Kids & Family

Portsmouth Brownies Donate Swingset to Sweeney Family

The Portsmouth community has rallied around the Sweeney family after they suffered a devastating fire earlier this year. A recent donation of a swingset by a local Brownie troop is just the latest example.

Portsmouth is the type of community that bands together in difficult times.

The Sweeney family, who suffered a devastating fire at their Common Fence Point home earlier this year, knows first hand.

Recently, the Brownies from Troop 499 Portsmouth wanted to do something to give back to the Sweeney family.

"We're such a tight knit family and they really wanted do something," said Amy Courville, a parent.

They asked other girls in the Troop and soon, everyone was on board with the idea.

So the girls started raising money by doing something scouts do well: selling cookies.

As the money added up, Courville started looking for a swingset to buy for the Sweeney family, knowing that the Sweeney boys, Shaun and Quinn, lost a lot in the fire and had to start from scratch at the family's temporary rental home across town.

Courville found a swingset for sale and called the owner.

It happened to be Rich Bonvegna, owner of A2Z Renovations in Portsmouth, who decided sell the swingset at a steep discount when he heard who it was for.

"It just seemed like a nice thing to do," he said. "My girls used to play on it so it's good to see it go to the Sweeney's."

All the dads took part in the job of putting the swing set together after Bonvenga delivered it to the house.

It now sits in the center of a pleasant yard and Quinn has been glued to it ever since, said his mom, Aimee Sweeney said.

"It's the first thing he wants to do in the morning and the last thing he wants to do at night," she said.

Sweeney said her children have been handling the fire well, even though it was a traumatic experience and kids can be deeply and profoundly perceptive.

"We've been taking it day by day but you know, we're here. And what else can you ask for?" she said.

The Sweeney's have been part of the Portsmouth community for 14 years and they plan to rebuild their former home and move back to Common Fence Point. And as she watched Quinn exuberantly swing on his new swingset, she said she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

"There wasn't a doubt in my mind we'd stay and rebuild," she said. "We love Common Fence Point. Especially now."

Group photo caption: Upper row, from left: Abby Courville, Gracin Raposa, Katherine Wilkey, (Quinn Sweeney)

Standing, from left: Rich Bonvegna (owner of A2Z Renovations), Tricia Wilkey (Adult Leader), Kaelyn Mahoney, Sydney Bonvegna, Quinn Bonvegna, Amy Courville. Behind Courville is Aimee Sweeney and then it's Kevin Sweeney. 


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