Dear Friends,

        Spring is in the air and New Generation is feeling the excitement of embarking on some new ventures.

         The Second Generation Thrift Shoppe in Rochester, which opened in January, has hit the ground running and is gearing up for a very busy Spring season.  Janet Hamilton, who manages the two shoppes, has done a phenomenal job of coordinating staff, inventory and marketing, and developing a new clientele in the Rochester store.  Elaine and Laurel have kept the Greenland store running and thriving while Janet has had to focus on the start-up.   

        Next Generation Daycare will become Next Generation Infant and Toddler Center.  The Board and Staff have decided that we can best fulfill our mission and effectively provide quality care of the children by narrowing our focus and developing expertise in the development of infants and toddlers.  The literature on child development has indicated that the time period of birth to three years is critical in the long term cognitive and emotional development of the child.  We are excited to be focusing on the training of our staff on that particular age group, and developing a state of the art facility.

         The shelter continues to be busy.  We currently have seven women and two children in residence with three new arrivals due in April and May.  The residents are all busy working, going to school or volunteering in the daycare or thrift shoppe.  It is especially gratifying to have so many of them spending time in the daycare where they are learning about child development, and observing the behaviors and language of our dedicated staff as they interact with the children.  Joan Ouellette, our parenting educator, did retire as housestaff and is now strictly doing pregnancy and parenting education with the residents.  This arrangement is working very well.  We are thrilled that Joan can continue working with us.

       Our annual auction will be held on Friday May 11 at 6:00 PM at the Sheraton Hotel in Portsmouth.  It is always a fun-filled evening with great items in both the silent and the noisy auction.  So mark your calendars and we'll see you there.

     Happy Spring to all of you.  We are looking forward to the wonderful progression of colorful flowers from forsythias to daffodils, tulips, lilacs, peonies and roses.

 Warmly,

 Toni