NASHUA, NH – Seeking to be informative and entertaining, local company Community Investments Global is presenting the three-part 2024 Nashua Community Lecture Series. The events will be held at the Nashua Center for the Arts downtown and will feature notable, nationally recognized speakers discussing thought-provoking topics.
Jim Rafferty is the President and Founder of Community Investment. He was a long-time gaming industry executive and the former owner of the River Casino & Sports Bar and the Lucky Moose & Tavern in Nashua. In the spring of 2023, he and his partners sold those operations.
After taking a brief hiatus from work he formed the new company this year. It is conceived to be a vehicle for advancing cultural and intellectual entertainment programs for the greater Nashua community. He and his wife, Sarah, have a 17-year history of community support, operating their charity casino businesses. With this new enterprise they intend to continue giving back and adding to the civic life of Nashua.
“We have always been a give-back-to-the-community business,” said Rafferty.
The inspiration for the lecture series is based on Rafferty’s experience producing a similar series for a casino company he worked for. He thought this type of program would be a good fit for Nashua.
“I have done a community lecture series before for casino companies I have worked for and they worked. They were very successful once you prove yourself and you run them for a couple of years in a row” said Rafferty.
The first event will be held on August 29th and will feature acclaimed author David Hollander who wrote “HOW BASKETBALL CAN SAVE THE WORLD – 13 Guiding Principles for Reimagining What’s Possible.” An Assistant Dean and clinical professor at the Tisch Institute for Global Sport at New York University, Hollander explores the global phenomena of basketball and how its values can help solve today’s most pressing issues.
As a bonus for this event, Miami Heat forward Duncan Robison will introduce Hollander. The current NBA player is a native of New Hampshire.
“We decided to open our series with Professor David Hollander and the importance of basketball in our culture, and how basketball can further benefit our local, state, and country’s culture,” Rafferty said. “Hollander makes a potent argument that some of the guiding principles of basketball could and should be rolled over to bigger societal lessons, with concepts like ‘Cooperation’, ‘Gender’, Inclusivity’ and ‘No Barrier to Access’—all basketball realities. Whether you are a basketball fan or not, you’re invited to think about the possibilities.”
On October 17th the series will present one of America’s most trusted journalists, Jane Pauley, whose trail-blazing career has spanned more than five decades. In addition to her current role as host of CBS Sunday Morning, she is known as a powerful advocate for mental health awareness, using her personal story to encourage and motivate others. Jane Pauley will be introduced by Nashua’s Mayor Jim Donchess.
On November 3rd the series will present Ambassador John Sullivan. Ambassador Sullivan has served both Republican and Democrat Administrations in positions including U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Ambassador to the Russian Federation. He is the author of the new book “MIDNIGHT IN MOSCOW: A Memoir from the Front Lines of Russia’s War Against the West”
This is the inaugural of the program which Rafferty intends to repeat and expand over the coming years. His vision is this will be one of many civic programs presented by the company for the Nashua community.
Tickets for all events are available online.
