Students in last year’s EdGE summer camp in Milbridge
Kids in EdGE summer camps create art, explore science, learn skills, get their energy out playing games, make friends, and have fun. Registration is now open for students in kindergarten through eighth grade in Washington county for five, week-long camps running from Monday, June 26 until Friday, July 28.
This year’s three summer camp locations are:
D.W. Merritt Elementary for students who live in Addison, Beals, Columbia, Columbia Falls, Harrington, and Jonesport,
Milbridge Elementary for students who live in Beddington, Cherryfield, Deblois, and Milbridge, and
Parents can sign up their child week-by-week and register for as many weeks as they wish. At camp, kids will rotate through a variety of activities during the day. “We’ll have regular EdGE activities to choose from,” says Isaac Marnik, the Mission’s EdGE Primary Program Director. “Over the summer, campers will also go on field trips and have multiple opportunities to visit the ropes course on the Mission’s Downeast campus in Cherryfield.”
Camps are $30.00 per student per week and scholarships are available. The camps are open to any student who was in kindergarten through eighth grade during the 2022-2023 school year who live in these towns. Students do not need to be enrolled in EdGE programming during the school year to attend. Breakfast and lunch are provided for all campers. Bus transportation is not available this summer.
Families can enroll their children onlineand for help with registration please call (207) 546-4466. For questions about summer camp scholarships, contact Maria at mwight@seacoastmission.org or (207) 546-4466.
Starting on April 1, young adults living in Washington and Hancock counties, and on Maine’s outer islands, can apply for the Downeast Exploration Fund. The fund, started by Gigi Georges, author of Downeast: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America, and her husband, Jeff Oxman, provides scholarships for students to explore their own passions and pursue experiences not otherwise available to them. The first fund awardees, who received scholarships last year, went to immersive summer camps, developed their artistic skills, took piano lessons, and more.
Any student in grades six through 12, including rising sixth graders and just-graduated seniors, within the Mission’s service areas may apply for an award. The Downeast Exploration Fund provides up to $1,500 for awardees’ participation in camps, outdoor learning experiences, and lessons in music, art, sports, or equestrian pursuits. Additionally, the scholarship covers registration fees for enrichment activities or programs as well as materials, equipment, or supplies.
In 2021, Gigi Georges published the non-fiction book, Downeast, with HarperCollins. Following the first edition printing, Georges and Oxman founded the Downeast Exploration Fund with Maine Seacoast Mission to celebrate the continued strength and resilience residing in the young people of the Downeast region of the state. Georges says, “The Fund honors of the book’s five young women. They played a central role in developing the Fund’s objective, which is to expand opportunities beyond the classroom for Downeast children.” The couple actively involved the five young women in developing the Fund.
Maine Seacoast Mission President John Zavodny says, “The Downeast Exploration Fund is a result of Gigi’s and Jeff’s generosity and their appreciation for the incredible spirit of Downeast young people. We’re excited to hear about and help fuel their passions. The Mission’s education and youth development work in Downeast Maine makes the Fund a perfect fit.”
Interested applicants may apply through Maine Seacoast Mission’s website or through a school guidance counselor. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until funds for the 2023 award year are exhausted.
In 1949, Edith Drury traveled up and down the Maine coast visiting 40 schools with a small notebook in hand. As part of her job as a staff member of the Maine Seacoast Mission, Edith was tasked with teaching children about creating gardens and growing vegetables. In her notebook, she kept track of the seeds she distributed, from radishes to nasturtiums. Each school had its own page on which she wrote each child’s name, age, and the kind of seeds they received. Later, she made another note in the margins of each page about how well the plants grew. While most have check marks, she also comments on bad soil, and a dog that dug up a family’s garden.
74 years later, Maxine Porter of Cutler still remembers “Miss Drury” visiting her school to teach children how to garden. In 1949, Maxine was nine years old, and according to Edith’s notebook, she received carrots, cucumbers, and snow peas. Her future husband, Verlan’s name is written down a few pages earlier. He received squash, carrots, and cucumbers. Maxine remembers Edith teaching the students how to prepare the soil, plant the seeds, and take care of what they planted. Even with instruction, Maxine notes that her flowers did not really flourish. But Edith’s visits were a favorite of the students. They were excited to see the Sunbeam coming into the harbor. Maxine says Edith “always had a story to tell us or a joke.”
Gary DeLong, the Mission’s former President, who grew up Downeast, fondly remembers Edith’s visits, “In her role at the Mission she came to the school on Beals—where I grew up—talking about the importance of fresh vegetables. She handed out seeds and advice about starting a garden all of which made a big impression on kids.” When Edith passed away in 1987, a resolution honoring her mentioned her visits to more than 70 schools. While there she “distributed garden seeds and plants in the schools and encouraged the children to plant gardens.”
