14th Annual Strengthening Families Summit — Nov. 3
Carroll Berg
Communications Manager
New Hampshire Children’s Trust
(603) 415-0328
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Concord, NH (October 23, 2026)
New Hampshire Children’s Trust (NHCT) will hold its 14th annual Strengthening Families Summit, Bringing it Home: Centering Families, Strengthening Communities, on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord. The Summit will bring together parent leaders, service providers, educators, health professionals, and community partners from across New Hampshire for a day of practical learning and connection.
This year’s Summit focuses on turning knowledge into action, with practical tools to support families in their homes, programs, and communities. Grounded in the Strengthening Families Framework and its five protective factors, the day builds on the strengths families already bring and explores supports for everyday needs, caregiver engagement, and positive early childhood development. Keynote speaker Tym Rourke, MA, a New Hampshire native and Managing Director of Advisory Services at Third Horizon, will open the program. Drawing on his experience as a father whose young son faced and survived a life-threatening illness, along with more than 25 years of leadership in prevention, behavioral health, philanthropy, and community change, Tym will reflect on the relationships, resources, and collective action that help families through life’s unexpected turns. His message: resilience grows when communities listen, respond, and stand beside families.
Six breakout sessions across two blocks will offer practical strategies participants can take back to their work. Morning sessions explore engaging, and supporting fathers, drawing on lessons from the Empowering Fathers Across New Hampshire initiative; how the Concord School District partners with community organizations to support students and families through McKinney-Vento; and Know & Tell mandated reporter training from Granite State Children’s Alliance. Afternoon sessions cover the Period of PURPLE Crying infant crying education program, the HOPE (Health Outcomes from Positive Experiences) Framework in action, and how Granite State Children’s Alliance supports children and families after a report is made. Presenters include Richard Feistman of Granite Hearth; Erin Cayer, Taylor Hurteau, Stacey Lazzar, and Haily Lincoln of the Concord School District; Stephanie Arroyo, Amy-Lynn Sullivan and Nicole Ledoux of Granite State Children’s Alliance; Kelsey Moore of NH DCYF; Ryan B. Mahoney of NHCT; Sarah Fox of the NH Alliance of Early Childhood Coalitions; and Patrice Baker of the Hampton School District.
A caregiver panel will lift up family voice and leadership during the afternoon plenary. Melanie Plenda, Executive Director of The Granite State News Collaborative and host of "The State We're In" on NH PBS, will serve as the Summit event host.
The awards ceremony will honor two New Hampshire leaders. Heather Lefoll will receive the Lucy Fowlkes Breed Award for her volunteer work with families across northern New Hampshire. As Board Chair of the Women of the Mountains Birth Initiative (WOMB Initiative) and a hands-on presence through the Nursing Nook and the Doula Collective, she has built peer support and practical resources for pregnant and parenting families. Stephanie Lesperance will receive the Dr. Robert Chamberlin Award for nearly 30 years of building statewide systems of support for children and families. During more than 25 years at the Education Alliance for New Hampshire (formerly Campus Compact NH), she secured New Hampshire’s first Statewide Family Engagement Center Grant in 2022 and helped launch parent groups from Berlin to Manchester. She now serves on the board of Manchester Proud.
For more information visit: www.nhchildrenstrust.org/strengthening-families-summit
Tickets are available until 10/27/26: www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/14th-annual-strengthening-families-summit.
Thank you to the following sponsors for their support of the Summit!
Community Sponsors: NH Department of Health and Human Services: Division for Children, Youth and Families Foster Care Program, Service Credit Union
Family Sponsors: Ascentria Care Alliance, Bank of New Hampshire, Couch Family Foundation, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Delta Dental
Friend Sponsors: AmeriHealth Caritas NH, Bob's Discount Furniture, Eastern Bank, Easterseals New Hampshire, Granite Edvance, Larksparre Consulting, Milton Hershey School, Mount Prospect Academy, NBT Bank, New Futures, NFI North, NH Department of Health and Human Services: Division of Public Health, WellSense Health Plan
Neighbor Sponsors: Able NH, Associated Grocers Northeast, Birchwalking, Building Community in New Hampshire, CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, Compass of Hope Counseling, Diocese of Manchester, Kennebunk Savings, Kurn Hattin Home and School for Children, National Alliance on Mental Illness-NH, NH Association for Infant Mental Health, NH Chapter-American Academy of Pediatrics, NH Healthy Families, Save the Children Action Network, UpReach Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Waypoint
New Hampshire Children’s Trust is leading the drive to strengthen families and communities, through education, advocacy, and collaboration, that prevents child abuse and neglect.
We envision a New Hampshire where all children thrive in safe, nurturing and supportive environments.
For more information about New Hampshire Children’s Trust visit www.nhchildrenstrust.org.
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