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Application Period Opens for Davis Maine Scholarship for First-Generation College Hopefuls

Application Period Opens for Davis Maine Scholarship for First-Generation College Hopefuls

by | Mar 26, 2025 | News

The Mission will accept applications for the Davis Maine Scholarship Monday, March 31 through Sunday, April 13, 2025. Davis Maine Scholars, who are first-generation college students from Washington and eastern Hancock Counties, are chosen during the Spring of their junior year. Through a partnership with Andrew Davis and the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund, the Davis Maine Scholarship ensures these students can complete an undergraduate degree without financial burden. 

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Mission President John Zavodny shares, “Young adults have an opportunity to transform their lives through the Davis Maine Scholarship. This spring, Maine Seacoast Mission welcomes aspiring juniors to apply.” 

Davis Maine Scholars receive a full cost of attendance, four-year scholarship at one of three partner colleges: Clark University (MA), University of New England (ME), and Wheaton College (MA). These colleges were selected based on their commitment to supporting first-generation students including those from rural communities. As high school seniors, Scholars participate in cohort workshops, college visits, and guided transition to college. Scholars also receive consistent mentoring and support from Mission staff and other Scholars throughout all four years of college. In the fall, there will be 20 Davis Maine Scholars attending college, and the first group of Scholars will be graduating from college in 2026. 

“Through our work, the Mission supports Downeast students in the pursuit of higher education,” says EdGE Secondary and Post-Secondary Director Christy Oliveri. “The Davis Maine Scholarship is an amazing opportunity for these students to pursue their dreams without worrying about student loans. The Scholarship provides additional support through college preparation and planning while students are still in high school.” 

To apply, juniors must attend school in Washington County or at Charles M. Sumner Learning Campus in Sullivan, have a cumulative 3.0 GPA, and be a first-generation college student to qualify. Please visit our website to submit an application. Applicants submit an application, personal essay, family letter, recommendation letter, and an official high school transcript.  

Community Profile: The Island Reader Editors

Community Profile: The Island Reader Editors

by | Mar 24, 2025 | News

Every fall, a request goes out to the residents of Maine’s unbridged islands, asking them to send in their prose, photographs, poetry, and paintings to The Island Reader. Then, in the spring, the editors go through the submissions helping put together the final issue which will be published in June. The work of school children is highlighted alongside that of fishermen, retirees, and published artists.  

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When The Island Reader began in 2006 as a thin, black and white, saddle-stapled arts anthology displaying the work of artists living on four of Maine’s unbridged islands. Over the years, it has evolved into a publication featuring the work of artists and writers from 16 unbridged islands. After the editors met this Spring, they talked more about their connection to The Island Reader and their favorite part of the publishing process.  

Kendra Chubbuck, Isle au Haut 

 How did you decide to be an editor for The Island Reader?  

I was asked if I wanted to be an editor, and I jumped at the chance. I love reading and writing and everything about the creative process. I’m also a lifetime learner as I’m always attending workshops and classes. 

 What is your favorite part of being an editor?  

Collaborating with the other editors and organizing The Island Reader. The discussions we have deciding on the front cover and how the setup of The Island Reader comes together are quite a process and we all have a say. Gary [Rainford, Editor-in-Chief] does a wonderful job collecting and organizing the work to get it into book form for us. We couldn’t do it without his expertise. 

Ingrid Gaither, Great Cranberry Island  

How did you decide to be an editor for The Island Reader? 

I was a fan of The Island Reader before I was invited to join the editorial team. I considered it a real privilege to be asked, and I was glad to join.   

What is your favorite part of being an editor? 

It’s hard to pick a favorite because all the parts are enjoyable! I respect each member of the team and it’s rewarding to get to work together in person on the Sunbeam after meeting online the rest of the year. But I think my favorite part is publishing submissions from regular people (non-professionals) or people who may be shy about submitting. There’s so much talent, even what may be considered amateur talent, on the islands and I love that we can feature that in a beautiful book that many will see and appreciate. Most publications purposely weed out the non-professionals or the not famous and The Island Reader does the opposite. I think that’s something to be proud of. I love that a 5-year-old artist can be featured on the same page as a well-known and published artist.   

Kimberly Peabody, Matinicus  

When and how did you decide to be an editor for The Island Reader?  

The Island Reader needed an additional editor, and I was approached. It is an honor to collaborate with the group of editors we have. I am a writer and love photography and art, so participating in the making of The Island Reader is a good way to feed that part of me that I don’t always allow time for myself. 

