Scarborough group celebrates Juneteeth

The Enclave of Scarborough Assisted Living and Memory Care community held its first Juneteenth celebration June 16 as part of a national, company-wide event, which all Bridge Senior Living communities were encouraged to celebrate.

Residents participated in a Freedom Ride facilitated by volunteers of the Portland Wheelers. The cyclists rode on the Eastern Trail holding signs saying “Freedom” and “Juneteenth,” which is a newly created American holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S.

Special guest Pious Ali, a Portland councilor, later spoke to residents about the importance of Juneteenth “as a way for all walks of life to connect and honor one another as human beings.”

Ali has worked extensively on educating the public about social justice and has helped many immigrant students and their families.

Midcoast Senior College elects president

Topsham resident Lynn Lockwood has been elected president of the board of Midcoast Senior College.

Freda Bernotavicz, Leona Dufour, Bruce Hauptli, Jay Kuder, Craig Snapp and Bill Vanderwolk were also elected to the Board of Directors.

Lockwood has been a member of the Midcoast Senior College Board of Directors for five years; she has served as secretary and as a member of the Executive Committee.

Goals that Lockwood would like to see the college work on during her tenure include creating a long-term plan that refines how courses will be presented to students, more comprehensive communication to the community and the feasibility of a college digital library.

Eight win eco-excellence awards

Eight eco-excellence recipients from around Southern Maine were honored at ecomaine’s annual meeting June 17 via a video tribute unveiled to nearly 100 guests.

The 2020 honorees include people, businesses and nonprofits from various industries around Southern Maine, including the following local recipients:

• David Love and Maine Beer Company of Freeport, for their commitment to leading the company’s “Blue Crew” in efforts to recover more waste and save it from landfills.
• Curtis Dimock and the staff from Yarmouth Transfer Station for their dedication and hard work for town residents during a particularly challenging year.
• The Rev. Priscilla Dreyman of Cape Elizabeth United Methodist Church, whose inclusion of recycling into the ministry and education is inspirational and provides leadership by example.
• Mary Vertz and The Casco Bay Cleanup Project in Portland, which has started a movement to keep litter out of Maine’s waterways.
• Scarborough Land Trust, for its commitment to preserving natural spaces and – critically in the past year – access to land as a way of escaping some pandemic-induced stress.

Portland native named intern for Sen. Collins

Sen. Susan Collins welcomed Portland native Anna Sanders as a summer intern in Collins’ Washington, D.C. office.

Sanders is a rising senior at Baylor University, where she is majoring in political science with a double minor in criminal justice and legal reasoning and analysis. After graduation, she plans to return to Washington, D.C. and pursue a career in government.

“It is always a pleasure to give Mainers an opportunity to see the legislative process firsthand and to serve the citizens of Maine,” Collins said. “Anna has a strong work ethic and a commendable desire to work in public service.”

Recognition

Forbes has released its annual list of Best Credit Unions by state, and Scarborough-based Town & Country Federal Credit Union was one of three credit unions in Maine to make the list. Town & Country is also the first credit union in the state to make the list three out of the four years Forbes has compiled the list.

According to a prepared statement by Forbes, financial institutions were scored on recommendations and satisfaction, as well as trust, terms and conditions, branch services, digital services and financial advice. Of the 5,068 credit unions nationwide, just 3.6% made the list.

Granted

Altrusa International, Portland, Maine, has received a grant for $3,000 from Altrusa International Foundation and a $1,500 grant from Dollar General to support its Literacy and Lunch Project, a literacy-based program for children from birth to age 18. The program helps families build personal home libraries.

Maine Center for Entrepreneurs in Portland was one of 11 Maine nonprofits to receive funds from the Maine Community Foundation’s Start Up/Scale Up Grant Program. The center will use the grant to develop a business training program for early-stage outdoor recreation businesses in Maine.

Several area organizations received a portion of grants from MaineCF’s Frances Hollis Brain Foundation Fund totaling $170,000: Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, Portland; Catholic Charities Maine, Portland; Community Dental, Portland; Environmental Health Strategy Center, Portland; Gateway Community Services Maine, Portland; Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Portland; Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, Portland; Kids First Center, Scarborough; LearningWorks, Portland; MaineHealth, Portland; Memorial Middle School, South Portland; New England Arab American Organization, Portland; Oasis Free Clinics, Brunswick; Portland Community Squash; Portland Ovations; Seventy-Five State Street, Portland; The Telling Room, Portland; and Wayside Food Programs, Portland.

Kennebec Savings Bank recently awarded $50,000 to seven community organizations, including Tedford Housing in Brunswick, Habitat for Humanity 7 Rivers Maine in Topsham and Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program.

Comments are not available on this story.