Category: Column - The River Center

Support in the Storm

11/18/2025

These days, every time we turn on the news, something else is shifting and by the time you are reading this they are bound to have changed again. SNAP benefits have been caught in a political back-and-forth, there is uncertainty around federal funding, families are wondering what it means for their next grocery trip.

The Human Side of Change

10/15/2025

Times are hard right now, for individuals, families, and organizations like ours. Everywhere you turn, someone is feeling the strain. Here in the Monadnock region, we hear the stories every day; parents juggling too much, families navigating uncertainty, neighbors doing their best to hold it all together.

Facing the Unseen: A Call for Community Action on Homelessness in Peterborough and Surrounding Areas

8/18/2025

By Odette Butler, Executive Director of The River Center

As the Executive Director of The River Center, I have used this platform to introduce our staff and highlight the incredible work they do. Today, I am pausing that series to bring attention to an issue that has been increasingly impossible to ignore: homelessness in Peterborough and the surrounding areas that are served by the River Center such as Dublin, Greenfield, Jaffrey, Mason, New Ipswich, Rindge, Sharon and Temple.

Time to Relax and Pay Attention

12/18/2024

December is filled with traditions, events, and expectations. The season can bring some challenges. I find that I can overreact, get worked up about getting things accomplished, place too much importance on things of little importance, and in many other ways be a little over the top.

I was making cookies the other day. My mother-in-law’s cream cheese cookies- yes, mostly butter and cream cheese with some flour to hold it together.

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month. So let’s talk about the wonderful gift of volunteers.

4/24/2024

Yesterday The River Center’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program ended for 2024. This year 11 IRS certified volunteer tax preparers completed over 325 tax returns at The River Center. An additional 10 volunteers acted as greeters for each tax session, welcoming taxpayers, explaining the process to them, and making sure they have everything needed to meet with the tax preparers. This program could not happen without these wonderful volunteers. We are so grateful to them all.

Positive Change

1/16/2024

By the time you read this column, you may have already abandoned your New Year’s resolutions. What sounded like a great idea on January 1 has become simply wishful thinking. OR you may be fully resolved to be successful in your plan for positive change and are making progress.

What is the secret to making positive changes in our lives? The idea that comes to my mind immediately is taking a strengths-based approach to change. The River Center uses this approach when working with individuals and with families. It is a commonsense strategy that builds on already present strengths rather than emphasizing problems. This approach encourages a positive partnership and ultimately leads to positive change.

Lessons Learned from My Mother

5/16/2023

Mother’s Day having just passed, I have been thinking about my mother. She was the quintessential post World War II housewife and mother. Here are lessons I learned from my mother:

Your dinner plate should be color balanced. Oh my if you served macaroni and cheese with corn and summer squash (yellow). Or a white fish with parsnips and mashed potatoes (white). If she inadvertently served a one palette plate, she would chide herself and let us know that just wasn’t right.

Volunteer Appreciation Month

4/18/2023

Volunteers are the secret sauce of the nonprofit world. Volunteers do so many things that are essential to the functioning of our nonprofits.
Let’s look at the volunteer Board of Trustees. They give of their time, their skills, their wisdom. The Board is responsible for ensuring that the nonprofit is fulfilling the mission of the organization and is fiscally sound. The River Center’s Board is comprised of individuals who are excited about the mission of The River Center which is, “The River Center provides parent education, family support and community connections in a welcoming environment to strengthen individuals and families in the Eastern Monadnock Region.”

Being Strong

3/21/2023

This month I am thinking about being strong.
When I was in my twenties, I didn’t really think about it. I could sit at a desk all week and then hike Mt. Katahdin on Saturday. I slept well that night, but my muscles could adjust without too much complaint. When I was pregnant with our first baby I was hoping the doctor would agree with me that helping Dave haul in the firewood was too heavy for me. The doctor thought it would be great exercise for me- sigh. When I was in my thirties, I didn’t really think much about taking a walk with a baby in the backpack, another in the stroller and cajoling the oldest to keep up with me.

Acts of Kindness

2/21/2023

Random Acts of Kindness Day was last Friday. Somebody decided it would be a good thing to celebrate such a day. Why?
Being curious, I did some research. I found out there is the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation with a mission to make kindness the norm. Here is what they say on their website:
“We are rooted in the belief that all people can connect through kindness and that kindness can be taught.”