SANFORD

SIS Bank collects garments to keep children warm

SIS Bank takes part in the Coats for Kids initiative each winter to ensure that Maine children stay warm.

For the sixth year in a row, SIS employees and customers collected coats, hats and other outerwear, which were donated to the Salvation Army of Sanford for distribution to area youths.

Items collected at SIS’ Portsmouth branch benefited Seacoast children.

To cover sizes or items that are in high demand, SIS also held Casual for a Cause Day. Employees contributed at least $3 to wear jeans to work on a weekend. A total of $368 was raised and donated to the Salvation Army.

BIDDEFORD

Auxiliary Tree of Life effort raises $10,000 for hospital

The Southern Maine Health Care Auxiliary Tree of Life campaign has raised $10,000 to support essential resources for the hospital’s emergency departments, ensuring that the latest in technology and treatment are available for those who need urgent care.

Donations can still be made to support the Tree of Life and to receive a personalized dove by calling the Development Office at 283-7251.

WELLS

Local students prepare toys for children in Puerto Rico

Wells Junior High School health-class students and others assisted Middle School of the Kennebunks eighth-grader Andrea Collin with a one-week toy collection.

Students at the middle school packed the unwrapped toys, primarily for ages 4-12, to be delivered via FedEx to children in Puerto Rico. Nearly half of Puerto Ricans still remain without power following Hurricane Maria.

“These students that specifically went above and beyond in communications around the collection – bringing their own toys in but also encouraging others – have done it with great energy and great kindness,” Wells Junior High School teacher Ellen Rodman said.

AUGUSTA

Maine principals’ group honors Greely educator

The Maine Principals’ Association has announced that Greely High School Assistant Principal Jayme Jones has been named Maine’s National Association of Secondary School Principals Assistant Principal of the Year. She will be honored by the MPA at its annual awards banquet on April 26 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport.

Jones has a bachelor’s degree in secondary English from the University of Maine at Farmington and a master’s in educational leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University.

She began teaching English in 2002 for nine years in Richmond, Virginia. She was an assistant principal in New Hampshire for three years, and she has been the Assistant Principal of Greely High School for the past five.

NORWAY

Progress Center gets grant to assist vulnerable Mainers

The Progress Center has received a $25,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation to support its Community Kitchen program at 35 Cottage St.

The program offers nutrition programs for vulnerable Mainers.

In 2008, the Community Kitchen began serving 45 meals per week from a church. Today, up to 200 meals per week are served in the agency’s licensed kitchen and dining area.

• In addition, the Feel Better Food program provides newly discharged hospital patients who are at risk of malnutrition with up to four weeks of meals to meet their dietary needs.

• The Produce Distribution program is a collaboration between the Good Shepherd Food Bank and a local grocer to make fruits, vegetables and bread available to people experiencing food insecurity. To date, 170,882 pounds of food have passed through the center’s doors.

• The Level Up program distributes food and personal-hygiene items to high school students each week.

The grant will “allow our kitchen to provide much-needed support to members of our community most in need,” executive director Jennifer Putnam said. “Our organization is built on the drive and compassion of our employees to do good in the world.”

The Progress Center employs 160 Mainers, she said, and in 2017, more than 406 individuals with intellectual disabilities and their family members benefited from services such as case management and residential support.

For more details, go to progresscentermaine.org.

STATEWIDE

Marine, science program held 10 weeks in summer

The Partnership Education Program, supported by six science institutions in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, is seeking applicants for a 10-week summer program that combines undergraduate course work with research in marine and environmental science.

PEP is designed for college students, with priority given to entering juniors and seniors, majoring in the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics or geosciences and earth-system sciences) or engineering, mathematics or social sciences.

Applicants must also have completed some course work in oceanography, biology or marine and/or environmental science.

The program includes a four-week course and 10-week research project. The 2018 PEP program will run from June 2 to Aug. 11.

PORTLAND

Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club raise $164,000 to aid hospital

Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club associates have raised $164,000 for the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland through the annual Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals campaign. The fundraising efforts are part of a broader national effort that raised more than $35 million in support of the 170 member hospitals across the country.

Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club have supported Children’s Miracle Network hospitals for 30 years, which treat 10 million children annually across North America. Hospitals use the funds for lifesaving equipment and research, therapy programs, charitable care and more.

Foster grandparents, senior companions sought

The Opportunity Alliance has openings for foster grandparents and senior companions in Cumberland, York and Oxford counties. Adults age 55 and over can make a difference in the lives of others while earning money.

Foster grandparents mentor children in schools and support their academic achievement. Senior companions provide camaraderie, local transportation and a respite to older adults who wish to remain in their homes.

Volunteers who commit to a minimum of 15 hours a week and whose income falls below generous guidelines receive a tax-free stipend, mileage reimbursement and other benefits, including monthly training.

To learn more, call 773-0202 or email fgp@opportunityalliance.org.

PORTLAND & ELLSWORTH

Group awards 22 grants for landmark preservation

The Belvedere Historic Preservation Fund of the Maine Community Foundation has awarded 22 grants, totaling $256,400, to support the preservation or restoration of historic buildings statewide.

Grant recipients in 2017 include:

n The Cary Library in Houlton, to grout the stone exterior, repaint exterior window trim and replace lighting

n The Colonial Theater Inc. in Augusta, to restore the theater subfloor

n Lubec Landmarks in Lubec, to repair pilings and storm damage and to secure the brining shed at McCurdy Smokehouse complex

n The Maine Irish Heritage Center in Portland, to install storm windows on the ground floor.

The next deadline for grant applications is June 1. For questions, contact Maggie Drummond-Bahl at mbahl@mainecf.org or call 877-700-6800.

The Maine Community Foundation, a statewide organization with offices in Ellsworth and Portland, works with donors and other partners to improve the quality of life for all Maine people.

To learn more or view the list of grant recipients, visit www.mainecf.org.

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