17th Annual Champions for Mental Health Awards.

A Champion for Mental Health is an individual who:

• Advocates for greater access to mental health services;
• Contributes extraordinary time, talent or treasure to improving the lives of people with mental illness; and/or
• Publicly gives voice to those with mental illness, helping eliminate the stigma and stereotypes that surround the disease.

Make your nomination today!

The deadline for nominations is July 14, 2023.

(Current Riverbend Employees and Board members are not eligible for the award)

15th Annual Champions of Mental Health Awards.

A Champion for Mental Health is an individual who:

• Advocates for greater access to mental health services;
• Contributes extraordinary time, talent or treasure to improving the lives of people with mental illness; and/or
• Publicly gives voice to those with mental illness, helping eliminate the stigma and stereotypes that surround the disease.

Make your nomination today!

The deadline for nominations is May 31, 2021.

(Current Riverbend Employees and Board members are not eligible)

Brielle (Bre) Paquette and Emily Galeva

Brielle Paquette is an 18 year old, Salem High Senior.  She is an advocate for Children’s Mental Health winning the Magnify Voices Film and Writing Competition People’s Choice Award for her PSA“Mental Illness to Them”. Humbled and inspired by the impact of her video, Bre decided to use the influence of her title Miss Londonderry’s Outstanding Teen 2020 and created a platform of  “You Are Not Alone: changing the stigma of Mental Health”.  In addition to multiple speaking engagements, she is actively involved in her schools Mental Health Committee and creating more PSA’s and awareness videos.

Emily Galeva is 17 years old and a recent graduate of Lebanon High School. Witnessing first-hand the stress and struggles of her peers that was going unrecognized by adults, Emily was determined to raise awareness of mental health issues and address the stigma that prevents students from getting help.  As a an active member of the Girl Scouts, Emily decided that her Gold Award project, “Breaking the Stigma of Youth Mental Health in High Schools”, would strive to improve youth mental health outcomes.  She took her message to high schools in New Hampshire, and represented New Hampshire students at multiple state events and programs, including the Youth Summit in Concord, 99 Faces at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, No Safe Vape on Facebook Live; the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO), and more.

Click Here to Register for the Awards Presentation on October 1, 2020

Currently, there are more than 150 New Hampshire businesses designated or working towards becoming a Recovery Friendly Workplace. Riverbend is one of the many Designated Recovery Friendly Workplaces in the State.  Others include:  AutoFair, Bonfire Recovery Services, The Chameleon Group, Granite United Way, Grappone Automotive Group, Hypertherm, The Lawson Group, New Hampshire Automobile Dealers Association, State of New Hampshire, Substance Free Workplace, Turbocam, Walmart, Woodstock Inn Brewery, W.S. Badger Company, Inc. and more.

The program is free for businesses of all sizes. A representative from the program will meet with any organization to determine what is best for them. To learn more about becoming a Recovery Friendly workplace, go to

The full article can be found in the January 202o edition of Currents, a publication of 51°µÍř Mental Health.

Riverbend named Nonprofit of the Year by Business NH Magazine and receives $5,000 Walter J. Dunfey Fund for Nonprofit Excellence grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

Business NH Magazine also announced today its prestigious Business of the Year award winners, which are featured in the May issue. The following companies were chosen for their outstanding civic contributions and exceptional performance within their industry sector:

• Business Assistance Organization – Vested for Growth in Concord
• Business Services – Eversource in Manchester
• Construction/Engineering – Warrenstreet Architects in Concord
• Nonprofit – 51°µÍř Mental Health in Concord
• Financial Services/Insurance – Clark Insurance in Manchester
• Health Care – Cornerstone VNA in Rochester
• Hospitality/Tourism – The Red Arrow in Manchester
• Manufacturing/Technology – S Badger Company in Gilsum
• Retail/Wholesale – CCA Global Partners in Manchester
• Education – Nashua Adult Learning Center in Nashua

The competition and event are a partnership between Business NH Magazine and the NH Association of Chamber of Commerce executives. All businesses must be nominated by a chamber of commerce executive. Executives from a number of  chambers winnowed the field of candidates to three semi-finalists in each category. From there, a Panel of Excellence, consisting of leaders from the 2018 Businesses of the Year award, selected this year’s recipients after careful consideration and great debate.

Awards will be presented at a special luncheon on Thursday, May 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Hotel in Manchester. Sponsors include:  Leadership Sponsor Citizens Bank; Platinum and Nonprofit Sponsor NH Charitable Foundation; and Platinum Sponsor Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Video sponsors are Anagnost Investments, AutoFair and Peoples United Bank. The Table Sponsor is Catholic Medical Center and the Centerpiece Sponsor is Sheehan

NHMB made a dollar-for-dollar match to its employee contribution of more than $47,000 to Granite United Way, and distributed the funds evenly among 20 non-profit agencies selected by employee vote.

“We’re thankful for organizations like Riverbend, who tend to the mental health of our community members. The services they offer, addresses very important needs and we are happy to support them in any way we can,” said Philip Emma, President Merrimack County Savings Bank. “This was an excellent choice by our employees for a recipient organization. Riverbend has helped a countless number of people and families by providing services that promote recovery from mental illness and emotional distress. It’s an honor to give back to an organization that has done such a tremendous amount of good for so many.”

“I am very grateful to the generosity of NHMB and delighted to receive this donation on behalf of Riverbend,” said Peter Evers, President and CEO of Riverbend. “Contributions like this one make it possible for us to continue the critical work of strengthening and supporting the emotional and mental health of our community.”

19 other non-profits also received donations including the American Red Cross, the Boys & Girls Club of Central NH, Central NH VNA & Hospice, the Circle Program, the Concord Coalition to End 51°µÍřlessness, the Concord Family YMCA, David’s House, the Friendly Kitchen, Genesis Behavioral Health, Habitat for Humanity, Laconia Area Community Land Trust, Lakes Region Child Care Services, the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter, New Beginnings, the NH Food Bank, the NH Humane Society, the Pope Memorial SPCA, the Salvation Army and Second Start.

Founded in 1963, 51°µÍř Mental Health Center is a private, non-profit organization providing specialized behavioral health services to more than 7,000 adults, children and families in central New Hampshire. Core services include 24-hour emergency services; counseling for children, adults and families; addiction and recovery services for those 18 and older; community support, vocational services and residential programs for adults and seniors. For more information, visit riverbendcmhc.org.

New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp, a mutual holding company, was formed in 2013 when two New Hampshire-based community banks, Meredith Village Savings Bank and Merrimack County Savings Bank, formally affiliated – the first relationship of its kind in New Hampshire. This strategic partnership has positioned the Banks to leverage each other’s strengths as they work together to advance a shared vision of maintaining and enhancing their community banking standards and values. MillRiver Wealth Management joined as a third subsidiary of NHMB in 2015, combining the financial advisory divisions of MVSB and The Merrimack.