On a beautiful, summer night in Bar Harbor, the Mission honored two of its partners for their continued support of the Downeast and island communities at the 2024 Sunbeam Award Gala. The Diana Davis Spencer Foundation was honored for their committed philanthropic partnership with the Mission and Island Institute was recognized for their enduring role as a community partner.
In his opening remarks, Mission President John Zavodny said, “Maine Seacoast Mission is grateful for the support that the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, Diana [Davis Spencer] and Abby [Moffat], have shown over the years for children, families, older adults, and communities. We are grateful to the Island Institute for their creative commitment to partnership past and partnership to come in service to island and coastal communities in Maine.”
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Tim Schieffelin, a Mission board member, introduced Ms. Spencer saying that she and the foundation had “impactfully helped the work of the Maine Seacoast Mission with a primary focus on children, education, food security, and health.” In her speech Spencer said, “Making life better in Downeast Maine is what the Mission is all about.” She spoke about seeing kids on the Downeast Campus having fun playing and trying out new activities, she added “you all here tonight bring hope to the EdGE [students] and to other Downeast [residents] who may have otherwise been forgotten.”
The Mission also honored Island Institute, with Institute President Kim Hamiliton accepting the award on behalf of the organization. Ann and David Ingram introduced Ms. Hamiliton saying, “Both [Maine Seacoast Mission and Island Institute] understand the unique challenges facing Maine’s island communities and work to share hands-on, real-time solutions.” In her speech, Hamiliton highlighted some of the organizations’ shared work with special emphasis on the Outer Islands Teaching and Learning Collaborative (TLC) and the current work of Island Institute Fellow Morgan Karns. She remarked, “Our organizations are intertwined in so many wonderful ways because of a shared vision for Maine’s islands—one that is shaped by community, inclusion, listening, and importantly trust.”
The Mission thanks everyone who made the evening a success, including the Gala’s sponsors for their generous support. This year’s Platinum Sponsors were Bar Harbor Bank & Trust and Wyman’s of Maine; Bronze Sponsors included Billings Diesel & Marine, First National Bank, Maggie Keohan, Goldman Sachs, and The Snowman Group; Copper Sponsors were Acadia Bike & Coastal Kayaking Tours, Eaton Peabody, and Machias Savings Bank; and Corporate Donor Front Street Shipyard.
Watch a video of this year’s event on the Mission’s YouTube page. Next year’s Sunbeam Award Gala will be on Thursday, August 21, 2025, and awardees will be announced in the Spring of 2025.
