hull. "This is a dream realized for our entire organization and the families we serve. This hospice house will provide the most comprehensive end-of-life care to residents of this region and their families."
For more information on the Merrimack Valley Hospice House, visit www.merrimackvalleyhospice.org.
Merrimack Valley Hospital earns multiple honors
Merrimack Valley Hospital earned Best in Value Hospitals, 100 Best Value Hospitals and 100 Best Kept Secrets from Data Advantage Corp., a company that rates hospitals around the country using its Hospital Value Index scorecard.
Merrimack Valley Hospital was rated on the quality of its care; efficiency of its care and affordability, including the prices it charges; patient satisfaction according to the experiences of its patients; and the comprehensive reputation of the hospital as measured by local public perception. The Data Advantage Hospital Value Index is the first comprehensive scorecard to measure the relative value of care provided by U.S. hospitals. More than 1,500 general acute-care hospitals in 100 of the country's largest cities were studied. Those hospitals serve a total of 180 million consumers, and Merrimack Valley Hospital scored in the top quartile within its local market.
Boy Scouts are aided in education
Sometimes, it pays to be a Boy Scout.
With more than $44,000 in scholarships and grants awarded recently to Scouts bound for college, the organization has truly made membership a rewarding experience.
Twenty-five boys, many Eagle Scouts, from the Yankee Clipper Council of northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire were given educational stipends through a trust from the Rev. Robert B. Parker Memorial Fund, as part of a $55,000 distribution to benefit scouting youth.
The scholarships and grants "recognize the young men's active involvement in Scouting, their acceptance of undergraduate study and the ability to maintain a required cumulative grade point average."
The awards were presented July 7 at the Danversport Yacht Club of Danvers.
Additional money was received for camp equipment, including a rock wall and an 18-foot teepee, and for staff training and "campership" or assistance to Scouts in need.
The Memorial Fund was established in 1939 by the reverend's widow, Sarah Parker, who wanted to honor her late husband for his work with local youths at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Marblehead.
Since its inception, the fund has given over $750,000 to deserving young scholars involved in the Boy Scouts.
The six local winners were: Matthew O'Brien of Boxford, who will attend Providence College; Nathan Gibson, Dracut, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Matthew Wood, Georgetown, Keene State College; Timothy Gordon, Methuen, Elms College; Addison Minott, North Andover, University of Vermont; and Mark Svendsen, North Andover, Merrimack College.
