March 27, 2024 Breakfast Meeting Notes

 

Guests today were Amy LaMott, Phil LaMoreaux with EverSource, Matt Smith with Pediatric Dentistry, and Erica LaBella.

 

Tony will save trivia for next week. Tony also noted that in 2022 there was a feature article on Rotary Peace Centers; if anyone still has a copy of this issue of Rotary Magazine, Tony would like to see it.

The 50/50 was won by Ken Evans.

 

Erica drew for the card game but pulled the 5 of spades instead of the ace. The game continues. 

 

A signup for the rabies clinic was passed around. We still need one more table (Braden will bring one.) The clinic will be held this Saturday, March 30 starting at 1 pm at the Plymouth Police Station. Arrive at 12:30 to help set up.

 

Committee signups sheets were also passed around. Update the information if you want to be listed on a new committee. 

 

Last week was the Chamber of Commerce meeting at Whole Village. Our club is a member, so any of us can go. Mike said it was a lot of fun, though the acoustics were not the best. Alicia and Matt will meet with Maddy from the Chamber tomorrow.

 

Members of the Admin committee are starting to meet with  various community members and get their thoughts on our major project. At the Chamber event there apparently was a lot of interest in a dog park.

 

We have a local student who will be doing a short-term exchange program (Shelby McDonald). She will be going overseas (location not yet known) for 3 weeks this summer. Once she is done, her exchange family will send their child to Plymouth. 

 

Cruise night: Alicia and Denise are looking to put together a fun fundraiser. If you have ideas, please let them know. The money raised will go to driver’s ed scholarships. 

 

RYLA: Paul at the high school has identified 4 kids to go to RYLA at the end of June in Lyndonville.

 

Sharon expects to receive the applications for our traditional scholarships on April 15. Final decision on the winners must be in to the school by May 15.

 

 

Above, Amy LaMott of First Responders NH speaks to the club.

Our speaker today was Amy LaMott from First Responders NH. She is a clinician at the Community Mental Health Center and has worked with low-income families and those that had interpersonal violence. As a result, she had a lot of interaction with law enforcement. 

 

The program started in 2000 in Central and Northern NH to provide peer support for law enforcement, dispatchers, veterans, emergency workers and other first responders who are experiencing PTSD following exposure to traumatic events.These responders have a higher risk of suicide than the general population. Those at highest risk are corrections officers, followed by dispatchers, EMTs, and police. Veterans also have a high rate of suicide. The First Responders program tries to develop peer support for these first responders.

 

The three most important things that can be done to reduce PTSD are exercise, mindfulness training, and connectedness, so First Responders decided to open a gym to first responders. Kilter Fitness in Bristol offers offers free gym time to first responders, even those who are not members, for four hours on 4 days per week. This gives first responders the opportunity to get exercise and feel connected to others, and the First Responders has volunteers there to offer mindfulness training.

 

First Responders also has worked to provide peer support. People need to be trained to be volunteers, and they sponsor 3 day training for first responders who wish to become peer counselors.  But the organization quickly realized that there was a need for professional support programs, so the founders worked to develop The Lakes Region Critical Incident Team. This team is a CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management); there are CISMS all over the state but they tend to be concentrated in southern NH. The services these CISMs provide are not always free but they try to keep the cost as low as possible. These teams give a structured model for how to help people, and volunteers who have been trained have the same level of confidentiality as a clinician.

 

When there is a critical event likely to cause stress for first responders, Responders  Together gets a call and Amy immediately reaches out to help them cope and offer support programs. There are no records kept of this, as people who need help are often reluctant to ask for it, particularly if they suspect that there will be a written record of their contact. At this time First Responders can offer the use of the gym at Kilter Fitness as well as mindfulness training for both responders and their families. On Fridays from 2 to 6 at the gym they also have peer supporters from law enforcement. In addition, they sponsor a game night at Newfound Country Store for responders and families, all at no charge. They will be doing yoga once a month. They have martial arts classes (free 2 hour tactical defense classes, also open to families) at  Lakes region Vale Tudo in Laconia. 

 

First Responders has also purchased an app for volunteers to train people in how to cope with their stress. People can be given the app and use it on their own, or they can request additional help from a peer support person.

 

Their web site responderstogethernh.org has a list of all of their programs. They also collaborate with other programs (Ladd Farm in Bridgewater, which does equine therapy, and Hidden Battles in Lowell). The web site also contains a of list state and regional CISM teams.

 

Happy dollars were shared by Mike and Bill. The girls cross country ski team won the states crushing their rivals under Greg’s tutelage. He is anticipating having 8 new girls come onto the team next year.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Lora Miller, Secretary