Maine Seacoast Mission President C. Scott Planting Retiring

Maine Seacoast Mission President C. Scott Planting Retiring

C. Scott Planting, Maine Seacoast Mission President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2018
For more information
Contact Scott K Fish, Communication & Marketing Director
207-458-7185 or [email protected]

Maine Seacoast Mission President C. Scott Planting Retiring

BAR HARBOR, ME — Maine Seacoast Mission President C. Scott Planting is retiring. President Scott Planting’s announcement came in a letter to Seacoast Mission supporters in which he thanked them for the opportunity to serve and for their help in building a secure financial base so the Mission’s programs and services on land and sea will continue.

“During my tenure, we’ve worked hard to build a secure financial base for EdGE, so Downeast children, for generations to come, receive first rate educations; and so the Sunbeam V continues to bring state of the art tele-health service to the outer islands. In Cherryfield, we’ve developed an active campus that supports children, families and elders with food, shelter and community. An expanded scholarship program is preparing high school students for successful college careers. And our strategic plan, Mission 2020, charts a thoughtful course of action for years ahead,” Planting said in his retirement letter.

The Mission president cited an archived “carefully hand-lettered listing of the names of Mission superintendents and president” starting with Mission founder Alexander Macdonald. “I am very proud my name will be added to this list of Mission leaders who, first and foremost, cared deeply about the people of the outer islands and Downeast coastal communities,” Planting said.

The letter said the Mission president’s retirement will take place “late this fall.” A search is underway for the Seacoast Mission’s next leader, led by its board of directors.

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Thank You for a Successful Christmas Open House and Wreath Auction

Thank You for a Successful Christmas Open House and Wreath Auction

BAR HARBOR, Me — The Mission’s Christmas Open House and Wreath Auction is a key event in support of our Christmas Program. Organizations and individuals who decorated the Colket Center and created unique wreaths for 2017’s event are listed here so you can visit them online.

The Open House receives donations in two ways: donations visitors put in a large jar on the staffed welcome table at the entrance, and payments of winning bids on the silent auction for wreaths. Approximately 350-400 people attended this year’s event.

The 2017 Open House received $924.00 in donations and $2,702.00 in auction payments for a total of $3,626.00.

Wreath and Centerpieces

Artwaves
Bar Harbor Congregational Church (BHUCC) – Karen McFarland and Christy Benson
Bar Harbor Garden Club – Sherri Alley
Lori Bartlett
Ruth Brunetti and Bill Fernald
The Bud Connection
Judith Burger-Gossart
Cottage Flowers
Jenny J. Denegre, BH Food Pantry
Chelcey Dunham
Sue Ferrante-Collier
Frost Farms
Harbor House Children’s Center
Jesup Memorial Library
Kids’ Corner
Kimball Shop & Boutique
Kvetina Gardens
Susan Lerner
MDI Hospital
Carla Minctons
Katherine Moore-Testa
Deborah Page
Snugglemagic Farm
Spruce and Gussy
Terri Rodick
Linda Rowell-Kelly
Swallowfield
Melita Westerlund
Westside Florist

Sunbeam Living History Visits Colket Center

Sunbeam Living History Visits Colket Center

BAR HARBOR, ME — It is always a welcome surprise when living Mission history walks through the front door of the Mission headquarters. Mission receptionist/clerical associate David Snyder tells us about one such meeting last Friday, July 28, 2017;

Kate Van Dyke and “Tag” Goodhue, of Salem, MA, came by for a visit today. Kate’s grandmother had christened the Sunbeam IV, March 2nd, 1964. She is also the great granddaughter of Henry Van Dyke who wrote the poem, Little Ship Sunshine. (More famous for his 1907poem “Hymn of Joy”, which begins with the words, “Joyful, joyful, we adore thee…”, which became the new lyrics to Beethoven’s  “Ode to Joy”, from the final movement of his Symphony No. 9.)

Ms. Van Dyke and Mr. Goodhue are standing in a Colket Center room with a frame displaying the Sunbeam IV poem and the photo of Henry Van Dyke pictured here.

Tour the Colket Center Thursdays, July 13th – August 31st

Tour the Colket Center Thursdays, July 13th – August 31st

Colket-Center-2016-George-Soules-smaller

BAR HARBOR – Maine Seacoast Mission will offer tours of its “rusticator” mansion in downtown Bar Harbor during July and August. Tours will also feature historical items from the Mission’s 111 years of serving the islands and coastal communities of downeast Maine.

The 35-room mansion, once known as “La Rochelle,” was built in 1902 for George Bowdoin, a partner of J.P. Morgan, and his small family and 21 servants. Located at 127 West Street and overlooking Frenchman’s Bay, the house was the first brick summer cottage to be built in Bar Harbor. The specially cut granite and marble used in the construction was imported from Italy.

The house, along with an endowment for its upkeep, was donated to the Maine Seacoast Mission in 1972 by Tristram and Ruth Colket, who purchased the mansion in the 1940s. The building now serves as the Mission’s administrative headquarters and is known as the “Colket Center” in honor of its donors.

Tours will be given at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Thursdays from July 13 through August 31st. There is no charge for the tours, although donations are appreciated.

For more information, call 207-288-5097 or email [email protected].

Maine Seacoast Mission Developing Plans to Relocate Headquarters

Maine Seacoast Mission Developing Plans to Relocate Headquarters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 18, 2017

For More Information:
Contact Scott K Fish, Manager of Marketing & Communications
207-458-7185 or [email protected]

BAR HARBOR, ME — Maine Seacoast Mission is developing plans to move its administrative headquarters out of the Colket Center in Bar Harbor. In a letter mailed Monday, July 17, 2017, President Scott Planting outlined reasons for the move to Mission supporters and donors:

It is with mixed feelings that I tell you that the Mission plans to move its administrative headquarters out of its beloved Colket Center in Bar Harbor, which was donated in 1972. Its value having appreciated significantly over the years, we will transform this remarkable asset into valuable support for the Mission’s programs and services.

The Mission’s first “headquarters” in 1905 was a house on Ledgelawn Avenue. Mission founders Alexander and Angus McDonald spent much of their time sailing to and from communities on Maine islands on the sloop Hope. Since then, always with an eye toward excellent asset stewardship, the Mission has made careful changes, while honoring its mission through its programs and services.

We are grateful to Ruth and Tristram Colket, whose generosity over four decades ago has provided an outstanding home for the Mission’s staff and activities and who have been unwavering supporters over the years. Ever visionary, Ruth and Tris put the Mission first, and we are deeply grateful, President Planting said in his letter.

By taking thoughtful and bold actions, such as transforming property into financial resources for programs and services for the future, the Maine Seacoast Mission is building on over a century of service to Maine communities.

[Photo Attachment: Volunteers at work in the Mission’s Housing Rehabilitation Program. Courtesy Scott Shaw, Maine Seacoast Mission.)

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