Join Maine Seacoast Mission for an open house of its new building on Wednesday, June 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Mission’s Downeast campus. Located at 6 Weald Bethel Lane, community members are invited to tour the newly opened Downeast Engagement Center, see the expanded food pantry, and learn more about the Mission’s work in Washington County. 

Work on the Downeast Engagement Center started in the fall of 2023 and included a complete renovation and expansion of the building at the head of campus which now houses an administrative wing, program staging area, and food pantry. The pantry will have increased storage area with a flexible community space for healthy living programs. 

“Renovations and additions to the Cherryfield property will better support community,” President John Zavodny says, “Through our programs and people we work with, we create belonging every day. We believe that our Downeast Campus, buildings, and program areas should be just as welcoming, work just as hard, and serve just as thoughtfully.”   

The project includes installation of a new, pole-based challenge course to replace the aging course at the Ed and Connie Greaves Education (EdGE) Center. This new course will be safer, more visible, and easier to maintain. In addition, retreat cabins will be added near the Weald Bethel Community Center. These cabins allow the Mission to serve as a true day-long and overnight retreat hub for partners, housing improvement volunteers, and youth. Additional planned work includes updating the campus trail system, adding a new play area and a covered gathering area, and creating new clearly marked pedestrian paths along Weald Bethel Lane. 

The renovations and additions were generously funded through the Mission Downeast Capital Campaign, which was supported by: Connie and Buddy Bates, Roger and Judy Clapp, Joyce and Les Coleman, Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, First National Bank, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Ann and David Ingram, Machias Savings Bank, Red Empress Foundation, Cornelia Cogswell Rossi Foundation, Jasper Wyman and Son, and others.

This spring, sixth grade students in the Marion Kane Leadership program will be among the first people to use the new pole-based challenge course on the Mission’s Downeast campus. The leadership program has helped students in middle school learn leadership skills since 2012. But who exactly is Marion Kane and how did this Mission program become named for her? 

The EdGE program began in 2002, with Downeast educators and stakeholders starting to lay the groundwork for the program in the preceding years. One of the people who played a critical role during the creation and development of the program was Marion Kane.  

10 years later, the Mission came up with new ways to connect with older students who might not attend afterschool programming. This new program would build on the foundation EdGE built. The program would be a safe space where students could learn and explore. It would also be a place where students would think critically about challenging topics and work on skills like communication and trust. The skills they learned during this time would help them in their transition into middle school and into their teen years. In its beginning phase Marion passed away, and Mission leadership named the fledgling program after her to recognize her impact on  EdGE.  

The Marion Kane Leadership program has evolved over the years, but its goals remain the same. Students still spend time on the challenge course to learn trust and how to support each other. They also test their abilities, push their boundaries, celebrate their successes, and help each other reach their goals. “It is extremely rewarding to watch students build trust in themselves and in their peers. Some students come to the day with no intention of climbing on the challenge course, but throughout the day they take small steps outside their comfort zone, says EdGE Youth Development Coordinator Wren Wakeman. “The smile on their face when they achieve a goal they did not think was possible is priceless.” 

Now, more than two decades after the founding of EdGE and a decade after the founding of the Marion Kane Leadership program, Marion’s legacy is still influencing students and hopefully creating leaders who will have a lasting impact in Downeast Maine for years to come.  

The Revered Raymond “Ray” Hahn passed away at the age of 98 on April 11, 2024. Rev. Hahn was the Mission Superintendent for 11 years, during this time he strengthened the organization, grew the staff, and moved the Mission to its iconic home at La Rochelle. He served the Mission from 1972 to 1983. 

Rev. Hahn became superintendent in 1972, after the retirement of Neal Bousfield, who led the Mission for more than 30 years. Rev. Hahn saw himself as both a pastor and a teacher. As superintendent, it was written his job was “Executive Officer of the Board, Personnel Officer, Finance Officer, Liaison Officer to the various denominations and several Federal and State agencies, Information Officer, and a pastor, and minister.” He placed importance on all areas being served by the Mission, and in the 1983 Spring Bulletin  explained how each publication followed a pattern with one year being focused on the islands, the next Downeast.

During his tenure, The Bulletin often focused directly on the staff’s work by sharing his insights, bringing readers on the Sunbeam through his narration complete with nautical terminology. Rev. Hahn believed it important to share more about life on each island served by the Sunbeam and the goings on at the Downeast campus in Cherryfield (formerly referred to as Weald Bethel). The 1974 Annual Report featured a “bird’s eye view” of the Mission’s service area, sharing stops from Monhegan to Lubec, first aboard the Sunbeam, then in a car driving through Downeast coast. The Bulletin was a family affair, his wife Irene was credited as Mission Photographer and many years all the photographs were taken by her.  

One stop was La Rochelle, the Bar Harbor cottage which became the Mission’s home in 1974. Not only was La Rochelle the Mission’s administrative offices, Rev. Hahn lived in the house with his family. He oversaw the sale of the Mission’s properties on Mount Desert Island to bring work areas under one roof.  

