Bar Harbor Bank & Trust presents a donation from the bank’s Casual for a Cause program to People Plus. From left are Kimberly Pagon, customer service representative at BHBT; Jordan Cardone, Brunswick Area Teen Center coordinator at People Plus; Sarah McMahon, branch relationship manager at BHBT; and Pam Goodwin, customer service representative at BHBT. Photo contributed by Bar Harbor Bank & Trust

People Plus was recently one of six recipients of a $12,000 charitable donation from Bar Harbor Bank & Trust’s employee-driven giving program, Casual for a Cause. The donation will benefit the Brunswick Area Teen Center, which provides a place where young people can meet safely to explore creative outlets, share their talents, participate in intergenerational activities and develop into well-rounded adults.

“Many thanks to Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees for choosing to support The Brunswick Area Teen Center at People Plus,” Jordan Cardone, Teen Center program coordinator, said in a prepared release. “Our goal is to provide equal opportunity for food access, mentoring, and a safe and fun place to be for any youth in grades 6-12, and we work hard to be able to offer this program for free to our youth members. Donations like this help us to continue to do just that!”

People Plus’s mission is to support an engaged, healthy and independent life for older adults, while joining others to build community for all ages.

Other donation recipients were: in Maine, Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County, Island Health & Wellness Foundation and Trekkers; in New Hampshire, Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice; and in Vermont, Changing Perspectives Inc.

“Our employees are passionate about helping our neighbors, whether that’s through supporting initiatives to expand health care services or by empowering young people to become positive agents of change,” said Jack Frost, VP director of Community Giving at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. “Every dollar donated through Casual for a Cause is a testament to our employees’ commitment to creating stronger communities for all.”

Bank employees participating in Casual for a Cause dress casually on Fridays in exchange for a biweekly payroll deduction made to a pool of funds collected during each quarter. The employees then vote on the nonprofits to receive their contributions. Employees have donated more than $175,000 since the program launched in 2018.