Meet Our November Granite Stater of the Month: Officer Thompson E. Potter
This November, I am proud to recognize as our Granite Stater of the Month an individual who has gone to great lengths to serve his community, Portsmouth police officer Thompson E. Potter III of Epping.
After filling in at Portsmouth Middle School as a school resource officer, he was inspired to launch a fundraising campaign to provide the funds for six boys from traditionally under-served backgrounds to attend summer camp. Officer Potter said that he attributes the YMCA camp he attended as a boy with helping instill in him the values of respect and responsibility, and putting him on a path to success. He also credits the camp with raising his self-esteem, and he believes that other young men could benefit from that same type of experience.
His goal was to raise $5,000 to send five boys to the YMCA camp, and donations immediately began coming in. As Officer Potter put it, the whole community worked to ‘‘help take care of these boys,’’ with Portsmouth Middle School staff and parents, friends, businesses, and other community members supporting the effort.
Ultimately, Officer Potter raised $13,000, which was enough to send six boys to camp and outfit them with all of the gear they would need. Officer Potter intends to continue his efforts next summer, with the goal of sending five boys and five girls to camp. He says that he wants to give these students something to look forward to and give them a foundation to build upon.
For his commitment to his community, the young people of Portsmouth, and the better future that these young people will build, I am proud to recognize Officer Potter as the November 2018 Granite Stater of the Month.
If you know an extraordinary Granite Stater you would like to nominate as a Granite Stater of the Month, you can visit my website here.
