KIDS FIRST CENTER GETS HELP

The Kids First Center, a nonprofit agency whose mission is to support families who are experiencing the life-altering transition of separation and divorce, and to help ensure that the children and parents involved are equipped to manage these changes in the healthiest possible way, hosted an annual gala as its most important fundraising event.

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The North Gorham Writers’ Group raised more than $500 for the North Gorham Library through the sale of a collection of short stories, “Come Sit By Me: Stories for Children,” that the group wrote and self-published this past winter. Courtesy Photo

Larissa Darcy, vice president of Savings Bank of Maine, presents Don Kniseley, executive director of Tedford Housing, with a $250 check, the proceeds from the bank’s Brunswick parking area. Courtesy Photo

During the event, the following businesses have donated $1,000 or more to this cause, including Iberdrola USA Foundation Inc., Cloutier Direct Inc., Silver Street Development, Key Bank, Time Warner Cable, Givertz, Hambley, Scheffee & Lavoie P.A., MittelAsen LLC, Vincent, Kantz, Ruffner & Pittman LLC, Fannon Valuation Group and Friedman, Gaythwaite, Wolf & Leavitt.

Many have given at the $500 level: Ainsworth, Thelin & Rafftice P.A., Andrucki & Mitchell, Bangor Savings Bank, Child-Centered Solutions, Dawson, Smith, Purvis & Bassett, Hannaford Bros. Co., Kelly Remmel & Zimmerman, Kristin A. Gustafson, Prescott, Jamieson, Nelson & Murphy LLC, RBC Wealth Management, Reinhard, Purves & Associates and TDBank.

HUMAN CHAIN GIVES CANNED GOODS

In 27 minutes, 538 people passed a can from the Bowdoin College quad to the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program. In all, during the human food chain, more than 1,200 cans were passed hand-to-hand from the Visual Arts Center, down Maine Street, onto Station Avenue and then across Union Street to Mid Coast Hunger Prevention.

Participants included Brunswick High School’s Service Learning Class, the third-, fourth- and fifth-grade classes from Longfellow Elementary in Brunswick, the fifth-grade classes from Brunswick’s Coffin and Jordan Acres schools, 70 registered faculty and staff members, representing every division at the college, 120 registered students and many walk-ons from both the campus and Brunswick community.

Canned goods were collected as part of the “A Ton of Food: Canned Food Drive and Human Chain” project that began in April as part of the college’s Climate Days.

MUSTACHES BENEFIT BOYS TO MEN

CIEE, a worldwide leader of international education and student exchanges based in Portland, hosted the “StacheBash” this spring. During the event, 23 male staff members grew mustaches over a six-week period to raise donations for Boys to Men, a local nonprofit organization that provides nonviolence education and programming for boys in the state of Maine. The bash was held in April to celebrate our staff achievements, with more than $2,500 raised for the organization.

BANK DONATES PARKING PROCEEDS

The Brunswick Savings Bank of Maine presented a check for $250 to Tedford Housing representing the parking proceeds to date at the its Maine Street office in downtown Brunswick.

The bank chose Tedford Housing to receive all parking proceeds from late February through June.

The organization will receive a second check in early July. Another charity will be chosen to receive proceeds from July through September.

ELKS AID KIDS’ CANCER PROGRAM

The Maine Elks Association recently presented a check for $191,512.10 to the Maine Children’s Cancer Program during its 81st annual state convention at Sugarloaf USA.

The Maine Children’s Cancer Program is a major project of the Maine Elks Association, and this year will mark the 24th year that the two organizations have worked together. Over that period of time, the association has donated $2.73 million dollars to the program.

WRITERS’ GROUP HELPS LIBRARY

The North Gorham Writers’ Group presented a check for more than $500 to the North Gorham Library at the group’s annual Spring Reading. The funds were raised through the sale of a collection of short stories, “Come Sit Me: Stories for Children,” that the group wrote and self-published this past winter.

The book includes work by authors Terri Cole, John Labrecque, Warren Gillman, Delina Eisenhauer, Francis Mains, Mary Snell and Linda Strout, plus original illustrations by Diane Atwood.

PROGRAMS WILL FEED MAINE YOUTH

The Good Shepherd Food-Bank and Mission Possible Teen Center in Westbrook have launched a second Feeding Maine Youth program.

Penobscot Nation Boys & Girls Club and The Root Cellar in Lewiston will launch their program in the near future. This program is in response to the increasing inability of Maine families to adequately meet their food needs.

A report issued by Feeding America, Child Food Insecurity in the United States: 2005-2007 indicates more than 16 million children in the United States are food insecure, meaning they are unable to consistently access adequate amounts of nutritious food and 19.5 percent of children in Maine under the age of 18 are food insecure.

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