Let the Holidays Begin! Mission’s Christmas Open House and Silent Wreath Auction Dec. 7

Let the Holidays Begin! Mission’s Christmas Open House and Silent Wreath Auction Dec. 7

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 26, 2018

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact: Scott K Fish, Marketing and Communications
207-458-7185 or <[email protected]>

BAR HARBOR, ME — Let the Holidays begin! The Maine Seacoast Mission’s Open House and Silent Wreath Auction is Friday, December 7, 2018, 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Colket Center, 127 West Street, Bar Harbor, ME.

Please join us for an evening of refreshments, music, the chance to take home a beautiful holiday wreath, and see the historic Colket Center beautifully decorated by your neighbors for the holidays.

The Mission’s Christmas Program provides gifts for island and coastal children and the elderly. The signature white paper bundles with red string have brightened Christmas mornings for over 100 years.

Thank you to our generous community for contributing to this event and auction. Your donation and winning bids support the Mission’s Christmas Program. Victor Stanley’s “Christmas 1968” in the December 2018 Down East magazine shares his personal perspective on what Maine Seacoast Mission’s Christmas Program meant to his family fifty years ago, with a reminder that, “[The] Mission still…help[s] families through long and cold Maine winters.”

For more information call the Mission at 207-288-5097 or visit us on the web at seacoastmission.org

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Victor Stanley’s Down East Memories of Maine Seacoast Mission’s Positive Impact on His Life

Victor Stanley’s Down East Memories of Maine Seacoast Mission’s Positive Impact on His Life

BAR HARBOR, ME — A big “Thank you” from the Mission to Down East magazine and Victor Stanley for the beautiful “Christmas 1968” essay, and for the many great memories Rev. Stanley includes about Maine Seacoast Mission.

We encourage you to pick up a copy of Down East magazine’s December 2018 issue for Rev. Stanley’s full piece. https://downeast.com/category/issues/

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Downeast Magazine – December 2018
Christmas 1968
by Victor Stanley

The story of my childhood reads like the beginning of a Steinbeck novel, but it’s all true. Times were tough in the mid-1950s in Down East Maine. Jobs were scarce and people were desperate.

*****

…I got off the school bus and walked into the kitchen. My mother grabbed me and gave me a big hug. “Your prayers were answered,” she proclaimed, waving a white envelope over her head. “The Maine Seacoast Mission sent us $50 for Christmas!”

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On Christmas Eve, we…went to church… [E]ach of us…received a present…. Once again, the gifts were from the Maine Seacoast Mission.

*****

Fifty years have passed since…. Scholarships from the Maine Seacoast Mission made it possible for me to go to college and seminary….

*****

…[The] Mission still…help[s] families through long and cold Maine winters. It still provides scholarships for thousands of hard-working students and has expanded its ministry with after-school programs and medical care.

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Maine Seacoast Mission’s 2018 Christmas Program ‘Wish List’ Now Online

Maine Seacoast Mission’s 2018 Christmas Program ‘Wish List’ Now Online

CHERRYFIELD, ME — Each year at Christmas time, the Mission distributes about 10,000 holiday gifts to more than 3,200 children, families, nursing home residents, and prisoners.

The tradition of Mission Christmas presents began more than 100 years ago when the Mission brought gifts to island residents and lighthouse keepers. Now, generous donors bring new items to the Mission throughout the year to be distributed on the islands and in Hancock and Washington counties over the holidays.

We also host the “Elves’ Workshop” in the Weald Bethel Community Center, where people can choose gifts they would like to give to their families.

To find out how you can help the Mission’s Christmas program this year, download the 2018 Christmas Program Wish List (PDF) and/or contact Marilyn Nickson.

 

Mission 2018 Christmas Wish List Now Available

Mission 2018 Christmas Wish List Now Available

CHERRYFIELD, ME — The Maine Seacoast Mission is gearing up again for the 2018 Christmas season. We could not brighten Christmas for the people in our communities without your generosity.

