2021 Citizen of the Year
Presented November 3, 2021
Jim Snodgrass
2021 Outstanding Citizen of the year
Compassionate. Insightful. Tireless. An exceptional leader. These are just some of the terms used to describe Jim Snodgrass and how he has contributed tirelessly to our community. As Founder and Ex-ecutive Director at Second Start for 47 years, Jim has been instrumental in providing educational op-portunities for all members of the capital region, especially those in most need. Under his leadership, the organization quickly grew from a handful of part-time staff offering a few adult classes and mini-mal childcare in a church basement, to the robust organization it is today. This key organization now serves adults, job-seekers, at-risk youth and families across the capital region. Family is important to Jim, and that value has been influential in his approach to seeking solutions and helping people reach their full potential.
One of Jim’s most significant contributions was moving the organization, in its early stages, from a church basement into the West Concord Firehouse and subsequently renovating and expanding into the historic Garrison Elementary School. This expansion has allowed Second Start to offer afford-able and much needed childcare services, spanning from infant care to after school programs for grades one through five. To support older children who were not successful in a traditional school set-ting, Jim established the Alternative High School Program, meeting this crucial educational need since 1979. This program allows students to earn credits toward graduation with a high school diploma from their sending school district. A parent of one such student commented “Time and time again you all had my son’s back right along with me and for that I’m incredibly grateful. You saw him as an in-dividual and recognized he learns differently, you adjusted to suit his needs and he thrived at Second Start. You made learning fun; you all genuinely care about your students, want to see them succeed and it shows in a huge way!”
Jim also established the English as a Second Language (ESL) program that has served Con-cord’s immigrant and refugee population, offering crucial support as these residents establish their new homes. “I did not know how to speak or write English. It was very difficult for me to look for a job and try to improve my future in the country,” said an ESL student. “Second Start is a blessing in my life. Now I fell like my fears are gone and my freedom is here.”
Recognizing the transportation challenges of many Second Start clients and students, Jim es-tablished a driver’s education program to serve the unique needs of the refugee and immigrant popula-tion that Second Start serves, providing many with the opportunity of greater self-reliance and inde-pendence.
Everything Jim has done has been to give back to the people of Concord and surrounding are-as,” wrote nominator Chris Blanchard of Implied Networks, LLC. We couldn’t agree more. For these and many other reasons, the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce is proud to honor: