Thankful this week for an early Christmas miracle: the Executive Council’s approval of the $100,000 contract renewal for Bethany Christian Services and the valuable support they provide for foster children and parents in NH.
This was a hard-fought victory for our families and children against strong opposition simply because Bethany is a faith-based organization.
Once again, your voice made a difference.
Joseph Ribsam, Director of the NH Division of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) spoke to the councilors of Bethany’s contributions to children in foster care, making a compelling argument for contract renewal. The final vote was 3-2, with Councilor Michael Cryans of Hanover the lone Democrat to vote in favor. We are very grateful for his support.
Here’s how the final vote went.
In favor of contract renewal:
Michael Cryans (D), Hanover, District 1
Russell Prescott (R), Kingston, District 3
Ted Gatsas (R), Manchester, District 4
Against contract renewal:
Andru Volinsky (D), Concord, District 2
Debora Pignatelli (D), Nashua, District 5
| After the vote, Governor Sununu issued the following statement: “The Executive Council made the right decision. Bethany has been a contractor of services with New Hampshire for the past 14 years, and during that time they have not had any compliance issues and have consistently exceeded contract obligations. The staff at the DCYF strongly supported this contract, and praised Bethany’s effectiveness in meeting the grant goals.” |
