Success Stories

Snowmobiling is a sport that the local economy in Northern Vermont depends on. Each year, thousands of out-of-staters travel to experience the snowy mountain trails and amazing views. Freshly groomed trails make the snow smooth and are essential for winter sports and activities… [Read More]

A USDA Rural Development (RD) Single Family Housing Direct Home Loan often provides people in rough situations a way to recover and heal from life’s debilitating blows. For Candice Donovan in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, buying a home through this program — (also known as… [Read More]

“We were living in Cincinnati for over a decade,” says Emmy Clark, who, with help from a USDA Rural Development (RD) Single Family Housing Direct Home Loan, moved to Orleans County, Vermont, with her husband and three school-aged children last year. “The idea was for our kids… [Read More]

“People out there are having a tough time buying a home—it’s very stressful,” reflects Wendy Levy, who bought a home in Bellows Falls, Vermont with help from a USDA direct home loan. “For me, buying a house wasn’t always perfect, but dealing with Alex and the USDA was the least… [Read More]

Elizabeth McCartney never gives up, and she never gives in. A single mom who raised six children on her own, she ascended the career ladder from grocery-store worker to medical researcher through hard work and intensive education culminating in a master’s degree. But it was the… [Read More]

Bruce Hennessey, co-Owner of Maple Wind Farm in Richmond, Vermont, was not born into an agricultural family. He did, however, learn to love the land and its creatures during a childhood reared in upstate New York. Following his heart outdoors, his career as an experiential… [Read More]

For Leon and Priscille Boucher of Berlin, New Hampshire, a new roof meant they could use their pots and pans for cooking rather than collecting the water dripping from the ceiling. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development funded roof rehabilitation, but… [Read More]

The Vermont legislature created an Energy Efficiency Utility named Efficiency Vermont as a full-service utility providing those services to all ratepayers.  Under this structure, utility ratepayers can reduce their energy use by investing in energy improvements for their… [Read More]

Mid-State Health opened a brand new 10,000 square-foot medical clinic in Bristol, New Hampshire in 2014 offering affordable healthcare services and career opportunities to some of the 21,000 rural residents of central New Hampshire. Mid-State Health has been an integral part of… [Read More]

Earlier this year, JoAnne Davis of Windsor, Vermont was startled by the shriek of her carbon monoxide detector. The local fire department responded, and discovered an easily fixed water heater ventilation issue had caused carbon monoxide to build up in the home. Luckily JoAnne’s… [Read More]