Mission Launches Disaster Recovery Initiative to Maine Islands 

Mission Launches Disaster Recovery Initiative to Maine Islands 

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Immediately following the January 10th and 13th storms, which caused widespread damage and flooding for Maine’s coastal communities, the Mission traveled to select islands aboard Sunbeam to assess how these communities were faring. During the three-day venture, Mission staff and a guest from nonprofit partner Island Institute collected 20 contractor bags of debris in addition to having multiple conversations with residents and business owners. 

Some of the damage experienced—which islanders are still contending with—includes loss and/or damage to personal property, damage to community and business infrastructure, soil and coastline erosion, and ocean debris washed ashore. 

“The Mission has worked with Maine islands for going on 120 years. Following the storms, we wanted to show our continued support and do whatever we could to help, like the Mission has always done.shares Mission President John Zavodny,These trips also provide an opportunity for volunteers to do something to help their island neighbors and learn more about these amazing communities.” 

 To continue to assist in disaster recovery following the January storms, the Mission will hold two, multiple-day volunteer service trips to unbridged, outer islands in March and April. These visits will be to the islands of Frenchboro, Great Cranberry, Little Cranberry (Islesford), and Matinicus. Volunteers will assist islands in the clean-up and work will include clearing debris, moving items, and removing trash from shorelines, public ways, and publicly used buildings such as the Ashley Bryan School and Neighborhood House. The current plans include visiting work sites on each island for between two and three hours in the morning and in the afternoon. 

From March 19 to 21, 10 volunteers will travel to Frenchboro, Great Cranberry, Little Cranberry. From April 12 to 14, volunteers of Sigma Kappa Sorority’s Northeastern University chapter will travel to Matinicus. Following the spring trips, the Mission will consider whether the initiative should expand to additional locations in our service area. 

Mission Announces 2024 Sunbeam Gala Awardees 

Mission Announces 2024 Sunbeam Gala Awardees 

Illustration of ta sun rising behind the Sunbeam boat. Birds fly in the sky.

Mission President John Zavodny has announced the two recipients of the Sunbeam Award for 2024: Diana Davis Spencer Foundation and Island Institute. This year’s awardees were chosen for their commitment to the communities the Mission serves. The Gala is the Mission’s annual opportunity to celebrate those who embody the ideals of the community and whose work has made a lasting impact. The 2024 event will take place on Thursday, August 15 at the Bar Harbor Club. 

 

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John shares, “Through our partnerships with Island Institute and the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, the Mission is able to strengthen both island and Downeast communities and ensure that residents can continue to thrive in the places they call home.”

The Diana Davis Spencer Foundation will receive a Sunbeam Award for its committed philanthropic partnership with the Mission. As the Foundation’s Executive Chairman, Diana Davis Spencer, a journalist and activist, guides her organization’s grantmaking efforts. Her daughter, Abby Spencer Moffat, a former business leader and entrepreneur, leads the Foundation as Chief Executive Officer and President. Their commitment to preserving Maine’s natural beauty and environment is built on shared connections to the state and time on Mount Desert Island each year. The Diana Davis Spencer Foundation continues a multi-generational commitment to America’s founding values, including education, entrepreneurship, and national security.

As an award recipient, the Mission will honor Island Institute for its enduring role as a community partner. Together, both organizations have offered support to Maine’s unbridged island communities in education and community building. For 40 years, the Institute has remained committed to working alongside island and coastal communities in the areas of marine economy, sustainability, and community. This year, Island Institute has become a leader in ongoing storm response efforts and facilitating long-term resilience planning and information sharing.

Past Sunbeam Award recipients include:

  • 2023 – Sharon Daley, RN & the Mission Healthcare Partners
  • 2022 – Les Coleman & Downeast Education Partners
  • 2021 – Acadia Senior College & Sigma Kappa
  • 2019 – Bryan Colket and the Sunbeam “All Hands on Deck” Committee & Dr. Diehl Snyder, MDI Hospital Behavioral Health Center
  • 2018 – Marjorie Withers & Maine Community Foundation
  • 2017 – Robin Alden & Earl Brechlin and Alan Baker, The Mount Desert Islander
  • 2016 – Edward R. Flanagan & Cookie Horner and Jack Russell
  • 2015 – Joseph M. Murphy & Todd West
  • 2014 – Senator George J. Mitchell
  • 2013 – Charlie Harrington
  • 2012 – Ashley Bryan
  • 2011 – Edith R. Dixon & Ralph W. Stanley
  • 2010 – Emily A. Sabah-Maren & Gary DeLong
  • 2009 – Curtis L. Blake & Marianne Barnicle
  • 2008 – Charlotte Bordeaux & Dr. Richard Dimond
  • 2007 – James Gower & Henry Harris
  • 2006 – Cornelia Greaves Bates & Alf Wakeman
  • 2005 – Ruth and Tristram Colket & Myron Sprague
  • 2004 – Jill Goldthwait & Fritz Dixon

Beginning May 15, 2024, seating and table reservations for the Sunbeam Award Gala can be made through the Mission’s website or by mailing a check. The Gala will take place at Bar Harbor Club and includes a presentation, dinner, and cocktail hour.

