Right before Christmas in 1905, we delivered our first Christmas presents to residents and lighthouse keepers living on Maine islands. More than a century later, the we still delivers gifts, wrapped in white parchment paper tied with red string, to island residents and people living in Washington County. Last year, because of the generosity of donors to the Christmas Program, 1,264 people received gifts. Now we are looking for your help to fulfill our 2022 Christmas Wishlist and brighten the holiday season for so many individuals and families who might not have presents to go under the tree.
“Giving those white-paper-red-string gifts is an incredible Christmas tradition that goes all the way back to the beginning of the Mission,” said President John Zavodny. “With the help of donors and our amazing ‘elves,’ the volunteers who wrap and distribute each gift, we are grateful to be able to be a part of so many people’s Christmases.”
We distribute presents to kids, families, and the elderly as well as to nursing homes and prisons, making sure that every person who needs a gift for Christmas will receive one. The items needed for gifts are separated into three different categories: all ages, seniors, and children and teens. The wishlist includes everything from toys and games to bodywash and socks. Since 1905, the Mission’s gift giving tradition has included distribution of knitwear. For knitters and crocheters who wish to donate their wares, mittens, hats, prayer shawls, scarves, socks, and lap robes are appreciated.
How to Donate
The 2022 Christmas Program wish list and Amazon wish list are available for those looking to donate specific items of need. Stephanie Moores, Family and Community Engagement Program Manager, who runs the Christmas Program, says that gift cards to Walmart and Amazon as well as monetary donations are also welcome, which will help the Mission fulfill specific requests.
Gifts and cards can be mailed to Maine Seacoast Mission Christmas Program to PO Box 428, Cherryfield, ME 04662 (USPS) or 39 Weald Bethel Lane, Cherryfield, ME (UPS). Checks should be addressed to Maine Seacoast Mission Christmas Program, P.O. Box 600, Northeast Harbor, ME 04662. The Mission would like to properly acknowledge all contributions, so please include a full name and address on any package or letter sent to the Mission.
While dangling 10 feet in the air, a student in the Marion Kane Leadership program, worked with her friends on the ground to figure out how to climb up the next obstacle. Looking down at them for support and guidance, they helped and encouraged her as she pulled herself up and threw her leg over the next platform.
Communication was just one of the skills students in 7th grade from eight Washington County schools practiced during the Marion Kane Leadership program at the Mission’s Cherryfield campus. This two-day retreat, in the fall, brings students to a neutral place and gives them opportunities to practice leadership skills in a fun, low-pressure setting. The first day focuses on working on effective communication and the second day focuses on trust building exercises.
“Staff always look forward to having students on campus and being able to challenge them through a variety of activities and on the ropes course,” says Isaac Marnik, EdGE Program Director. “Being able to make connections with the students over the two days and then throughout the year is a valuable part of the program.
Students first hit the ropes course and did a spotting and balancing game which got them comfortable on the ropes course and helped them work on communicating. Later in the day, the group played a series of games that focused on different types of communication including one that has everyone work together to create the right combination to open a lock.
For the second day, students focused on building trust amongst each other. On the ropes course, they learn how to belay, or to counterbalance a climber, which requires teamwork and trust between the climber and the belayer. After, they played teambuilding games which built on the communication skills they worked on the day before. One of the games included the task of getting across a river using limited resources. To succeed, everyone must work together as a team to get everyone safely across the river without falling in.
After each day, the groups came together to debrief and talk about what they learned focusing on how they can use these skills going forward. Throughout the year, Mission staff will follow up on these programs with in-school activities at each participating school that will build on what the students learned over these two days. Overall, the Marion Kane Leadership helps students think critically about topics like bullying, peer pressure, and decision-making, and how to address these subjects in their schools and lives. During the previous school year more than 140 students went through the Marion Kane Leadership Program.
Learn more about EdGE and the Marion Kane Leadership Program here.