Rev. Hahn continued to work for the Mission until 1983, when he left to lead a church in Connecticut. It is clear from his time as Superintendent that he believed wholeheartedly in the work of the Mission and wanted to make sure it would be around for years to come. He spent much of his time telling people of the Mission and sharing why the work was important. A passage he wrote in the Mission’s Diamond Jubilee publication clearly shares his thoughts, “The needs the Mission was established to meet are human needs…these needs will exist as long as human beings exist. Thus the Maine Seacoast Mission will exist too.” 

Read Rev. Hahn’s full obituary here.  

The Mission’s EdGE summer campers explore the outdoors, play sports, do arts and crafts, learn skills, and much more. Registration is now open for students in kindergarten through eighth grade in Washington county to attend week-long camps in three locations this summer. 

This year’s camp locations are:  

• D.W. Merritt Elementary School (Addison) — Camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (with drop-off starting at 8:45 a.m.) Monday, July 1 through Friday, August 2. This camp is for students from Addison, Beals, Columbia, Columbia Falls, Harrington, Jonesport, and Jonesboro.  
• Harrington Elementary School—Camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (with drop-off starting at 8:45 a.m.) Monday, July 1 through Friday, August 2. This camp is for students from Beddington, Cherryfield, Deblois, Harrington, and Milbridge. 
• Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School (Machias)—Camp runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (with drop-off starting at 7:45 a.m.) Monday, June 17 through Friday, July 12. This camp is for students from Machias and surrounding towns.  

Parents sign up children for weeklong periods and can choose as many weeks as they want. At camp, kids will rotate through a variety of activities during the day. “We’ll have regular EdGE activities to choose from,” Isaac says. “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 2023-2024 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.  

Families can enroll their children online, and for help with registration, please call the Mission at (207) 546-4466.  

The Mission and MCD Global Health received a $90,000 grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration to help create a healthcare bridge for island residents. Through this grant, the Mission is working with Mount Desert Island Hospital, MaineHealth, and Northern Light Health as well as other stakeholders to provide a greater continuum of care for island residents both through telehealth and in-person visits. 

Because of this change, the Mission surveyed its island communities about the high-level of care residents have come to expect from the organization. Islanders identified key needs including telehealth connections with medical specialists like dermatologists, cardiologists, behavioral health and substance abuse providers, and creating a continuum of care. “This is a great opportunity for the Mission to continue to find ways to increase healthcare access and decrease expenses for island residents,” says Sunbeam Nurse Simone Babineaux. 

The Mission is now developing a virtual healthcare bridge with its healthcare partners so it can better aid islanders with the support of MCD Global Health (MCD). MCD, which cowrote the grant with the Mission, is a nonprofit based in Maine that has done extensive work in the telehealth field and partners with many Maine-based and international agencies. Through MCD, the Mission is now working with partners including MaineHealth, Northern Light Health, MDI Hospital, St. Joesph’s Hospital, the Island Eldercare Network, and others. Deeper partnership with these organizations helps the Mission provide follow-up care for islanders, which in turn ensures they receive care in their own communities. 

MCD Global Health is a public health nonprofit organization and member of the National Network of Public Health Institutes. One area of expertise involves the planning and implementation of digital health solutions to improve the health and well-being of rural and underserved populations in Maine, the Northeast, and beyond. 

The Mission has completed the Mission Downeast Capital Campaign and has secured over $1.8 million for renovations and additions to the Mission’s 63-acre Downeast campus in Cherryfield. 

The campaign was supported by: Connie and Buddy Bates, Roger and Judy Clapp, Joyce and Les Coleman, Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, First National Bank, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Ann and David Ingram, Machias Savings Bank, Red Empress Foundation, Cornelia Cogswell Rossi Foundation, Jasper Wyman and Son, and others. Their donations make it possible for the Mission to improve the hard-working Downeast campus. The campus helps facilitate engagement between programs and multiply the impact of services provided, which is at the core of the work the Mission provides in Washington County. 

The first phase of the campaign, which will be completed in spring 2024, includes a complete renovation and expansion of the building at the head of campus to create an engagement center, which includes an administrative wing, program staging area, and new food pantry. The pantry will have increased storage area with a flexible community space for healthy living programs.

The second phase of the work is now underway. This phase includes building a new pole-based challenge course to replace the aging ropes course at the Ed and Connie Greaves Education (EdGE) Center. This new course will be safer, more visible, and easier to maintain. In addition, two retreat cabins will be added near the Weald Bethel Community Center. These cabins allow the Mission to serve as a true day-long and overnight retreat hub for partners, housing improvement volunteers, and youth.

Additional planned work includes updating the campus trail system, adding new play areas and a gazebo, and creating new clearly marked pedestrian paths along Weald Bethel Lane. These updates to the campus will provide a natural flow between program, service, and staff work areas. These features will lower barriers between formal programs, informal interactions, and access to services.

The Mission welcomes the Downeast community and its partners to an open house for the renovated building on Wednesday, June 12. Visitors can tour the engagement center, see changes to the campus, and enjoy the company of community members.