By Chris Frost
EAGLE TIMES NEWS EDITOR
NEWPORT — Entrepreneur Jack Potvin brought his Project Happy to Newport on Thursday as the Sunshine Initiative hosted its Summer Social under a tent at the Old Courthouse Restaurant.
The Sunshine Initiative, founded by Jay Lucas, is a “growing movement helping to bring small towns together through collaboration and connection promoting civic engagement and creating a network of support and resources to create a better future for everyone.”
Potvin’s Project Happy uses technology to help people live happier and more connected lives.
Project Happy “simplifies and improves the student volunteering process, under the belief that it shouldn’t be hard to do local good,” Potvin said.
He’s looking to bring Project Happy into the Newport area, and throughout his life, he’s been involved with different community programs.
“I did beach cleanups around my neighborhood when I was young and got involved in the Boys and Girls Clubs and all these different types of things,” he said. “I did class office, which is oriented around helping and running events for the community.”
Potvin calls himself a “proud patriot” who grew up in Derry and attended the University of New Hampshire.
“This is a state that has been incredibly good to me,” he said. “My family has been such a good supporter, and Jay [Lucas] has been an amazing friend.”
He said recently, 15 to 20 UNH kids were using the Project Happy platform and had a day of installing smoke alarms for the American Red Cross.
“Smoke alarms are great things people should have,” he said. “Fortunately, the UNH students, using Project Happy, were able to install 200 smoke alarms. We matched the students with the Red Cross, and they were able to do this immense amount of good.”
Potvin believes he’s here to create Project Happy, a clear path to doing good in the community, and believes there are many ways to engage in a community.
“That means going into places like a soup kitchen and helping — that is great work,” he said. “There are also all these amazing other things that you can serve the community in so many different ways. An entire generation missed that memo, I guess.”
He said there is no clear pathway to volunteering, and too many times, they’ll volunteer and stop.
“We’re doing a huge disservice to the lifelong aspect of volunteering,” he said. “If we can provide this clear pathway, flip a switch in all these young people’s heads, and say, now I am a volunteer. Whether they join a board or a non-profit, there is an opportunity to inspire a generation of young people.”
For more information, to recommend a non-profit for Project Happy to partner with, or to join the effort, go online to projecthappy.world.
Lucas said Potvin reached out to him after hearing about the Sunshine Initiative and said Project Happy is a great additive to what they’re doing.
“It’s a phenomenal combination of high energy from a young person who is an entrepreneur,” Lucas said about Potvin. “He wants to connect with the positivity of the Sunshine Initiative. Together, I think we are going to do great things.”
David’s Dawgs
Tobin Menard started a non-profit group, “David’s Dawgs,” to create a Dog Park in Newport, and he is a big supporter of the Sunshine Initiative.
“They helped publicize it for outreach and gain,” he said. “Once we started the non-profit, the Town Selectmen supported us and allowed us to use town property.”
He said they received a grant the required the project to compete with other cities and towns around the country.
“We got a $25,000 Pet Safe Grant and out-competed places like Jacksonville and Detroit for this grant,” he said. “The town got some additional grants since then.”
He said their current total is around $60,000.
“Now, we’re waiting,” he said. “First, the ground was too wet; now, the fencing company we were going to use went out of business. We’re trying to find a new contractor.”
He envisions an open area with trees for shade, and depending on where the fencing is, it will have rounded corners so if two dogs are picking on another dog, it can’t be trapped in a corner.”
His wife, Annette Menard, promotes the dog park and plans events to promote the facility.
“The area lacks dog parks,” Annette said. “I think the closest one is near Concord.”
For more information or to donate, visit davidsdawgs.com.
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