What is your favorite part of being an editor?  

My favorite part of being an editor is learning about other islands through the submitted pieces. The Island Reader showcases a variety of genres and levels of experience. When you pick up a copy, you are visiting each unbridged island through the contributor’s art. 

 

Kristy Mckibben, Matinicus 

How did you decide to be an editor for The Island Reader? 

I was asked to be an editor last summer by Douglas [Cornman, Director of Island Outreach] when an opening became available.  

What is your favorite part of being an editor? 

My favorite part of being an editor was reading and viewing all the excellent submissions. We had a plethora of good choices, so choosing was difficult. 

Gary Rainford, Editor-in-Chief, Swan’s Island  

How did you decide to be an editor for The Island Reader? 

In 2008, I was a contributor to The Island Reader. The following year, because I was asked, I became an editor on Volume IV. Since then, I’ve formatted the covers and typeset each anthology. 

What is your favorite part of being an editor? 

My favorite part is working with island artists and being part of a unique, creative, and ongoing conversation about art. 

Mission Offers CPR and First Aid Training to Island Fishermen

Mission Offers CPR and First Aid Training to Island Fishermen

by | Mar 11, 2025 | News

The Mission is partnering with Fishing Partnership Support Services to offer two CPR and First Aid Courses for fishermen on Great Cranberry Island on Tuesday, April 15, and on Isle au Haut on Thursday, April 17. Running from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., these classes are specifically for commercial fishermen and provide an Adult First Aid/CPR/AED certification.  

Fishing Partnership covers how to provide the skills used to assess and treat injured or ill crew members while at sea. During the day, attendees will learn basic life-saving skills including providing CPR and assessing and treating injuries as well as skills helpful for an emergency at sea. This includes treating marine bites stings, reducing hypothermia, how to identify medical and cardiac emergencies, and prep a person for transport. Sunbeam Nurse Simone Babineaux shares “I wanted to bring this training to island fisherman because fishing is among the deadliest professions in the country. This training could save lives, as accidents can happen quickly to anyone.”  

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Fishing Partnership trains fishermen to be first responders. They explain, “this enhanced CPR and First Aid class is specifically designed for fishermen knowing you often don’t have the convenience of emergency personnel arriving in a few minutes to care for an injured crewman, and that you are administering care in challenging and austere conditions.”  

These classes are free, and each group of fishermen or boat will receive a free duffle bag of first aid equipment for their vessel. The class on Great Cranberry is open to fishermen on Islesford and Great Cranberry and then will be opened to others if space allows. The class on Isle au Haut is open to fishermen on Isle au Haut and Stonington. In addition to becoming Adult First Aid/CPR/AED certified, the course also meets Coast Guard requirements for certification.  

Registration for these classes is required. To register contact Julia Messersmith at jmessersmith@fishingpartnership.org or call (774) 840-9418. 

To learn more about the Island Health program visit our website.  

Community Partner Profile: Women for Healthy Rural Living (WHRL)

Community Partner Profile: Women for Healthy Rural Living (WHRL)

by | Feb 28, 2025 | News

Every year, the Mission partners with organizations across Maine and beyond to provide services, education, and more to communities Downeast and on Maine Islands. We recently chatted with Lizzie Cunningham with Women for Healthy Rural Living (WHRL), based in Milbridge, about their work and their partnership with the Mission.

 What is your name? What organization do you represent?

I am Lizzie Cunningham, and I am the Experience Coordinator for Women for Healthy Rural Living (WHRL). Our mission is to advance and promote the health of the woman, her family, her community, and the planet. WHRL was founded in 2004 by our executive director, Chris Kuhni, who was a nurse practitioner at Milbridge Medical Center for many years. We began as the Women’s Health Resource Library, a consumer health lending library that was attached to the Milbridge Medical Center, but open to the entire community. Over time, the library piece became less relevant, and we added more preventative programs.

 

What program or project are you collaborating on with the Mission?

We collaborate with the Mission on our Harvest Table Cooking program, which is part of our Incredible Edible Milbridge Initiative, founded in 2013 to address food security. We have two large, free, and pick-your-own gardens in the community. One garden is at Milbridge Commons Wellness Park, and then we also have a garden at the Red Barn Motel in space donated by the hotel. The Harvest Table Cooking program began specifically from an experience one of our board members had in the gardens. She was approached by a community member who picked a leaf of chard and didn’t know what to do with that chard. Our board member had the idea to start a hands-on cooking class specifically designed to help people utilize all the garden-fresh produce. Last year, we hosted eight Harvest Table classes. And then we were awarded a Hannaford Chef Grant, which allowed us to offer 12 monthly programs in 2025. That was only possible because of the sustained collaboration with the Mission, providing a space with a commercial kitchen so we can all cook together. The Weald Bethel Community Center space feels warm and inviting and is greatly appreciated by all the Harvest Table participants.

