A Crown Point sponsored youth baseball team huddles up after a game. Coaches John Proper (Crown Point's Application Engineer) and Erin Lovely lead the cheer.

Giving back to the community is a large part of the culture among the employees here at Crown Point.   A number of Crown Pointers, including the company President, choose to do their part by volunteering time as coaches for area youth sports teams.  Crown Point encourages this community involvement and allows employees to take time off whenever they need it.

Ken Aldrich, Crown Point’s Safety Director, has been coaching for over 18 years. Most recently, Ken got started coaching the local Special Olympics basketball team when his youngest daughter began playing as a unified partner.  Ken soon recruited our Production Manager, Don Paquette to help with coaching.  Now, Don’s son has joined the team, competing as a unified partner as well.

Ken Aldrich and Don Paquette coach from the sidelines during a Claremont Cool Cats Special Olympics basketball tournament in March. Seated on the floor, Don's son, Mitchell (left) and teammate, Noah take a break.

“Coaching is so rewarding,” remarked Ken when asked what he enjoyed most about coaching these kids. “Teaching what it means to be part of a team and having pride in that is one of the greatest lessons they can learn.  Plus it means I get to spend more time with my kids doing what they enjoy.”

Ken has also coached track and field alongside Rick Deschaine, our Plant Engineer.  In fact, they were both recently recognized as the “most influential coaches” to the recipient of Stevens High School’s “Female Athlete of the Year” President’s Award.

Rick Deschaine gives a pep talk before a 7th grade track and field meet

“I’ve coached some great kids with some great people including my friend and fellow Crown Pointer Ken Aldrich and my wife Patty,” Rick said.  “I feel very fortunate to be with a company that has allowed me the flexibility to be a part of our local coaching community.”

Mark Belaire cheers on his players, including his daughter Haley, during a game in Claremont

From soccer to basketball to field hockey and more, Crown Pointers have been coaching in this area for decades.  Some of the others who have coached in the past, or who you can look for on the sidelines this season include Matt McElreavy, Randy Bly, Jackie DeMag, Mark Belaire, Bob Davis, Todd Scranton, Brian Stowell, John Proper, Joe Paquette, Eric Smith, Lee Lamott, Tedd LeBlanc, Steve Raymond, Peter Ippedico and Mark Wirta.

Stan Marro keeps a keen eye on the game

Though he has not been involved in the coaching side of things, Stan Marro, a Drafter here at Crown Point, will be beginning his 25th season as a high school Varsity football official this fall.  Putting his years of experience to good use for the community, Stan has also volunteered as a referee for many youth sports teams.

In addition to individual volunteer efforts, the Crown Point Charity Committee regularly sponsors area youth sports teams.  The committee is a rotating group of employees that distributes employee contributions through our charity fund on a monthly basis.  Team sponsorship helps the teams purchase new uniforms, equipment and more.

All our coaches and other volunteers agree, it is a wonderful thing to watch these kids learn and grow.  Without a doubt, Crown Pointers will continue to help out with these teams, making a difference one game, practice or play at a time.

Sporting a Crown Point Cabinetry team jersey, this little guy waits for his turn at bat

Corporal Visnu Gonzalez smiles proudly in uniform before being severely injured in Iraq. His home will be the 5th collaboration between Homes For Our Troops and Crown Point Cabinetry.

For the past several years, Crown Point Cabinetry has been an enthusiastic supporter of a wonderful organization out of Massachusetts called Homes For Our Troops.  They are a non-profit group that raises funds, collects building materials and organizes professional labor to build specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans-at no cost to their families.

Now in our fifth project with HFOT, we are excited to be handcrafting universal cabinetry for Corporal Visnu Gonzalez.  While serving in Iraq, Corporal Gonzalez was shot by a sniper, severing his spinal cord and leaving him paralyzed from the upper chest down.

Corporal Gonzalez is greeted by fellow soldiers at the groundbreaking of his new home

The Gonzalez home is being designed to fulfill the requirements of a LEED certified home.  To meet these criteria, cabinetry is being handcrafted from responsibly reclaimed Antique Heart Pine donated by our friends at Carlisle Wide Plank Flooring.

Kurt Kangas Inspects a beautiful Antique Pine door before securing it to a cabinet box

Production of kitchen and laundry room cabinetry for Gonzalez’s New Jersey home is now underway at our New Hampshire facility.

Gary Pitts attaches a door to complete this wall cabinet

The cabinetry design incorporates a number of universal features that will make daily tasks much easier for Gonzalez.  For example, the sink area and cook-top are wheelchair accessible, to be installed at a below-standard height and completely open below.  And, pull down units are being installed in upper cabinetry so that the contents are easily accessible from a wheelchair.

Lee Lamott assembles the pull down shelf that will help Gonzalez reach the contents of the cabinetry

The cabinetry will not be installed until later this summer, but don’t worry, we’ll keep you posted on the progress!

In the meantime, read more about the deserving veterans who have already received universal cabinetry from Crown Point through HFOT!

Army SGT. Marcus Kuboy

SSG Travis Strong

SPC James Fair

SSG Eugene Simpson

Claremont School Board Chairman, John Napsey presents Matt Day with his high school diploma

The 3rd Annual Crown Point Cabinetry Scholarship was recently awarded to local graduating senior, Matt Day. The scholarship was established in 2007 to help one local student continue his or her education in the field of general construction, home engineering or interior design.  As the recipient of the 2009 scholarship, Matt will receive a check in the amount of $1,000 toward his first year of higher education.

