Citizen of the Year: Maureen Beauregard moves mountains for those in need

Sign Up For Our FREE Daily eNews!

Maureen Beauregard GMCC Citizen of the Year 16 36 11 047
Maureen Beauregard, second from left, is flanked by, from left, David Cassidy, Mike Skelton, Dick Anagnost, Preston Hunter and Tom Boucher, during last week’s GMCC Citizen of the Year award presentation. Courtesy Photo

MANCHESTER, NHMaureen Beauregard, President of Families in Transition – New Horizons, was named Citizen of the Year during the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) 2018 Annual Dinner and Citizen of the Year Celebration, held April 19 at the Manchester Downtown Hotel. The sold-out event was attended by 800 members of the business community in who came out to show their support for Beauregard.

FIT/New Horizons board co-chairs David Cassidy, Senior VP and NH Commercial Group Director of Eastern Bank, and Dick Anagnost, President of Anagnost Investments, Inc., presented Beauregard with the award.

“Maureen embodies the characteristics that the Citizen of the Year award honors. She is a visionary leader who has made a tremendous impact in Manchester and beyond,” said Tom Boucher, 2018 GMCC Annual Dinner and Citizen of the Year Celebration Chairman and owner and CEO of Great New Hampshire Restaurants, Inc.

The evening began with a reception for all Past Citizens of the Year and event sponsors, hosted by Eversource.  Attendees entered through an artistic Oracle + Dyn balloon arch and enjoyed a cocktail reception sponsored by Bellwether Community Credit Union. During the cocktail reception, guests documented the evening with a Photo Booth, provided by Great NH Restaurants. Before dinner began, Past Citizens of the Year were paraded through the crowd thanks to UNH Manchester, and table settings were enjoyed courtesy of Brady Sullivan Properties. Guests found a program at each of their seats, thanks to Hinckley Allen and a selfie stick at each table, thanks to Service Credit Union. The main course was sponsored by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, wine sponsored by LaBelle Winery, champagne sponsored by People’s United Bank, and following dinner, a dessert reception was sponsored by AutoFair. Due to the support of Catholic Medical Center, NBT Bank and TD Bank, an inspiring video about Maureen was played during the event.

Maureen
Maureen Beauregard

The theme of the evening was metaphoric of the concept that Maureen Beauregard moves mountains for those she helps. Beauregard helps to provide a hand-up for those seeking it and empowers them to overcome their struggles and accomplish their dreams. This was represented in the mountains used throughout the décor for the celebration, designed by Spectrum Marketing Companies. St. Mary’s Bank sponsored the incredible centerpieces for this year’s event, also designed by Spectrum Marketing Companies and Print New Hampshire

Beauregard began her career in homeless services in 1991 when she was hired by the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund to begin a small transitional housing program for five single mothers and their children. Quickly recognizing the need for more housing and services for homeless families in New Hampshire, Beauregard created Families in Transition (FIT), an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide homeless families with the housing and services that they need to recover from their experience and become successful members of the community. The organization grew its scope of services with a merger with New Horizons in 2017.

Since its inception, FIT-New Horizons has grown from owning five small units of transitional housing to owning over 200 units of emergency, transitional, permanent supportive and affordable housing for homeless and low-income citizens in the state.

“Maureen embodies the characteristics of the Citizen of the Year award in her approach to engaging the greater Manchester community in her life’s work, to providing housing and hope for our citizens,” said Michael Skelton, GMCC President & CEO. “Maureen moves mountains for individuals in our community and builds partnerships to maximize resources and deliver improved services, which is a testament to both her leadership skills and generosity.”

Skelton expressed that the chamber is both honored and thrilled to add Beauregard to the list of esteemed individuals who have received the Citizen of the Year award, over the years.

Her nomination as Citizen of the Year was championed by Cathy Schmidt, Executive Director & CEO of McLane Middleton. In her nomination, Cathy said that, “without Maureen’s leadership, literally thousands homeless individuals, families and children would have gone without the housing and services needed to recover from homelessness.”

Since 1954 the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce has presented one outstanding individual the Citizen of the Year Award. This outstanding group of individuals has been paramount in shaping the GMCC’s agenda and the community. The Citizen of the Year award recognizes an individual with outstanding leadership and citizenship in the community, while demonstrating exemplary vision, civic pride and commitment to the betterment of society. To be nominated, the individual should live in the greater Manchester area and his or her activities should be centered in the same area. Recognition is given for leadership and performance in several areas of community service over a period of years.

About this Author