PORTLAND

Maine schools get grants from Berlin City group

Berlin City Auto Group recently awarded $44,220 in grant funding to 23 Maine schools as part of its Drive for Education program.

Recipients included Harrison Lyseth Elementary School, Ocean Avenue Elementary School and Presumpscot Elementary in Portland; South Portland High School and Memorial Middle School in South Portland; Gorham Middle School; Saccarappa Elementary School in Westbrook; the Gov. John Fairfield School in Saco; Central Elementary in South Berwick; Mt. Ararat Middle School in Topsham; Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School and the Maine Region 10 Technical High School in Brunswick; Sacopee Valley Elementary in Hiram; Dayton Consolidated School; Biddeford Regional Center of Technology; Raymond Elementary School; RSU 16 of Poland; James H. Bean Elementary School in Sidney; Woodstock Elementary School in Bryant Pond; Appleton Village School in Union; Guy E. Rowe Elementary School in Norway; and Oxford Hills Middle School in South Paris.

Berlin City Auto Group vice president Yegor Malinovskii said that more than 300 students and their teachers were present to receive the funding. “I have never seen so many kids in a car dealership,” said Malinovskii.

The Drive for Education program is funded by a portion of each automobile sale at the group’s six locations in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Kindergarten through grade 12 schools are eligible to apply. This year, nearly 100 schools requested funding.

To learn more, go online to berlincity.com/drive-for-education.html.

BRUNSWICK

Chamber seeks nominations for Chamberlain award

The Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber is seeking nominations for the Joshua L. Chamberlain Award.

Individuals to be considered should have helped to build on the relationship between the military and civilian sectors of the Brunswick-Topsham-Bath community and should live or work in the chamber’s 16 communities.

Nominations will be accepted until Dec. 29 and can be submitted to info@midcoastmaine.com. Please include nominees’ addresses, including email, and phone numbers, along with the reasons for nomination.

Past recipients of the award are being sought to help decide this year’s winner.

The awards committee will meet at 5 p.m. Jan. 5 at the Mid-Coast Veterans Resource Center, 67 Pegasus St., to review nominations. The award will be presented at the chamber’s annual meeting on Jan. 15.

For more details, call Carolyn Farkas-Noe at 725-8797 or Paul Loveless at 841-0782 or email navyraomevt@gmail.com.

Three businesses win holiday decorating contest

The Brunswick Downtown Association announced the winners of its Holiday Window Decorating Contest.

Ten downtown businesses competed for top honors and cash prizes.

Berrie’s Hearing & Optical Center took top honors, Hatch on Maine won second place, and It’s All Good Upscale Resale placed third.

SANFORD

Touchdown passes result in $550 for literacy group

SIS Bank has donated $550 to Literacy Volunteers of Greater Sanford as part of the Touchdowns for Good promotion.

The bank and WBLM-FM of Portland collaborate to give $50 to a local nonprofit organization for every touchdown pass by the New England Patriots’ quarterback in the regular season. Each month, a different charity is aided.

Literacy Volunteers of Greater Sanford benefited from October’s 11 touchdown throws. The group gives free, confidential tutoring to adults who read below the ninth-grade level.

SACO

Sewall Foundation gives $90,000 to visiting nurses

The Elmina B. Sewall Foundation has awarded a Legacy grant of $90,000 to HomeHealth Visiting Nurses in support of their mission to provide essential health services to the most vulnerable patients throughout southern Maine, regardless of their ability to pay.

In caring for this at-risk population, HHVN provided more than $900,000 of compassionate care and uncompensated care last year.

WELLS

AARP honors caregiver with a painted portrait

The AARP Maine recently honored Amy Madge with a Portrait of Care at The Whitney Galleries.

Madge is one of 53 caregivers nationwide to receive a painted portrait from the nonprofit senior organization. She is among 40 million Americans (178,000 from Maine) who help older parents and other loved ones live independently at home.

Madge was selected for the portrait through AARP’s national storytelling initiative, “I Heart Caregivers,” where she shared her personal story of caring for her parents.

AUGUSTA

Apps created by students win technology challenge

Winners of the Tyler Technologies Maine App Challenge were announced during the opening ceremony of the Maine Robotics Expo held recently at the Augusta Civic Center.

James Newkirk, a junior at Telstar High School in Bethel received first place for his project, Edible Bethel, which provides users with access to a network of free and healthy organic vegetables in the Bethel area.

Collin Clark, a junior from Oak Hill High School in Wales placed second for Clark Planner, a resource that allows students and teachers to organize assignments by course, alerting them when an assignment is due.

And Isaac Bell, a freshman at Kents Hill School, and Luke Bartol, a freshman at Maranacook Community High School in Readfield, tied for third place for their project, BIT Planner, a planning app that allows students to quickly add and prioritize assignments.

In partnership with Educate Maine’s Project>Login, the Maine App Challenge provides high school students with the opportunity to develop a mobile technology that addresses needs within their school or community.

Four finalists who designed, created and presented functional mobile applications for the challenge received scholarships totaling $10,000.

WELLS

Six students recognized for essay achievements

Several Wells Junior High School students recently were recognized for their placement in the 2015 VFW Post 6545 Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest.

Ashleigh Bolduc, Grade 8, and Natalie Hanagan, Grade 7, placed second and third respectively, with Lili Stearns of Kennebunk Middle School taking top honors.

Wells students receiving honorable mention were sixth-grader Sophie Killam and eighth-graders Grace Bradish, Hannah Bradish and Katie Plourde.