Graduating in the top 10 of his class, Matt is a well-rounded three-season athlete who is very focused on his education and career goals. In the fall of 2009, Matt will be attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.  He plans to study engineering and also wants to play football.

Matt is all smiles standing alongside his girlfriend, Marissa Lockerby, on graduation day

Congratulations, Matt!  We wish you the best of luck at school!

The Crown Point Cabinetry Charity Committee, a rotating group of employees which distributes employee donations to local charities and other causes, established the scholarship to support a high school student intending to continue his higher education in the general construction field. Other requirements included a grade point average of 2.5 or higher, a written essay and an interview with Crown Point Cabinetry Charity Committee Members.

A great way to raise funds for charity is to organize a kitchen tour, opening up a handful of well-designed kitchens to the public for a small entry fee.  Several times a year, Crown Point kitchens are featured in tours like this around the country.   Most recently, the stunning kitchen above was featured in the 5th Annual Palace Theatre Kitchen Tour.  Proceeds from the tour benefited youth programs at the Historic Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH, and we were happy to be a sponsor!

Voted “Best Kitchen Tour in NH” in 2008 by NH Magazine, the tour just completed it’s 5th year of highlighting some of the finest kitchen designs in the area.  This year’s tour was a success, featuring seven homes and welcoming 350 visitors to check out the innovative kitchen designs.

The happy homeowner of this beautiful Bedford home was thrilled to have her kitchen in the tour.  And, our own Christine Dunleavy, designer of the featured kitchen, was on hand the day of the tour answering any questions and sharing kitchen design advice with attendees.

Kitchen cabinetry is Maple finished in Burnt Umber, with a painted island in Antique White for a nice contrast.  And just look at that view!

Charity kitchen tours are always a lot of fun, and this one was no exception.  It was a wonderful event, for a great cause!

Nate Duford is interviewed by the Charity Committee during the scholarship application process. Seated (l. to r.) is Darlene LaClair, Nate Duford, Stacey Cheeney, and Tricia Paquette

Crown Point was recently honored to award the second annual Crown Point Cabinetry Scholarship to local high school graduate, Nate Duford. The employee funded scholarship was established in 2007 to help one local student pursue a bachelor’s degree in the field of general construction. As the recipient of the Crown Point Scholarship Nate will receive a check for $1,000 toward his first year at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine.

Nate clutches a football and proudly sports his Varsity jersey from his three years as starting quarterback for Stevens High School

Nate’s application and essay stood out among the other applicants due to his dedication to academics as well as sports and the community.

Nate graduated 11th in his class, with a GPA of 3.8. While working hard to make the High Honor Roll every semester of his high school career, Nate still had time to excel in three sports. When he wasn’t studying or playing sports himself, Nate enjoyed helping out with local youth sports programs.

This fall, Nate will be attending Maine Maritime Academy to study Power Engineering Technology. “I’ve always been excited about math and exploring new ideas,” Nate said in the scholarship interview. “This school and their power engineering program will give me a chance to do just that.”
Nate will also be playing football for Maine Maritime, and he’s looking forward to being a member of their team.
The Crown Point Charity Committee felt especially honored to present Nate with the scholarship because his father, Keith Duford, has been a Crown Point employee for seven years. Keith is also very involved in the community and volunteers his time to coach several youth sports teams every year.

Congratulations, Nate! Good luck at school!

The Crown Point Cabinetry Charity Committee, a rotating group of employees which distributes employee donations to local charities and other causes, established the scholarship to support a high school student intending to continue his higher education in the general construction field. Other requirements included a grade point average of 2.5 or higher, a written essay and an interview with Crown Point Cabinetry Charity Committee Members.

The finished Habitat home sits on a hill, complete with landscaping and a deck overlooking the backyard

Earller this year, Tedd Benson of Bensonwood Homes, contacted Crown Point Cabinetry with a request. Tedd was serving as Project Steward of a Habitat for Humanity home nearby, and was looking for local support. We readily agreed to join the project and Tedd went on to describe the family we would be helping.

Tedd Benson and Crown Point President Brian Stowell go over details on site

A local couple and their eight children were living in a three bedroom mobile home with only one bathroom. These tight living conditions were brought to the attention of the local Habitat for Humanity chapter. Upon hearing about the family’s living situation, Habitat teamed up with Bensonwood and immediately began making arrangements to build an affordable home with enough space for the entire family.

Cherry cabinetry is the perfect complement to the warmth of the beams above

“Both Tedd and I can relate to the family’s living situation; I grew up in a family of 9 and Tedd in a family of 11. We wanted to help out in any way we could,” said Crown Point President, Brian Stowell.

The plan was to build a 2,100 square foot walkout ranch with five bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

It all came together over a period of just eight days when the house went from foundation to completion! Five hundred volunteers and more than 50 local and national businesses generously donated time, labor and materials to complete the home.

Crown Point chose to help in the best way we know how; by contributing beautiful cherry custom kitchen cabinetry! 

After the completion of the home, a dedication ceremony was held. More than 100 visitors and volunteers toured the home and then gathered together to recognize those who contributed to the project’s success.

A carving above the front door represents the family and pays homage to all of those who came together to build the home

The homeowners are very grateful for their new home. Like all homeowners, they made a down payment, and will pay a monthly no-interest mortgage, taxes, insurance and maintenance costs. The family put in a great deal of volunteer hours working on their own home and will also volunteer on a future Habitat project.

Crown Point is proud to have been part of this project!