GREENFIELD , NH — Robert Grassi, MD, of Wolfeboro, NH, pediatrician, past medical director at Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center, and Harry Gregg Foundation (HGF) Board Member, recently stepped down from the HGF Board to spend more time at his retirement haven in northern New Hampshire where, he reports, he spends his days gardening, fishing, taking pictures and generally enjoying a well-earned retirement. He served for three years on the on the Board of the HGF which makes financial grants to New Hampshire residents with disabilities.

He began serving as part time medical director at Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center in 1972, all the while managing a full time pediatric practice in Peterborough . Crotched Mountain was a skilled nursing facility then with no full time physicians. Grassi says he rotated medical shifts at the facility with other physicians in his practice.

"The medical director position was 12 hours a week, but we all put in longer hours than that. We worked hard in those days." Grassi retired as medical director in 1997. In 2003, Cyrus Gregg, the Chair of the Harry Gregg Foundation, invited Grassi to join the Board. He says he was happy to do so and was impressed with what an important resource it was, and continues to be.

"It fills a great need, providing funding for services and equipment that would otherwise be unattainable for some people. The grants also leverage funds from other sources," he points out. "The recreation fund is great," he adds. "The camperships and other activities made possible through the fund are often the highlight of people's lives. It provides opportunities for people to learn how to care for themselves and to have as much fun as they can."

"Bob's dedication and compassion toward children with disabilities was always apparent," says Don Shumway , President of Crotched Mountain Foundation and the Harry Gregg Foundation. "The Foundation Board is going to miss his generous spirit." Gregg agrees. "Always, Bob's priority was to get the word out to his colleagues in the medical professions," he said. "As a pediatrician, he understood how important a helping hand could be to families coping with disabilities."

The Harry Gregg Foundation makes financial grants to New Hampshire residents with disabilities to help them further their efforts toward independence. Since 1990, the Harry Gregg Foundation has awarded over 4,000 grants to individuals in New Hampshire totaling more than $1,500,000 for a wide array of equipment and services. It was established in 1989 in memory of Harry Gregg (1883-1972), founder of Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center. To learn more about the Harry Gregg Foundation, visit the "Information" section of the Crotched Mountain website: www.crotchedmountain.org or call
800-394-3311, ext. 401.

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