News

Please welcome Nikki Shults to BCNH, when she succeeds Rick Minard as executive director on January 26.  Nikki is the right person at the right time.  The search committee knew that when we opened her application for the job.  She wrote: “With over a decade of leadership experience in local nonprofits, a deep commitment to cross-cultural engagement, and a passion for fostering belonging, I am well prepared to lead BCNH into its next phase of growth and impact.”

I am immensely proud of what BCNH has accomplished during my tenure as executive director, a tenure that ends with my retirement in just a few days.  We have grown from almost nothing to a mid-sized nonprofit with eight full-time employees, approximately 400 clients from all over the world who will succeed as New Americans and propel their children into the middle class and beyond.  We are teaching English to Afghan women; we are helping Ukrainians renew their visas and work authorization documents; we are struggling to prepare Haitians for the day (February 3) when their “temporary protected status” will expire.  We are building a better New Hampshire.

BCNH will be Manchester’s REVO CASINO’s charitable partner from February 5 through 9 and we encourage you to drop in and say hello – and then have some fun.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the president said that “only reverse migration can fully cure this situation,” and that “the refugee burden is the leading cause of social dysfunction in America.” Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said that “the only process invaders are due is deportation.” The Department of Homeland Security posted “remigration now” on social media.

“While BCNH as an institution has transitioned, its impact continues to live on—a lasting legacy that we, the resettled Bhutanese in New Hampshire, deeply cherish and uphold. Your leadership, volunteerism, and tireless contribution have not only uplifted individuals and families but also inspired a generation to believe in the power of community.”

October 16  was just another Thursday at BCNH, except for the immigration attorney.

That was new.

Our Haitian and Ukrainian clients are increasingly afraid that ICE could arrest and detain them, even though they are all here legally and have committed no crimes.  Sadly, their fears are well grounded.  So we helped them prepare for that nightmare by developing “caregiver plans:”  legally binding instructions designating a guardian to take responsibility for their kids should the parents be disappeared one afternoon.

Patrick Long, an immigration attorney (and State Rep) from Manchester, was here to walk our clients through the forms and signatures. We were able to retain him thanks to a grant from the NH Children’s Health Foundation. 

Everything that’s great about New Hampshire came together on October 11 when BCNH hired a school bus to take 50 New Americans from Manchester on a field trip.  Participants were from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Ukraine, Congo, Bhutan, and Haiti.  (Sadly, the only Haitian on the trip was one of BCNH’s employees.  The others who were invited no longer dare to gather in groups for fear of attracting ICE agents.  They are all here legally, but they do not feel free to assemble.)

Donors to Granite United Way have provided BCNH with backpacks for refugee kids, Christmas toys, and funds to help us pay our staff. In their February newsletter, Granite United Way features our work as an example of their community impact. Don’t miss the YouTube video linked to this story.

BCNH has served 529 refugees and humanitarian parolees people over the last two years. The graph reveals a little bit about where they came from.