What drives you to do the work you do?

 The Harvest Table Cooking class is an example of the programming that we provide through WHRL. We’re not a direct healthcare provider, but we are looking to fill the gaps that many people experience. You will be learning skills to connect the food grown in the gardens with what you can eat on your plate in an affordable and interesting way. The program also connects participants with other community members. We find that so many of our program participants are new to the community and their social life begins through WHRL programs. People are isolated, nationally, but also particularly in our region, living as rurally as we do. We are trying to create spaces for people to come together in a meaningful way.

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How does working with the Mission benefit the people your organization serves? We have a strong belief at WHRL that what benefits Milbridge benefits our region. We love partnerships with other organizations who are doing the work in our community. It makes all of our work stronger. It also allows us to share with our program participants what’s happening at the Mission. I think it goes back to that same issue of people feeling isolated; we want folks to be connected with as many resources as possible.

What has been a memorable moment at Harvest Table?

I think the Harvest Table Cooking Program is filled with memorable moments. Every month, we see our gathering populated by people who are regular program attendees and then we have new folks coming in too. People are building community. We’ve had some Harvest Table leaders volunteer in other WHRL programs as well.

What’s your favorite region of Maine?

I love living Downeast. In Maine, we have many forests, and many mountains, but Downeast, you have the ocean, and you have blueberries. It is just such a uniquely beautiful place. We also have such a unique community. It’s a community of people who, again, because we live very rurally, have many skills. You have to really build the life that you want. When you’re here, it’s not handed to you, you have to build your social life many times, you may have to build your house. I think that kind of energy in the community is inspiring to me. We are a community of builders, of makers, of artists and musicians. It is a rich, small community.

What would people be surprised to learn about Downeast Maine?

I would hope people would recognize that the Downeast region, despite its rural landscape, is a very connected community. Many times, because we are lacking a variety of resources, people are, at least in my experience, more likely to be closer with their neighbors, or more likely to lend a hand. You have a community that’s curious and interested and willing to do the work, whatever that looks like. It’s a generous community and a talented one.

Visit Matinicus with the Penobscot Theatre Company

Visit Matinicus with the Penobscot Theatre Company

by | Feb 27, 2025 | News

Three white men sit on a theatre stage and converse.

Twenty miles off the coast, accessible only by boat or air, is Maine’s most remote year-round island, Matinicus. Several miles even further away is Matinicus Rock, home to one of Maine’s lighthouses and the setting for Penobscot Theatre Company (PCT)’s new show Matinicus: A Lighthouse Play. PCT will bring a three-week performance run of Matinicus to the Bangor Opera House from March 20 to April 6. The Theatre has tapped Maine Seacoast Mission to be the community partner for the production due to the nonprofit’s longtime ties and service work on the Maine island of Matinicus. Join Matinicus’ First Assessor Laurie Webber and Maine Seacoast Mission’s Director of Island Service Douglas Cornman for a Q&A-style “talkback” event after the matinee performance on Sunday, March 23 at 3 p.m. 

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Written by Jenny Connell Davis, the play Matinicus tells the true story of the distinctive, Maine historical figure Abbie Burgess who as a young woman single-handedly manned a lighthouse on Matinicus Rock in 1856. During one particularly harsh winter, when Abbie was running the lighthouse, a large storm overtook Matinicus Rock. Her story and impact on the small, two- by six-mile island is especially significant to residents of all Maine’s remote, unbridged islands, and is a testament to the grit and resilience of those who choose to live there. 

After the March 23 matinee, Cornman and Webber will answer questions about what life is like year-round on a remote, unbridged island. They will also talk about the Mission’s work on Maine’s outer, unbridged islands including Matinicus. The Mission has served island communities for 120 years by providing health, outreach, and engagement services. Before the automation of lighthouses, the Mission frequently visited and gave supplies to those living at lighthouse stations, like Abbie’s family. 

Tickets to see Matinicus are available online or in the box office Tuesday through Friday, 12:00 p.m. to -5:00 p.m. at (207) 942-3333. 

To learn about the programs that serve the islands, please visit explore Island Outreach and Island Health.

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