January 28, 2026 Breakfast Meeting Notes
Our guests today were our speakers, Grace Garvey and John Lennhoff of Central NH Indivisible and Justin Glenzer of Our Economy, Our Future..
The 50/50 was won by Tony, who donated it to Tom.
Walter drew the 2 of hearts for the card game.
Rotary Weekly Highlights: All Super Bowl squares have been sold. We have had further discussion of 100th anniversary project; ideas include working with Transport Central, revitalizing a trail along the Pemi, enhancing the mountain bike trails at Fox Park, and a dog park.
Tony presented his famous NH trivia: Local business mascot edition.
We are are still looking for a president-elect and a VP. If you have any interest in serving, please tell Mike.
Mike reminded us that the district has a $5000 scholarship for teachers. If you know of a teacher who would like to be nominated, please let Mike know. The District Foundation brunch is April 26 in Lebanon and registration is open on line.
The next district grant workshop is February 12 via Zoom; we need one member to be certified each year in order to apply for grants. Tony will attend but would like someone else to join him.
Denise introduced our speakers, Grace and John of NH Indivisible. About a year ago, Grace helped set up the Central NH chapter of Indivisible. It is a grass roots progressive non-partisan movement dedicated to protecting democracy and ensuring governance by the people. The national organization supports thousands of volunteer led groups to hold elected officials accountable and educate the public about issues affecting our democracy. The national organization was formed in 2016, with 4 different chapters in NH and 2500 chapters nationwide.
John recently joined the local chapter leadership. He moved here from Massachusetts, where he and his wife were familiar with Indivisible, and now that they are retired that are participating. One of the earliest things he did with the group was to adjust the vision statement for the group. Central NH Indivisible is a non partisan organization, part of a grassroots movement of people dedicated to our constitution and the rule of law. They focus on taking timely and effective actions to preserve our democracy. Part of the mission is to educate people about what democracy is and how they can support it. They offer information on how to effectively contact members of Congress, where to go for fact-checking and reliable, unbiased information, voting resources, and lists of events in the central NH area. Non-violence is a core principle of the organization and they encourage all participants at their events to de-escalate conflict when necessary.
Indivisible works with other local groups to promote democratic values; for example, they support PAREI in our community. Recent initiatives include programs with Open Democracy out of Concord (they held a demonstration on how to look up and comment on a bill pending before the legislature.). They did a food drive with the Ashland food pantry just prior to Thanksgiving and collected 700 lb of food, along with $280. On Veterans’ Day they had a bridge brigade, with 4 veterans and other civilians holding signs on the overpass at North Ashland Road. Monthly meetings allow members to share their concerns and develop opportunities based on those concerns.
Central NH Indivisible is hosting a movie, The Last Class” by Robert Reich, at the Flying Monkey on February 5. Doors open at 5 and the movie begins at 6. The film offers a deep look at why inequalities of income and wealth have widened since the 1970s, and why this poses a risk to our society. Tickets may be purchased online or at the door.
John said that they are not looking for a monetary donation so much as people; people are power. Getting the word out is something that we can all do. New members can work from their homes to call state and national reps to tell them what you think; they do not tell you what to say, but they want people to reinforce what they want for our democracy. They have educational opportunities at the Please Library and at Archways. They also hope to address us again in the future with some of their partners. Please sign up for their newsletter.
Justin is the director of Our Economy, Our Future. This is a 501(c) organization focusing on voter education. The tax structure in NH is structured for the wealthy. Almost half of renters in NH pay 30% of their income on housing, healthcare costs have skyrocketed, and taxes go up. Congress and the states have cut taxes for large corporations, pushing the tax burden onto local communities. Our Economy, Our Future wants an economy that creates opportunities for everyday people in our state. They work with other organizations to host events, reach out to elected leaders and try to change the narrative about taxes in NH.
Happy dollars were shared by Denise, Phil, and Tony.
Respectfully submitted,
Lora Miller, secretary
