About St. Charles

Located in the southeastern corner of New Hampshire, St. Charles Children's Home is an intermediate group home for children from families in crisis and is a program of New Hampshire Catholic Charities. NHCC is the largest private social service agency in the State. Founded in 1945, the agency has grown to provide people with a wide range of services regardless of faith, age, gender or
race.

We serve a population of 20 children, ages 3 to 12, both boys and girls.

The philosophy of St. Charles Children's Home is based on the Christian tradition of love set forth by Jesus Christ in the Gospels. The Gospels are the true foundation for democratic living because they are based on the principles of equality and mutual respect. Equality means, "Children are equal to adults in terms of human worth and dignity." Mutual respect entitles every person to respect and self determination with limits prescribed by society. It is our aim to teach the above principles within St. Charles.

The St. Charles Running Program

Founded during the summer of 1996, the running program at St. Charles was developed to help the children cope with the stress and anger often accompanying placement and separation issues. A natural antidepressant, running enables the enhancement of each child’s self esteem.

The levels of training and competition vary, depending on each child’s age and ability, up to 4 miles a day, 5 days a week. The children participate in 5k and 8k road races in the Seacoast area.

In the News

The children's running program has attracted attention, even on the national level. Below are some links to articles and a radio show for you to enjoy. [top of page]

8-16-2006 article in Runner's World

9-4-2006 Radio Show

9-27-2006 CBS Early Show