Dear Friends,

For 42 years, James Lee “Jim” Stapp served school districts in Iowa, Washington, and New Hampshire as a dedicated school psychologist. A charter member of the National Association of School Psychologists, he devoted his career to supporting children and families with guidance and compassion. Jim believed in all kids and always strove to support their dreams.

His family believes the Pemi Youth Center is the perfect resource to continue his work by supporting the dreams of all children and youth. Jim and his wife, Cindy Waltman, and daughter, YaXi Stapp, moved to Holderness in 2012. His son, Steven Stapp, and daughter-in-law Jen live in Ohio, and daughter, Callie Stapp lives in Washington, D.C.

Jim was immensely proud of his three children. He delighted in teaching them practical skills—most recently showing his youngest daughter, YaXi, how to change her car’s oil and admiring her work as a physical therapist. He loved that Callie built a career in the museum field and shared his appreciation for antiques and history. And he cherished talking about farming and John Deere tractors with Steven, especially after he and Jen bought their farm in Ohio.

We thank the following donors for their generous gifts in memory of Jim:

• Elizabeth Girard
• Angela & Joel Sherburne
• J. & A. Kormos
• Karl & Sue Barke
• Bill Stapp
• Harold & Becky Stapp
• Andrea Mackey
• Lynn Goodnough
• Maura Dougherty
• Katy Carenza

To Dr. Waltman, and all those remembering Jim, we offer our deepest condolences.

In gratitude,
The PYC Team

If you would like to donate, please visit our Donation Page, or send gifts to:

Pemi Youth Center
111 Main Street
Plymouth, NH 03264

“Opportunities for deep play abound. In its thrall we become ideal versions of ourselves.” -Diane Ackerman, Deep Play

Dear friends,

In our last update, we celebrated making it through a formative winter. Last spring, we bid farewell to some great friends of the program, whose kind, selfless, and loving relationships helped shape PYC into what it is today. As the 2025-2026 school year wrapped up, leadership at PYC stepped up to bring a new dream to life: our first ever Summer Camp!

We are proud to report that Summer Camp 2026 was a resounding success:

10 weeks. 10 ½ hours a day. Four meals a day. Five days a week.

Four counselors. 30 kids. 525 hours of care. 200 meals.

Free, for every child.

We regularly visited Fox Pond Park, Pease Public Library, the HUB and Courtroom at Plymouth State University, the Rotary Amphitheater at Riverside Park, and the town Common, introducing many of our young friends to their hometown in new ways, exploring, having fun, and just scratching the surface of what our beautiful town has to offer.

PYC extends our heartfelt gratitude to our friends at Plymouth State University, Plymouth Rec, Pease Public Library, Plymouth Rotary, Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, Plymouth Regional Senior Center, and all of the other amazing businesses and organizations that make our community shine. Thank you for all that you do! We could not have done it without our incredible community.

“We played [tons of games] . . . we had so much fun together!” -Youth Participant, 10

“Camp was like a dream . . . I learned how to make new friends, which, for some people, is really scary.” -Youth Participant, 9

After summer we were riding high, right into the new school year.

This September, we proudly launched PYC Junior at Plymouth Elementary in partnership with Plymouth Rec. Every weekday evening, our new K–4 friends at PES are lovingly led by Mrs. Abby Trader—a PSU alumna who joined the team over the summer—who focuses on play-based learning and small-group activities emphasizing age-level-appropriate, social-emotional curriculum.

We are currently serving around 30 youth at PYC Junior, Monday–Friday.

This autumn, we are looking forward to deepening our connection to the new children in our care, and strengthening our relationships with community partners, parents, and friends.

Stay tuned for a few special reports on the horizon, and keep working on love.

With gratitude,

The PYC Team