Be part of the welcome

Southern Vermont is a dynamic place full of people whose families go back generations and folks who had never been to Vermont before moving here last month, and everyone in between. It takes all us of – fresh perspectives from the outside, and a deeply rooted history – to make our region the best it can be.

SoVermont is part of the statewide GROW network to welcome new and returning Vermonters. It looks a little different in every region, but across the state, local organizations are working together to help newcomers feel right at home.

We’d love to have your help getting new and returning Vermonters connected. 

Ready to help others navigate their new community?

Join us as a local host at newcomers mixers, sign up for the Welcome Wagon and make individual connections to folks with similar interests, or plan a newcomers gathering of your own! (The GROW program offers hosts a micro-grant to help cover food or fees.)

Let us know how you’d like to be involved.

• Newcomers Mixers: We’re partnering with local community organizations to host mixers across the region. You can find us at Brattleboro’s Gallery Walk and Wilmington’s chamber meet and greets, and lots of other places in between. Come help us welcome our guests! Find upcoming mixers here. 
• Welcome Wagon: Each month we’ll send out bios of newcomers. Hosts commit to setting up an individual hangout with a newcomer of their choice once every 2-3 months. Sign up here. 
• Host a Mixer: For our Welcome Wagon hosts who want to put together a mixer of their own, we can help you get the word out and help pay for food or activity fees.
• Town Welcome: Make sure your town has a process for welcoming new residents – if there’s not a “New here?” page on the town website, reach out to your town clerk and ask for one! (Here’s a sample page and a handy checklist.)