For over six decades, The Moore Center has been a source of hope for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in New Hampshire, offering high-quality, affordable services with a personal, caring touch. From its beginnings in 1955 to its appointment as the area of agency for Region VII in 1981, the Moore Center has remained dedicated to its mission of creating opportunities for a good life.
Through its 33-year collaboration with Saint Anselm College and the Meelia Center for Community Engagement, the Moore Center is still growing its reach, instilling a spirit of community engagement and community engaged learning in Saint Anselm College students, while still empowering individuals with disabilities to live rich and independent lives.
"I always look forward to working with the Moore Center, especially at these dances because everyone on campus always has so much fun, including the volunteers, clients, and staff,” said Tristan Safarz ’26. “Community-engaged learning is an amazing opportunity to become involved in the Manchester community that we are a part of. It has taught me the power of empathy, compassion, and love for our neighbors."
The collaboration between Saint Anselm College and the Moore Center is founded on a mutual bond of values: service, leadership, compassion, and community. As a Catholic, liberal arts school, Saint Anselm College firmly advocates for the values of social responsibility and giving back that are close to the Moore Center’s mission.
Through the Meelia Center for Community Engagement, which provides a connection to volunteer and service-learning opportunities in the community, Saint Anselm students can become directly engaged with the Moore Center’s purpose. From involvement in activities like the Halloween and Valentine’s Day dances, other volunteer work, or community-building events, students can work directly with an organization that is making a difference in the lives of those with disabilities.
This is not just a service relationship; it's working to build relationships that foster empathy, understanding, and lifelong education. Saint Anselm students can serve the Moore Center through planning and volunteering at events like dances, where people with disabilities come to campus to socialize with students in an open, relaxed environment with crafts, music, and snacks. These activities offer the chance for the students to learn leadership skills, as well as creating a forum for the Moore Center to engage its clients in socialization and integration activities.
In addition to these events, another meaningful aspect of this partnership is the Coffee Talk program. This longstanding initiative brings individuals together outside of the Moore Center office space to foster social interaction and meaningful conversation. Since March 2023, Coffee Talk has found a home on the Hilltop every Friday, offering a warm and welcoming environment for connection, friendship, and community-building. Perdy, a beloved therapy dog, often makes appearances, sometimes attending gatherings on campus and other times visiting the Moore Center itself.
“Our partnership with the Moore Center is truly reciprocal in the sense that everyone involved benefits from it. In the programs and events, members of the Saint Anselm community and the Moore Center community share and learn together, creating a space of belonging, joy, and community,” says Nickie Lora ’06, executive director of the Meelia Center.
Through sponsoring activities that are centered on community building, this partnership creates settings where individuals of all abilities come together, celebrate, and take pleasure. Such activities are reflective of the shared vision of the organizations: a world where every individual, irrespective of their challenges, can engage fully within the community.
The partnership between the Moore Center, Saint Anselm College, and the Meelia Center is a great testament to how partnerships can bring about long-term change. They are all working together to build a more inclusive and compassionate society in which individuals with disabilities can live meaningful lives and in which students are given the opportunity to be leaders who impact their world. Through continued cooperation, these entities are shaping New Hampshire’s communities one dance and one life at a time.