To ensure donations will arrive in time for Christmas 2018 they must be here no later than December 10, 2018. Donations arriving after Dec. 10 will be saved for Christmas 2019.

Please direct all donations to the Mission’s Downeast Campus in Cherryfield.

Maine Seacoast Mission Christmas Program
6 Weald Bethel Lane
PO Box 428
Cherryfield, ME 04622

Our office in Bar Harbor is for sale. We are not receiving Christmas gifts at that address this year.

Here is our suggested 2018 Christmas Wish List. The Wish List is also available for downloading and distribution in PDF format. Click Here. We like to stick to traditional, imagination powered toys, basic clothing, and personal care items. We try also to be good environmental stewards with a less-is-more approach to gifts and packaging.

With limited storage space gift cards are especially helpful. They. also allow us to buy items in short supply or to ensure, for example, a pair of boots fits.

Many elderly people receiving Christmas gifts are in nursing homes. Basic and practical items are very welcome, i.e. lap robes, nightwear, toiletries, puzzle books, or music.

Please get in touch with me if you have any questions about our 2018 Christmas season arrangements. Call me at 207-546-5867 or send me an email at [email protected]

IMPORTANT: Please include your full name and address on any package or letter you send us so we can properly acknowledge them.

Marilyn Nickson, Mission Christmas Program Coordinator

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Maine Seacoast Mission Christmas Wish List 2018

Please Do Not Send:

Food, Summer Clothing and Toys, Toy Guns, Over the Counter Medications

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Items Most Needed for Program

Toiletries (All Ages)

  • Toothpaste
  • Shampoo
Body Wash
  • Lotion
  • Lip Balm

Clothing for Adults (Seniors)

  • Pajamas and Nighties
  • Gripper socks/Crew socks
  • Lap Robes (Handmade most appreciated)
  • Cardigan Sweaters

Clothing for Children and Teens

  • Pajamas
  • Sweatpants/Sweatshirts
  • Mittens (Especially hand knit)
  • Boot socks
  • Books (All levels)
  • Art Supplies (All levels and ages
  • Drawing and Paint Pads
  • Adult Puzzle and Coloring Books
  • Colored Pencils, Fine Markers, Fat Crayons
  • Sleds
  • Ice Fishing Gear
  • Building Toys
  • Baby Dolls
  • Christmas Music CD’s
  • Movies for Children and Seniors
  • Gift Cards

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Mission’s Longest-Tenured Employee Retires, after 37-years, from Full-Time Service

Mission’s Longest-Tenured Employee Retires, after 37-years, from Full-Time Service

Marilyn Nickson (left) listens to Mission Service Program Director Wendy Harrington read a letter of appreciation for Ms. Nickson’s 37-years of service. Other Mission personnel stand nearby, listening.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2018

For More Information
Contact Scott K Fish – Marketing and Communications
[email protected]

Maine Seacoast Mission’s Longest-Tenured Employee Retires, after 37-years, from Full-Time Service

CHERRYFIELD, ME — After a remarkable 37-years of service, Maine Seacoast Mission’s longest-tenured employee, Marilyn Nickson, retired Thursday, June 28, from full-time work as the Mission’s Community Resource Coordinator. However, Marilyn Nickson is staying part-time, seasonally, to continue coordinating the Mission’s longstanding Christmas program.

“We are so grateful to have benefited for so long from Marilyn’s positive, kind, friendly, and compassionate way of working with colleagues and constituents,” said Mission President Scott Planting.

Among her other success stories with the Mission, Ms. Nickson worked with countless volunteers and for years ran the thrift shop in Cherryfield. She started a senior companions program, helped with all kinds of emergency assistance, started food programs such as the backpack program and the Sunbeam-on-Wheels. The former program provided healthy food to kids and their families, the latter program brings healthy food to community people unable to travel.

Ms. Nickson is looking forward to her retirement and the opportunity to pursue some of her many hobbies. Mission personnel held a party Thursday, June 28, at the Mission’s Downeast Campus to thank Marilyn Nickson for her work, friendship, and for continuing on with her invaluable work with the Mission as “Mrs. Santa.”

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