Social Worker of the Year
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Stephanie Savard, LICSW
Stephanie Savard is the Chief External Relations Officer for Families in Transition, providing strategic direction on external partnerships and engagement with government stakeholders, community leaders and the non-profit sector.Stephanie also serves as the Director of the New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness, a non-profit that provides advocacy, research and training focused on homelessness in the state of New Hampshire.
Before her current role, Stephanie served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer and as a member of the Interim Executive Leadership Team. She has held various positions within the organization since joining the non-profit in 1996, working on the issue of homelessness and providing development and oversight of the clinical services offered to the adults, families, and children the agency serves. Stephanie is a New Hampshire Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in homelessness, trauma, substance misuse, program development, organizational strategy, and systemic collaboration. She has a Master’s in Social Work from Boston University, and a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Associate’s in Chemical Dependency from Keene State College.
Stephanie is appointed to the New Hampshire Governor’s Commission on Alcohol & Drugs, serves as its’ Treatment Taskforce Chair, and has also been appointed to the New Hampshire Council on Housing Stability.She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, and current member, and past Vice-President, of the New Hampshire Chapter. Stephanie was named a 40 Under 40 Leader of New Hampshire by the Union Leader and Business Industry Association in 2004, is a member of the Leadership New Hampshire Class of 2021 and the Leadership Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Class of 2011.
Citizen of the Year
Lianne Prentice
Lianne Prentice is the Director of The Community School, an independent day school in South Tamworth. She has worked there in myriad capacities since 2001, after teaching in local public schools for ten years. The school, besides being a place that educates teens, works to build and support sustainable communities; food is a natural vehicle for this work. For the past fifteen years, Lianne has been using locally-sourced meats, dairy, fruits, and vegetables to create inventive meals, most often served to the public by donation, because she believes that good food, grown by people we know and not corporations, should be a right and not a privilege. Last March, when students were sent home to learn remotely in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lianne found herself with time and an empty schoolhouse. In the face of growing community fear and isolation, Lianne began cooking meals, as much for her own peace of mind as to help others. The school retrofitted its farm stand with freezers and a refrigerator stocked with 400-500 meals each week, through September and 75-150 meals a week through the winter, offered by donation with the guideline to pay “what you can or what you think the meal is worth to you and our community.”
Additionally, a small group of volunteers baked sweet treats to add to the savory meals, and donated these five days a week throughout the summer and fall. The school also started a Share Shelf and fridge where townspeople drop off pantry and household items for folks to take as needed. This program supported those suffering from economic downturns brought on by wide-spread shutdowns; those who feared due to the unpredictability of viral contagion the most basic chores of shopping for groceries; and our neighbors who simply craved the emotional sustenance good food lovingly-prepared can bring to a table. Local farmers and producers donated goods, folks with means sent funds to underwrite the program, and many bellies were filled. This work will continue for as long as there is need during an uncertain time. To date, we estimate that Lianne, with kitchen support from a core group of community members, has served close to 10,000 meals. Lianne was raised in Sandwich, New Hampshire, now lives in South Tamworth, and is nurtured by her deep roots to these communities. She has three children, Henry, Madeline, and Hilary, who make her laugh most days, and who are her biggest food fans and critics.