For high school seniors, touring a college campus can be a portal into a potential future. But for students—first-generation college students in particular—these visits also bring them into an unfamiliar world and can lead to questions and worries. What will it be like to be in a place so different from home? What will living with roommates be like? What should my major be? Scholars in the Davis Maine Scholarship program started answering some of those questions and envisioning their future during a five-day trip earlier this month.
2023 Davis Maine Scholars Austin, Laney, Marissa, Tori, Joe, and Antonio
Antonio, Joe, Austin, Laney, Tori, and Marissa, this year’s Davis Maine Scholars, along with Christina Griffith, Director of Davis Maine Scholarship, and Marianne Calcara from Bowdoin Upward Bound, piled into rental cars to visit the Mission’s three Davis Maine Scholarship partner colleges Wheaton College, Clark University, and University of New England (UNE).
Guided by Griffith, these high school seniors spent a few days touring campuses and finding out more about daily college life. After weeks of close collaboration with partner colleges’ admissions colleagues to create helpful, meaningful visits, the Scholars were able to meet with college students, engage with professors and academic program managers, and visit with residential support staff on each campus They also learned more about support programs like tutoring, academic advising, and transition support for first-generation college students. The inaugural Davis Maine Scholar cohort, who just started their first semesters of college, also shared their stories and insights. With such exposure to each college’s programs and resources, seniors began to realize that even far from home, they would not be alone.
Heading Out on College Visits
The group started their trip in Ellsworth and made the 180-mile journey down the coast to Biddeford. UNE has a beautiful campus along the coast of Southern Maine with a medical campus in Portland and an international campus in Tangier, Morocco. There, the group met with the four Davis Maine Scholars attending UNE, Mali, Lisett, Emilee, and Rachel, toured the college and had dinner with the president of the college overlooking the ocean.
Their next stop was at Clark University in Worcester, MA, where they explored the campus, learned more about services available to first-year students, grabbed coffee at an off-campus café, and had dinner with the college’s president.
Clark is a small university, with just over 3,100 students, tucked in Worcester, which with a population of almost 200,000 people is larger than Hancock and Washington Counties combined.
Less than an hour away was the next and final college they visited, Wheaton College in Norton, MA. While Clark is in a bustling city, Wheaton’s campus sits on more than 400-acres dotted with trees, an observatory, and its own pond.
At Wheaton, the students met Ana Rosa and Mya, Davis Maine Scholars who just started their first year of college, who told them more about their transition to college life. From there they had breakfast with the college’s president and had an opportunity to visit classes based on their academic interests and saw Peacock Pond which is home to the annual Peacock Regatta. Class of ‘22 Davis Maine Scholar Mya shared, “Being at Wheaton it is going very well. Even though it is hard being away from home, Wheaton makes it feel better. At Wheaton everything is inviting-the campus, the people and the professors are very compassionate.”
Reflecting on the trip, Class of ‘23 Davis Maine Scholar Antonio shared, “College was always something that scared me deep down. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to navigate the whole process. After becoming a Davis Maine Scholar and going on this trip, I no longer feel that way. Instead, I feel hopeful for the future. This trip was amazing for everyone, and we now have the chance to do great things.”
Following the trip, Davis Maine Scholars shared their impressions with their families and met with their mentors to talk through their experiences. In November, the students will send in their applications and will decide which college they will attend by May 1.
Learn more about the Davis Maine Scholarship here.
182 volunteers + 6,142 hours of service = patched roofs, new stairs and ramps, reinforced windows, and 14 happy homeowners. Between Memorial Day and the end of August, the Mission welcomed 182 volunteers from across the country to take part in our housing rehabilitation program. Together those volunteers helped fix up 14 homes in the Downeast area as well as two buildings of community partner organizations. Because of the work done by the volunteers, ten of those houses can now be weatherized by Downeast Community Partners, helping the homeowners weather the brutal Maine winters for years to come.
“The partnership between Downeast Community Partners and Maine Seacoast Mission represents the mutual commitment to serve and enable homeowners in Washington County to receive critical home repairs and weatherization and to safely remain in their homes. It also demonstrates the strength of partnerships and the ability to braid funding sources to achieve these outcomes by leveraging Department of Energy funds and private donor funds; supporting dedicated staff and volunteers – all of which yields households that are now safe and warm,” Downeast Community Partners’ Executive Director Rebecca Palmer noted.