Every Wednesday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Mission Journey Coordinator Briana West’s office door is open for seniors in the Journey program. This fall, Briana began offering this two-hour block as a time to drop in for help with college applications, learn about scholarships, or just hang out.
This time provides an easy way for students to receive any assistance they might need from a trusted adult. These office hours also mimic the office hours professors have at college. By introducing them to the idea, Briana hopes students will be more likely to seek out support if they choose to go to college.
“Seeing how many students have taken advantage of the hours offered has been amazing,” Briana says. “This space gives them a consistent time and place where they know they can come work on anything they might need help on, a quiet space to focus, along with just having conversations, especially the hard ones around leaving home.”
For many, the office hours have provided time for them to figure out their post high school path, a central tenant of Journey. For those attending college, they each received help completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and submitted it before November. A month later, all 11 Journey 12th graders had all applied to at least one college. Altogether, the seniors submitted applications to 42 colleges.
Now, acceptances for colleges are rolling in and Briana helps the students celebrate their successes. If they need help figuring out their college choices or understanding their financial aid packages, she is there. She is a neutral sounding board for those weighing their choices.
One Journey student says, “The Journey open office hours are super helpful for many reasons. It allows a safe space for students to vent, somewhere to go do homework, and work on scholarships or any part of the college application process.”
As these students get closer to graduation, the program is already supporting the 11th grade students as they embark on their new journeys. “The Journey program’s goal is to provide opportunities for students to explore potential careers and college pathways beginning in 7th grade. We believe the more college campuses they step foot on and the more career professionals they speak with during middle school and high school, the more confident they will be in deciding which pathway is the best fit for their future.”
The Journey program provides students in grades 7 through 12 deep mentoring with professional staff, community members, and older peers. 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.
Ace (center) with Mission Downeast Director Jenny Jones (left) and EdGE Secondary and Post-Secondary Dakin Helwett (right) at the University of New England
The Mission welcomed Silverio (Ace) Barrera as the new Davis Maine Scholarship program Director earlier this winter. Ace comes to the Mission with 18 years of experience in college admissions, transition and orientation programs, and student advising.
In his role, Ace will provide support for Davis Maine Scholars to ensure a smooth transition to and success in college. The Davis Maine Scholarship is a partnership between Maine Seacoast Mission and the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund. The program offers full, renewable, four-year scholarships at three partner colleges for first-generation students from eastern Hancock and Washington Counties. Students in the program can attend Clark University, University of New England, or Wheaton College.
“The Davis Maine Scholarship provides life-changing opportunities for students in Downeast Maine,” says Andrew Davis of the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund. “I am confident that Ace will find working with these remarkable students and their families very rewarding.”
“We are excited to welcome Ace to the Mission. With his knowledge of student success and his perspective as a first-generation college student himself, we knew he was the right person to work directly with first-generation students from Downeast Maine through the Davis Maine Scholarship,” says Mission President John Zavodny.
The first cohort of six Davis Maine Scholars will complete the first year of college this spring. The second cohort of Scholars will graduate high school this June and applied to their colleges of choice. They will select their colleges by May. The Mission is currently recruiting its third cohort who will graduate high school in 2024.
“I am very happy and excited to serve as the new Davis Maine Scholarship Program Director. I view this role as a continuation of my personal and professional passion to assist students and their families in their transition to higher education,” Barrera says. “It is also a great honor for me to serve our Downeast communities as a member of the Maine Seacoast Mission.”
Last month, 21 new families signed up to use the Mission’s food pantry. That is almost twice as many as had signed up in January and four times as many new households that signed up in December. The number of new families accessing the pantry has not been this high since the beginning of the pandemic according to Megan Smith, Food Security Program Coordinator.
Megan chats with every new visitor and many have told her they came to the pantry because their benefits were cut. The pandemic-era increase Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that supported many families ended on March 1. In Maine the average recipient saw their benefits cut by at least $190. And every recipient is receiving at least $95 less a month. Those who receive the minimum SNAP benefits will see the steepest decrease from $281 to just $23. With food prices up 10% compared to the same time last year, many families and individuals are coming to the pantry to make ends meet.
Downeast Director Jenny Jones spoke about the changes in a recent interview with News Center Maine. “We’re starting to see more families who relied very heavily on increased financial support through the SNAP program. They have lost a large portion of those funds and need assistance from other sources including our food security programming,” says Jenny.
In addition to new clients, visits by existing pantry users also increased. 160 households visited the pantry at least once last month, 39 more than the month prior. For those coming to the pantry more than once a month, that number went from 203 to 253. Some families who had visited maybe once a month are visiting four or more times.
The Mission works to empower visitors to the pantry by offering expanded hours and a grocery store experience. People can come in and chat with Megan, talk about their days, and peruse the shelves. They can also take exactly what they want and need, without limits or questions.
