Photos: ROC residents were honored with above and beyond awards at that 2026 Co-ops Celebrating Community conference. Left to right: Ralph Simon, Judy Prince, Calvin Goude, Cheri Daniels, and Erin O’ Toole. Not pictured: Paul Daniels, Adam Noyes, and Roland Blake.
Nearly 100 ROC residents came together to learn from each other and gain new skills at the bi-annual Co-ops Celebrating Community conference in Concord on October 24. The Community Loan Fund’s ROC-NH coaches organized engaging workshops and activities designed to celebrate and strengthen resident-owned communities from across the state.
Programs included remarks from keynote speaker Jeanee Wright, of Exeter Hampton Cooperative; a panel on how ROC residents can advocate for manufactured housing creating and preservation; experts on energy solutions for saving money on utility bills; and a workshop on navigating difficult conversations among board members with the UNH PowerPlay Interactive Development team.
Eight ROC residents were honored with “Above and Beyond” awards for making a difference in their communities:
Calvin Goude, of Mascoma Meadows in Lebanon; Cheri and Paul Daniels, of Friendship Drive Cooperative in Salem; Erin O’Toole, of Freedom Village Cooperative in Concord; Judy Prince, of Heron Point Estates Cooperative in Newmarket; Ralph Simon, of The Birches of Wolfeboro Cooperative in Wolfeboro; Adam Noyes, of Exeter River MHP Cooperative in Exeter; and Roland Blake, of Ossipee Mountains Estates Cooperative in Ossipee.
Congratulations to the 2026 Above & Beyond award winners, who help their neighbors, pitch in without being asked, and quietly make a difference in their communities every day.
ROCs are corporations whose members — the homeowners — own and operate their community as a not-for-profit, with coaching from the Community Loan Fund’s ROC-NH program. Each home is individually owned, while the land and infrastructure under the homes is owned by the co-op. Residents have control over monthly lot fees, rules, infrastructure investments, and the long-term affordability of the community.
The Community Loan Fund got its start in 1983 when it connected impact investors with manufactured homeowners in Meredith. Together, we created the Meredith Center Cooperative — New Hampshire’s first resident-owned community (ROC). It quickly became a model for stabilizing manufactured housing affordability nationwide. Since then, the Community Loan Fund has helped borrowers purchase or preserve nearly 9,500 affordable manufactured homes and provides coaching and guidance loan services that help borrowers successfully navigate repayment.