21st Annual CATCH Comedy Night a Great Success

CATCH Neighborhood Housing hosted the always-hilarious Capitol Steps at the 21st Annual CATCH Comedy Night on Friday, March 27 at the Capitol Center for the Arts.

The comic troupe from Washington, DC brought their unique brand of political satire back to Concord and mocked the ever-changing hot topics of today, including President Obama, Greece, Hillary Clinton’s email, and Ted Cruz.

The show is CATCH’s largest annual fundraiser, and this year’s show brought in over $20,000 in support of the organization’s affordable housing programs.

Prior to the comedy show, CATCH hosted a pre-show reception to celebrate a year of accomplishments and present its annual awards.

CATCH’s President, Rosemary M. Heard, greeted over 100 guests in the Governor’s Hall with updates on CATCH’s asset management company, Alliance Asset Management, and homeownership education member organization, HOMEteam. She also discussed CATCH’s newest affordable rental development, Bow Highlands II, which will provide 16 new 2-bedroom units in Bow, NH.

“Our most important accomplishment is that we house 600 adults and children in Concord and the greater Concord area” said Heard.

CATCH presented HomeHelpNH with the 2015 Housing Hero award. Ignatius MacLellan of New Hampshire Housing Financial Authority accepted the award on behalf of the many partnerships that make up HomeHelpNH, including 2-1-1, the Department of Justice, and counseling and legal assistance organizations. While accepting the award, MacLellan emphasized the impact of this statewide initiative, which has helped 2,800 homeowners and provided 10,000 hours of free counseling.

The 2015 Business of the Year Award was presented to Bank of New Hampshire for its incredible dedication to home buyer education. Heard explained that banks play a big role in what CATCH does, and since 1994 Bank of New Hampshire has given over $49,000 to support CATCH’s first-time home buyer education programs and other housing counseling services. The award was accepted by Thomas A. Drouin, Chief Retail Lending & Operations Officer with the bank.

Eileen Sleeper received the Volunteer of the Year award because, as Heard described, “The value of volunteering is priceless and she does an amazing job day after day.” Regarding her involvement with CATCH, Sleeper explained, “I received an ask letter in the mail and was motivated to respond on behalf of my business.” This was over 15 years ago, and since then she has served on CATCH’s Board of Directors, including a term as Board Chair. She still volunteers on CATCH’s Development Committee and continues to be a strong advocate for CATCH in the community.

CATCH presented the Helen M. Greene Visionary Award to Ellen Groh, the executive director of the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness. The award, named for CATCH’s long-time CFO who passed away suddenly in 2011, recognizes an individual or organization whose investment in the community has impacted the issue of housing in a significant way.

The Coalition, under the leadership of Ms. Groh, has greatly elevated the issue of homelessness in the community. Ms. Groh’s tireless advocacy for individuals in need of homes and other basic services has impacted countless lives. Though CATCH and the Coalition serve different populations, they both share a vision of a community where every person is confident of a home, said Rosemary M. Heard, President of CATCH.

“CATCH is honored to have such generous and supportive businesses, nonprofits and volunteer leaders in Concord,” said Heard. “These partnerships are the reason that CATCH continues to make an impact on the individuals and families we serve.”

“We are truly grateful for the generosity and commitment of our many Comedy Night sponsors, as well as the dedicated CATCH supporters who attend this event year after year.”

CATCH recognized the following sponsors of CATCH Comedy Night for their commitment to creating a community where every person is confident of a home:

Gold Sponsors: McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton, P.A., Milestone Engineering & Construction, Inc., Norton Insurance Agency, and People’s United Bank

Silver Sponsors: Bank of New Hampshire, Cobb Hill Construction, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, Havenwood-Heritage Heights, Lincoln Financial Group, Merrimack County Savings Bank, Northeast Delta Dental, Northern New England Housing Investment Fund, Orr & Reno, Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green, and Sulloway & Hollis, PLLC

Bronze Sponsors: Aesthetic Dental Center, Checkmate Payroll, Dutton Outdoor Services, Millennium Integrated Marketing, New Hampshire Federal Credit Union, Otis Atwell, RBC Capital Markets, Sanel Automotive Parts, and SMP Architecture

General Sponsors: Concord Regional VNA, Heritage Harley-Davidson, Hermanos Cocina Mexicana, NH Print & Mail, and Warrenstreet Architects

Each sponsor, advertiser, ticket purchaser, and audience member made an investment in the local community to allow individuals and families experience the American Dream of home ownership, as well as have the opportunity to call an attractive, safe, affordable rental apartment “home.”

About CATCH Neighborhood Housing

CATCH Neighborhood Housing is an award-winning, non-profit, housing provider that has been providing affordable homes in Merrimack County for 25 years. CATCH offers a full spectrum of housing services, such as homebuyer education, housing counseling and foreclosure assistance through HOMEteam NH (www.hometeamnh.org), asset and property management through Alliance Asset Management (www.alliancenh.com), and 285 affordable rental apartments that over 600 low-income adults and children call home.

For more information on CATCH Neighborhood Housing call (603) 225-8835 or visit catchhousing.org.