First-Generation College Students Can Now Apply for Davis Maine Scholarship 

First-Generation College Students Can Now Apply for Davis Maine Scholarship 

A color photo of six students, three boys, three girls, all wearing a sweatshirt with the words Davis Scholar

Your gift to the Maine Seacoast Mission makes you part of all we do.

Students in their junior year at Davis Maine partner schools in Washington and eastern Hancock Counties can now apply for the Mission’s Davis Maine Scholarship. Through a partnership with Andrew Davis and the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund, the Davis Maine Scholarship ensures first-generation, college-bound students living in the Downeast region of Maine can complete a four-year undergraduate degree without financial burden. 

Davis Maine Scholars receive consistent mentoring and support from Mission staff throughout their last year of high school and all four years of college as well as 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 partner colleges were selected based on their commitment to supporting first-generation students including those from rural communities.

Davis Maine Scholars are chosen in the spring of their junior year. As high school seniors, selected Scholars participate in cohort workshops, college visits, and guided preparation and transition to college.

Students apply in their junior year and are enrolled at a Washington County high school or Charles M. Sumner Learning Campus. Qualifications include having a cumulative 3.0 GPA and would become the first member of their family to attend college, also known as first-generation college students. 

Applications are accepted until Sunday, April 14. Learn more about the Davis Maine Scholarship and see the application.  

Casual Fridays Support the Mission  

Casual Fridays Support the Mission  

A picture of five people holding a large check. The check is from Bar Harbor Bank & Trust and is to the Mission for $2780.

The employees of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust recently donated $2,780 to the Mission through the bank’s “Casual for a Cause” charitable giving initiative. Employees who participate in “Casual for a Cause” dress casually on Fridays in exchange for a payroll deduction to collectively fund a charity. The bank matches 50% of the total donation made by its staff. Each quarter, the employees vote on which nonprofits will receive their contributions. In the fall of 2023, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees selected the Mission as a recipient.  

The Mission will apply the donation to its Journey program, which serves 7th to 12th graders in Washington County. Downeast youth participating in Journey explore the outdoors and their communities to develop the tools needed to successfully transition to high school and through higher education and career pathways. The program provides individual support, outdoor excursions, immersive experiences, access to professionals, college exploration opportunities, preparation workshops, and help applying for scholarships. Participating students benefit from the Mission’s close partnerships with local middle and high schools, colleges, and community organizations.  

Your gift to the Maine Seacoast Mission makes you part of all we do.

“We are so grateful for our relationship with Bar Harbor Bank & Trust and their employees’ support of our Journey program,” says Mission President John Zavodny. “Whether it is support for an existing program or talking through new ways to help in our communities, we know we can count on our partners at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust.”

Since the “Casual for a Cause” giving program began in 2018, the bank and its employees have donated more than $250,000 to more than 115 nonprofit organizations serving Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont residents. In addition, each year, the bank donates to more than 450 community organizations across Northern New England. The bank works to partner with nonprofits to enhance local projects and programs that provide crucial services for those in need. The bank’s partner organizations support affordable housing, economic development, financial literacy, arts and culture, youth and family, and health and human services. Since the Mission’s founding in 1905, Bank Harbor & Bank & Trust has been a committed support of the Mission.  

“Casual for a Cause is a great opportunity for our employees to be philanthropists together,” said Jack Frost, VP Director of Community Giving at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. “By combining their individual contributions, our employees are able to make significant donations to nonprofit organizations that are, in turn, making a difference in our communities. This is truly a testament to our belief that good things happen when we work together.”   

Davis Maine Scholars Reflect on their First Semesters

Davis Maine Scholars Reflect on their First Semesters

A color photo of six students, three boys, three girls, all wearing a sweatshirt with the words Davis Scholar

Your gift to the Maine Seacoast Mission makes you part of all we do.

What’s it like to be a first-generation student starting the first semester of college? The second cohort of Davis Maine Scholars experienced this last fall. Their first semesters saw these six students move hundreds of miles away from home, learn new skills, and find their way. As they started their second semester, the Mission asked each to reflect on their challenges, surprises, and triumphs from their first few months in college.  

