PORTLAND
Annual Heroes with Heart ceremony going virtual
The Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) of Greater Portland will celebrate its 15th annual Heroes with Heart event virtually during the month of September on social media due the COVID-19 pandemic. The event honors police officers, firefighters, first responders, hospital personnel and citizen volunteers, who went above the call of duty during the past year to provide compassionate support to citizens in crisis.
Each year a Heart of Gold award recognizes a local hero who has made a significant difference in our community. This year’s recipient is Margo Walsh, Founder and CEO of MaineWorks, an innovative employment company with a social mission of dignifying the experience of people facing barriers to workforce re-entry, including people recovering from substance use disorder, those with felony convictions or jail/prison re-entry, and new Americans. With Walsh’s commitment, she hopes to break the stigma and provide employers and employees an opportunity to learn, grow and accomplish.
This year’s Heroes with Heart Honorees are Todd Bernard, South Portland Police Department Lieutenant; Edward Doughty, Portland Fire Department Lieutenant; David Galvan, Cape Elizabeth Police Officer; Cindy Gorham, Scarborough Fire Department; Kirk Mazuzen, Cumberland Police Officer; Scott Morgan, Cumberland Fire Department; Timothy Morrell, Westbrook Police Officer; the Peer Support Team from the South Portland Fire Department; Gerry Pineau, Westbrook Fire Department; Jeremy Turner, Portland Police Officer; MMC staff Danielle Bruno, Pediatric Intensive Care nurse; Michelle Cuva, Emergency Department Nurse; and Delina Hurder, Special Care Unit.
TIP of Portland was established in 2004, and works in cooperation with the Portland, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Westbrook, Gorham, Falmouth, Cumberland, and Windham police and fire departments, as well as Maine Medical Center. TIP is a program provided by Maine Behavioral Healthcare with over 30 locations throughout southern, mid-coast and western Maine.
Join the month long celebration by visiting MaineBehavioralHealthcare.org/heroes.

Local students finish Boys & Girls Club internship

Margarida Celestino

Marwo Sougue

Two local high school students recently completed their paid summer internship experience with the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maine through the Bank of America Student Leaders Program.
In a summer where many internship opportunities were lost to COVID-19, the program was adapted to offer a virtual platform of leadership, civic engagement, and workforce skills-building.
Marwo Sougue, a senior at Portland High School, and Margarida Celestino, a junior at Casco Bay High School, were chosen to participate in the program based on their strong leadership skills, community engagement and dedication to volunteerism. The sessions they attended were designed to expose them to the vital role that nonprofits play in advancing community health, the importance of public private partnerships to advance social change, and a focus on building financial acumen.
Sougue and Celestino participated in programming that leverages Bank of America’s national partnerships and expertise and worked closely with the bank’s Maine leadership and nonprofit partners. They participated in a collaborative, mentoring-focused project working closely with the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine. The students created a welcome orientation video for new club members done in multiple languages, including ASL. They also had a chance to meet virtually with Sen. Susan Collins to discuss their work within the program.
Those student leaders engaged in conversations focused on social justice, civil rights and how to build a more diverse and inclusive society and had the opportunity to gain a better understanding of their personal finances through Better Money Habits®, Bank of America’s financial wellness and education platform.

Water bottle filling grant looking for applicants
The Portland Water District is seeking applications for its 2021 Water Bottle Filling Fountain Grants. The grant program offers free water bottle filling fountains to local entities. Last year, five grants were awarded.
Water bottle filling fountains provide touch free, sanitary access to Greater Portland’s tap water. Applications are due Oct. 31. Complete criteria and eligibility requirements and the application can be found online at pwd.org/water-bottle-filling-station-grants.
Preference will be given to those organizations that provide the largest exposure and benefit for public use.

BRUNSWICK
Catholic school students given Chromebooks
A $12,000 donation from the Knights of Columbus Sekenger Council No. 1947 to St. John’s Catholic School has ensured that all students will now have the benefit of a Chromebook to add to their educational experience this school year.
St. John’s opened for in-person learning in late August with the capacity to offer remote learning to students not returning to the classroom at the start of the year. The school is using Chromebooks for their remote learning platform but needed to purchase 35 additional units to facilitate 100 percent student participation, including with charging cords and carry cases.
St. John’s principal Shelly Wheeler said the generosity of the Knights of Columbus gift was overwhelming, noting “The ability to update our technology with this significant donation will help our students both in the classroom and at home, should the need arise.”
“I’m confident that our students will have the ability to achieve great things by using these new devices to help support and enhance what our teachers are able to do in the classrooms,” said Wheeler.

CORNISH
Historic preservation gives $20,000 grant to restore performance hall
The Pike Hall Committee of the Town of Cornish has received a $20,000 grant from the Belvedere Historic Preservation Fund of the Maine Community Foundation to help restore the historic performance hall, adding a railing to the existing balcony and safety features around the hall, in keeping with fire marshal recommendations.
Grant writer and Pike Hall Committee member Sharon Beever said the funding will be used to add seating capacity in the auditorium’s balcony, making it available for community use.
“By bringing the auditorium, stage and balcony up to fire code, we will increase the seating by almost 90 and several arts organizations and other community groups have already indicated the desire to utilize this amazing place,” said Beever. “Someone said the hall reminds them of the one in the movie ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ We are so thankful to The Maine Community Foundation and The Belvedere Historic Preservation Fund for allowing us to do this important work.”
Pike Hall was designed by John Calvin Stevens, built in 1925, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The basement now houses the Cornish town offices.
When the townspeople decided to save the building to use as town offices, they voted to pay for the renovation in the basement, but to have the main level auditorium restored through fundraising and grants.
The Pike Hall Committee was created with a mission to undertake the project of restoring the hall and making it safe and usable for public events, while maintaining the historic integrity of the building.
For more details, call 838-2756 or go to mainecf.org.

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