The 13th Annual NH Children's Trust Strengthening Families Summit, Held on October 29th, 2025

New Hampshire Children’s Trust (NHCT) held its 13th annual Strengthening Families Summit: Powered by Hope, Strengthened by Prevention on October 29, 2025. The conference brought together parent leaders, family-strengthening professionals, practitioners, and community members from across New Hampshire and beyond.

This year’s Summit was a powerful day of learning, collaboration, and inspiration dedicated to building resilient communities where every child and family could thrive. Keynote speaker Claire Louge, Executive Director at Prevent Child Abuse Arizona, presented on Arizona’s Lean On Me initiative, which sparked a movement to promote family support as a strategy for preventing harm to children. She explored how to shift from a culture of surveillance to a culture of support—and why that shift was both necessary and transformative.

This year, there were ten breakout sessions focused on practical ways to strengthen families and build connected communities. Participants explored resilience, recovery support, and the power of positive relationships, as well as partnerships between police and social work, early trauma response, and shifting from “mandated reporting” to “mandated supporting.” Other sessions addressed inclusion for people with disabilities, the impact of child care costs, and the importance of maternal mental health. Each workshop provided tools and inspiration to help families and communities thrive.

NHCT also introduced its afternoon Plenary Panelists: Evelyn Yang from Evelyn Yang Consulting; Patricia Tilly from NH DHHS; Rebecca Woitkowski from New Futures; and NHCT President Christina Lachance. Together, they led a discussion on how NH Children’s Trust was charting a new course through an adaptive strategic planning approach—reimagining how to collaborate to strengthen families, support communities, and create conditions where every child in New Hampshire could thrive.

Two awards were presented at the Summit:

• The Lucy Fowlkes Breed Award, presented to Sylvia Pelletier of Hillsboro, who had been supporting New Hampshire families coping with childhood cancer for more than 20 years as a volunteer and founding member of the Childhood Cancer Lifeline of New Hampshire.

• The Dr. Robert Chamberlin Award, presented to Rebecca Woitkowski, Esq. of Bedford, Child and Family Policy Director at New Futures. Rebecca championed strategies that secured millions of dollars in state and federal investments for New Hampshire’s child care system—an achievement that transformed opportunities for families across the state.

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For more information visit: www.nhchildrenstrust.org/strengthening-families-summit

Thank you to the following sponsors for their support of the Summit:

Community Sponsors: Dartmouth Health Children's, NH Charitable Foundation

Family Sponsors: Service Credit Union, Couch Family Foundation, NH DHHS, Northeast Delta Dental

Friend Sponsors: AmeriHealth Caritas NH, Autism Care Partners, Bob's Discount Furniture, Community Action Partnership of Hillsborough and Rockingham Counties, Eastern Bank, Granite Edvance, Larksparre Consulting, Mount Prospect Academy, New Futures, NFI North, NH Healthy Families, WellSense Health Plan

Neighbor Sponsors: Associated Grocers of New England, Behavioral Health Improvement Institute of Keene State College, Compass of Hope Counseling, Diocese of Manchester, National Alliance on Mental Illness–NH, NH Association for Infant Mental Health, NH Chapter–American Academy of Pediatrics, Save the Children Action Network, Waypoint