Deborah de Peyster to receive The Special Community Service Citation Award from the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce

CONCORD, NH (March 2, 2021) – The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce will honor Deborah de Peyster with its rare Special Community Service Citation during a virtual awards gala streamed live from Bank of New Hampshire Stage in downtown Concord on Tuesday, March 30 from 4-5:15 p.m. The interactive event kicks off with a virtual cocktail reception for all attendees, and culminates in the Chamber recognizing two commendable citizens from the community for exceptional volunteerism: de Peyster and Linda Lorden, the Chamber’s 2020 Citizen of the Year. 

A thinker, a doer and a visionary.
A so far unacclaimed hero in our area's and nation's fight against the virus. 
No Concord citizen has more supported others and lent a helping hand expecting absolutely no personal honors, recognition or acknowledgement during our Pandemic year of 2020.

​The Chamber received glowing accolades from members of the community for Deborah de Peyster’s dedicated work to protect her fellow citizens throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and is honored to present her with The Special Community Service Citation for her extraordinary efforts forming and leading the Masker-Aiders throughout this past year.

“Her intense caring for others that she carries is the springboard that has led her to treat this volunteer effort as an almost full-time job,” wrote Joan Goshgarian. “It is undeniable that the scope and impact of the mask project is greatly a result of her vision, tenacity, and energy.”

“In March amidst pandemic lockdown, Debbie revved up her vintage sewing machine and organized members of the Woman’s Club of Concord together with other sewists to create essential PPE cloth masks to caregivers across the Capital Region,” shared Sylvia Larsen. “With weekly updates to the caring sewing team, Debbie made sure deliveries went out to those in need of personal protection.”

“She is such a caring person as well,” shared Paula van de Werken. “She strongly believes in providing masks for all faces as we, as a community, must pull together to defeat this horrible virus!”

“Debbie has obtained cloth material, elastic (including when it was difficult to obtain), toggles and clear plastic for see-through masks since March 2020, almost a year now,” wrote Barbara Ruedig. “She has then identified social service agencies, church groups, school groups, hospitals, the prisons, non-profits and individual community members in need of a cloth mask. Following that, having divided the masks into appropriate numbers and types, she delivered or organized the deliveries to these organizations.”

Fellow MaskAider and NH State Representative Christy Bartlett stated, “She marshalled energy, materials and contacts and has continued through all these months! Keeping our small army of about 30 or so sewists energized, informed and safe is a huge undertaking.”

“When the pandemic hit, Debbie coordinated mask-making for all 6 of our daycare centers and was able to meet our needs in a matter of days,” said Merrimack Valley Daycare Service Executive Director Marianne Barter. “Her support, enthusiasm and can-do attitude meant the world to us, both emotionally and financially.”

Thanks to Deborah’s leadership, The Woman’s Club of Concord distributed more than 16,000 masks to essential service providers around the state including: Merrimack County Nursing Home, Merrimack Valley Day Care, Concord YMCA, Concord Regional VNA, the Lake Sunapee and Franklin VNAs, NH Food Bank, Christ the King Food Pantry, Concord Public Works, Concord Police Dept., Concord Human Services Dept., Concord Hospital, Concord School District, Riverbend Community Mental Health, The Friendly Kitchen, Boys & Girls Clubs, Concord Homeless Resource Center, NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Meals on Wheels, NH State Prison, Merrimack County Sheriff’s office and county jail, Veterans Home in Tilton, NH, Concord Homeless Resource Center, Concord Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Pitman and Kennedy Apartments, Windmill Restaurant Thanksgiving Philanthropy Meal, many nonprofits, and others in need. Recipients outside the state include Native American communities in South Dakota.

On March 30, the Greater Concord Chamber will present de Peyster with her Special Community Service Citation award during its virtual Citizen of the Year Award gala. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend online. The celebration will also recognize the Chamber’s 2020 Citizen of the Year recipient Linda Lorden and Immediate Past Board Chair Nicki Clarke of Capitol Center for the Arts. The online event will be hosted on a complimentary platform called Remo, where attendees may interact with one another via video chat in a virtual event space. Attendees can network with other guests by clicking on a table to appear at that location or next to a guest’s photo to begin a conversation with them. Attendees will also have the ability to send messages of congratulations and support to the award recipients. See how Remo works by watching the Chamber’s Intro to Remo video on YouTube at: bit.ly/IntrotoRemo. Attendees will receive comprehensive instructions for Remo to support a great experience on this highly interactive online platform. 

To attend the Chamber’s virtual Citizen of the Year Award gala, register online at www.ConcordNHChamber.com/Key-Events. Tables of 6, marked with your organization’s name, may also be reserved by emailing events@concordnhchamber.com or calling the Chamber at (603) 224-2508.

The Chamber extends special thanks to all who contributed nominations and the following event sponsors: Longtime Presenting Sponsor Merrimack County Savings Bank; Corporate Sponsors: Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Eversource Energy Services, Grappone Automotive Group, Liberty Utilities, Mason + Rich, PA and Unitil; Event Sponsors: Bank of America, Northeast Delta Dental, Orr & Reno, PA, Sanel NAPA, Service Credit Union and Servpro of Concord; Associate Sponsors: Cleveland, Waters & Bass, PA, Concord Hospital, McLane Middleton, PA, and NHTI-Concord’s Community College.
For more information about the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, call (603) 224-2508, email info@concordnhchamber.com or visit www.ConcordNHChamber.com.