Their answers touched on both the academic and social changes they experienced. Marissa, Joseph, and Laney noted the academic challenges they encountered with their college courses being quite different than their high school classes. Their responses stressed the importance of asking for help, making new study habits, taking detailed notes in class, and going to professors’ office hours. Marissa, who is attending Clark University, writes “I was surprised to find that my biggest challenge was studying for mid-terms and finals. I had to devote a lot more time studying for exams.” Joseph, at UNE, and Antonio, at Clark, both said scheduling and time management were new things they had to figure out during the semester. These answers were similar to those of last year’s cohort of Davis Maine Scholars, who also remarked the change in academic demands from high school to college was sometimes overwhelming until they figured out a system which worked best for them.  

A photo of a young smiling white man holding a college pennant that says UNE
A photo of a young smiling white woman holding a college pennant that says UNE
A photo of a young smiling white man holding a college pennant that says UNE
Many of the Scholars also found help for their support systems, both those at home and the new friends they found. Laney and Antonio both were thankful for their continued support of their friends and family at home who continued to provide guidance. Laney, at UNE, said one of the things she learned was it is okay to “call home as much as you want.” Antonio added he was “lucky to have had a lot of support from my friends and family,” during the transition to college.  

And knowing they had this support, the Scholars tried new things. Tori, who is attending Clark, says she tried new foods and hobbies, even things she never thought she would try. She says this “can be enjoyable even if the experience of the new thing is bad, like having boba tea for the first time and getting it in matcha, a double whammy of things I never tried before.” She also started volunteering for an afterschool program. Antonio found out he had a passion for making music and started playing squash. Marissa started cooking and was “able to develop a great circle of new friends who supported her.” 

A photo of a young smiling white woman holding a college pennant that says Clark University 1887
A photo of a young man holding a college pennant that says Clark University 1887
A photo of a young smiling white woman holding a college pennant that says Clark University 1887

And with this help from the Davis Maine Scholarship, the Mission, their colleges, and their families and friends, these students are more likely to succeed and graduate from college. First-generation students are less likely than their peers to graduate from college and access the resources their institutions provide from studying aboard to career counseling. However, with more support, this changes. UNE offers a First Generation Bridge program for students and Clark has an Office of Identity, Student Engagement, and Access that supports first-generation students and helps them learn more about what opportunities are available for them.  

The Davis Maine Scholarship program is also trying to help students succeed by creating a series of workshops for high school students. These workshops focus on many of the topics the Scholars have highlighted as things they wanted to learn more about time management, how to transition from high school to college academics, and more.  

Juniors at Narraguagus Jr/Sr High School, Sumner High School, and students participating in Bowdoin Upward Bound in Washington County can apply for the Davis Maine Scholarship starting on March 1. 

To learn more or apply for the Scholarship, visit the Davis Maine Scholarship web page. 

Homeowners Can Apply for Mission’s Housing Improvement Program 

Homeowners Can Apply for Mission’s Housing Improvement Program 

A group of six people are in an unfinished room. One man is giving directions and others are doing work on the room around him.
A close up of a man drilling into a piece of wood. He is wearing a yellow rain jacket and stands in front of a saw horse.

The Mission’s Housing Improvement program works to make homes warm, safe, and dry. Each summer hundreds of volunteers fan out across Downeast Maine replacing drafty windows and doors, creating easier access to homes with decks and stairs, and much more. Homeowners in Washington and eastern Hancock Counties can now apply for this year’s program.  

Since the program began in 2003, hundreds of volunteers have traveled to Downeast Maine to help with the program. “This program has allowed community members to stay in their homes which is vital to our mission of supporting and strengthening communities,” says Jennifer Kempthorne, Housing Improvement Program Director.  

In addition to providing repairs, the Mission partners with Downeast Community Partners (DCP) who identify homes DCP can weatherize after Mission volunteers make improvements. This work lowers homeowners’ heating costs over time. This partnership between the Mission and DCP is supported by the C.F. Adams Charitable Trust. The Mission also works to connect homeowners with other resources and services offered by the Mission and other community partners.  

Homeowners qualify for Housing Improvement program if they:  

  • Self-identify as low to moderate income 
  • Provide proof of homeownership 
  • Own one home  
  • Live in the home receiving repairs  
  • Live within a 30-minute drive from the Mission’s Cherryfield campus  

Homeowners can apply online through the Housing Improvement web page. For assistance in applying, call (207) 546-4466 or visit the Mission’s Cherryfield office.  

The Mission is also currently accepting applications for volunteer groups. Interested groups can contact Jennifer at jkempthorne@seacoastmission.org or call (207) 460-9322.

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