Crews from Cumberland, ME, Gales Ferry, CT, and Acton, MA work on a house
The housing rehab process starts in February when people can apply for the program. 50 to 100 people apply every year and Scott Shaw, Housing Rehabilitation Manager, along with a staff member of DCP, visits every house. Because so many of the volunteers have been coming for years, Scott has much of his house visits down to a science. “When deciding what homes could benefit from housing rehab, we identify the problems and then match those to volunteers that we know. Then we can have the biggest impact possible,” Scott says, “We first started doing Band-Aid projects but now we are able to look at the whole house.”
Crews from Ohio work on the roof of a house
Because of the strong partnerships Scott has built with both volunteers and community organizations, the program has grown tremendously in the twenty years since it started in 2003. Many volunteer groups have been coming for years and they have deep connections within the community. During their time in Cherryfield, the volunteers stay the Mission’s Weald Bethel Community center as well as at the local American Legion Hall, and the Cherryfield Academy Community Center and sometimes shower at the local fire station.
Crews from Laconia, NH work on adding stairs and painting a house
For the past two years, the program has run on a “friends and family” model, meaning recipients’ friends and family helped do the repairs or in other cases, the Mission helped cover the cost of materials if the person could afford a contractor to do the work. Now that volunteers could come back this year, Scott hopes that the number of volunteers will rebound to pre-pandemic levels.
A group from Ohio paints the exterior of a house
A crew from Boxford and Topsfield MA work on a cellar doors
On a rainy day in September, the sound of laughter, cheers, and music coming from the Town Hall could be heard walking up from the mostly quiet harbor on Isle au Haut. The noise of 26 students (six times as many as there are usually on island), meant only one thing, the Inter-Island Event (IIE) was underway. The IIE brings together students, teachers, and parents from Cliff Island, Isle au Haut, Islesford, Great Cranberry Island, Frenchboro, and Monhegan, and heavy rain was not dampening anyone’s spirits.
During breaks between sessions, younger kids blew bubbles, built structures with Legos, and played tag. The middle schoolers grouped together outside talking and laughing with each other.
While this seems like a normal day in most places, for kids and their families living on unbridged islands this is a big event. The IIE is one of the few times each year students from island schools get to see friends their own age. Because each of the schools has only a handful of students enrolled in grades K-8, kids ranging from 5 to 13 learn side by side in one-room schoolhouses.
“IIE is vital to the life of island schools,” says Douglas Cornman, the Mission’s Director of Island Outreach. “Not only does it kick off a new school year, but it also gives kids a chance to socialize with their peers. It’s not uncommon for an island kid to be the only kid their age, especially during the Fall, Winter, and Spring when summer families are off island. It’s also great to watch the entire island community come together to support the event. It really takes the entire island to pull it off. I am so grateful to each island for welcoming me to join the fun. IIE takes a lot of planning, coordination, and energy, but the fun outweighs all the effort.”
The first IIE happened in 1988. Its primary goal was to bring the students and teachers from small remote and isolated islands together. Students, teachers, parents, and IIE volunteers have been gathering annually since and after a two-year absence because of COVID, everyone was happy to be together again.
Ocean, a 7th grader from Isle au Haut, says that the IIE gives them “a chance to see my friends.” Gianna and Brownel, also both island middle schoolers, agreed. During a lively discussion, the trio talked about the many events that they attended in the past and wondered which students would be in their book group which was meeting soon.
It could have been any other Tuesday, but for the families and teachers at IIE, the event holds special meaning. Lindsay, a teacher from Islesford, explained that “for kids this is a time where they have enough friends to play games with which makes it exciting for them. It also steels us against the long winter to come.”
