Colony Cares: How Our Team Helps Those In Need During the COVID-19 Pandemic

For over 25 years, the Colony Concord office has been deeply involved with the local community, the northeast region and national non-profit organizations. Our client relationships extend in concentric circles – from Concord, throughout greater New Hampshire, into the surrounding states of New England and across our country. As our success has been enabled by these deep and long-standing relationships, we have always felt the obligation to serve our community. For decades, we have expressed our humility and gratitude by looking for ways to share our time, knowledge and resources with the community and non-profit organizations. These efforts have included serving on non-profit boards and committees, making individual charitable contributions, volunteering our time and expertise, supporting philanthropic causes and caring for our neighbors and communities.

Our society is facing a grave challenge to persevere through the crisis caused by COVID-19. We extend our sympathy to those families who have lost loved ones. We admire and support the healthcare workers and first responders who seek to stem the tide of the virus. And we stand with our neighbors who are doing their part to mitigate the contagion. This challenge has many facets. It is a medical battle.  It has caused job-loss and financial hardship. It has caused logistical complications and perpetuated social isolation. In this time of crisis, we seek to combine our efforts as individual team members and families to address and mitigate each of these challenges. We have the innovation and resources to make contributions and step in to assist our community in grappling with this pandemic.

Supporting the Response to COVID-19:

We sought out ways to support first responders and healthcare providers and to provide resources for our neighbors who need assistance. We identified well-established, reputable organizations who have the perspective, capacity and connections required to allocate both charitable contributions and donated resources to those with the greatest need.  We have provided immediate aid through our contributions to the following organizations:

We recognize that many resources will be directed to fight COVID-19 and that these donations may be diverted from other charitable organizations who are experiencing financial distress at this time. To that end, we are building on our past efforts and increasing our support to a variety of organizations and endeavors.

Supporting human service organizations:

Food-scarcity is an on-going problem and it has been exacerbated by the current crisis. For this reason, we made contributions to support LISTEN Community Services & Thrift Store, The Friendly Kitchen, and the NH Food Bank to address hunger in our area.

Supporting health-related organizations:

Beyond direct COVID-19 aid, many other non-profits addressing health conditions and healthcare issues will require additional funding in order to sustain their missions. With this in mind, we made contributions to the Red Cross, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Southern NH Medical Center.

Supporting the arts:

Across the region, many organizations promoting music and the arts have canceled lessons and performances in the spirit of protecting public health. In response to this lost revenue and to provide funding for their operations, we provided financial support to The Concord Community Music School, Symphony NH and two organizations in the Upper Valley of NH which encourage children to develop talent in music and dance.

Supporting local, regional, national & global non-profit organizations:

We have always been involved in supporting non-profit organizations through our service on boards and committees and we have redoubled those efforts in the face of the current crisis. We serve as trustees, advisors and volunteers for a variety of organizations:

Providing personal support to the local community:

We recognize that sometimes small gestures of support can have a significant impact. In our daily lives, we are assisted and supported by so many individuals who now find themselves in jeopardy of health risks, out of work, or otherwise in need of assistance. We quietly support our neighbors through a variety of efforts:

  • Sewing facemasks for healthcare workers, friends and family members
  • Giving blood during this time of crisis
  • Contributing food to the local food pantry
  • Collecting roadside debris on Earth Day
  • Buying care packages & gifts from local artisans and presenting these gifts to teachers and healthcare workers
  • Purchasing take-out meals from local restaurants as replacement for on-site dining
  • Providing direct financial support to neighbors
  • Paying personal assistants such as barbers, hairdressers and housecleaners even when services are not rendered due to physical distancing and health safety concerns

The timeline of the crisis is unknown and there will be a need for on-going support through the recovery. We stand ready to adjust and maintain these initiatives and contributions over time. We view it as a way for us to express our gratitude, live our values and support our neighbors and community. It is our honor to play a part in confronting the crisis and helping our community to navigate the way back to normal life.