NH Business Notebook: Mission Accomplished
Mark Stebbins Community Center opens on Manchester’s West Side
11 hours ago
By Mike Cote, email | Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin | Print
The Catholic Health Foundation of Greater Manchester announced a $1 million contribution Tuesday to the Mark Stebbins Community Center. (Photo by Ever Changing Photography)
For years, Diane Fitzpatrick discussed expanding the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Manchester to the West Side—a diverse neighborhood home to 25% of Manchester’s population.
“I jokingly called it our ‘Apollo Project’—an ambitious idea that sometimes felt beyond our reach,” she said.
After a 14-month construction mission, the “Apollo” landed at the Kelly Falls apartment complex in September with the completion of the Mark Stebbins Community Center, honoring the late Mark Stebbins, a longtime business leader and philanthropist.
Anchored by the Boys & Girls Club and Amoskeag Health, the center will offer youth and families:
- After-school care
- A food pantry
- Meeting space
- And other services through local nonprofits.
More than 200 people, including organizers, donors, and political figures like Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Rep. Chris Pappas, celebrated the opening under a tent where many had gathered in the rain for the groundbreaking ceremony.
Mayor Jay Ruais highlighted the center’s transformative impact:
“Our kids will benefit for generations to come. It is remarkable and life-changing.”
The new building offers a sense of belonging to a neighborhood that has lacked such amenities for decades. The Stebbins Center represents a public-private partnership, raising $20.7 million, including the Catholic Health Foundation’s recent donation.
West Side resident Alex Walker, a former CEO of CMC, announced the surprise gift:
“The thing that strikes me about this facility is it’s as much about investing in a world-class community center as it is about making a statement to the families and children of the West Side of Manchester.”