Inter-Island Event Activities
During the three-day event, there is a mix of fun and games and educational opportunities as well. Wednesday started with a whole island party and potluck, which shut down the island’s road so everyone could dance in the street. On Thursday morning, kids joined Planet Pan, a steel drum band from Blue Hill, and learned how to play notes and chords. They met in-person with their book groups who routinely meet over Zoom, did crafts, and learned about otters. After lunch, they split into three groups to play theater improvisation games with Douglas, learn about animals in the inter-tidal zone, and screen-print their own t-shirts. When rain canceled a game of capture the flag, the group made do by dancing and playing games in the Town Hall. Friday wrapped up with a visit by children’s book author Chris Van Dusen and games of kick ball.
Yvonne Thomas, Senior Community Development Officer from the Island Institute which provides logistical support for IIE, echoed how important this event was not just for the kids but for the whole island community, “The viability of a year-round island community is young families. This event helps families connect with one another and that is part of the glue that makes islands thrive.” Thomas stressed that the success of the event comes from the strong partnerships formed between island communities and schools and organizations like the Institute, the Mission, and Island Readers & Writers who helped bring Van Dusen to Isle au Haut.
Walk into any EdGE afterschool session and you would see the Mission’s Youth Development Coordinator, Suzie James, tinkering with Legos alongside one of her students or engaged in a raucous, laughter-filled card game. During play, she would look on at a group of students involved in discussion to ensure they were getting along, being fair to one another, and perhaps most importantly, having fun. Her patience and nurturing demeanor allowed her students to flourish.
On Saturday, September 3, Suzie passed away in the loving company of her family. Dedicated, loving, consistent, caring, and kind were just a few of the words used to describe Suzie, and she shared those gifts with those around her.
Charlie Harrington, the founding EdGE Director for the Mission, first met Suzie when she was an Ed Tech at a local school. He knew she would be perfect for the Mission’s new program, and when EdGE started in schools the following year, he hired her. When Charlie was looking for someone to be the coordinator for Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School in Machias, which served almost 200 students and oversaw 20 staff, he knew that Suzie was the right fit and she became an integral part of the school. “They loved her. If Suzie was ever absent, they would be asking when she would be back,” Charlie said. “She knew all the students. She was great with the parents. They could count on her, and she knew how to communicate with all of them.” Suzie spent the next 17 years working for the Mission.
Suzie was known for creating engaging programs around what the students attending EdGE wanted to do. When she needed more space to store her equipment, she worked with the principal to turn the back of the stage at the school into a storage space with bins for crafts, equipment, and more.
Wendy Harrington, the Mission’s retired Downeast Services Program Director and current Scholarship Coordinator, observed Suzie’s tireless energy for her work for children. “She was the first one to say yes,” Wendy said. “She knew the families and went way beyond the mere hours she spent with afterschool students to develop relationships. She had a tremendous heart.”
For those who knew her, her commitment to the children and families of Downeast Maine as well as her own family was evident. EdGE Program Director Isaac Marnik observed that Suzie wanted to help the families she worked with, and she took special interest in grandparents raising their grandchildren since she herself took in her own grandkids. “Suzie had such a positive influence on hundreds and hundreds of children and families in Downeast Maine. This legacy will be felt by both current and future generations,” Isaac said. “Her children and grandchildren have also worked for the Mission over that time. Suzie told me in one of our last phone conversations that working for the Mission was one of the biggest impacts she was able to make.”
Suzie joined the Mission in 2005 as a part-time tutor working in the afterschool program and at EdGE summer camps. Two years later, she became a full-time site coordinator and in 2018, she became a senior site coordinator in recognition of her contribution to the EdGE program.
Speaking on Suzie’s accomplishments and her impact, Mission President John Zavodny shares, “Suzie was a tireless advocate for the families she served, and their love for her was palpable. You could not go into a school without kids running up to her to give her a hug. Her enthusiasm for the work that she did was contagious and everyone from the students to coworkers learned so much from her.”
Suzie will be deeply missed by Maine Seacoast Mission and the Downeast community, especially by the many children who grew with her during her 17-year tenure with EdGE. However, her legacy of dedication to the students she worked with will live on through the work of the Mission, EdGE programming, and the many people she touched.
