It’s Thank you Thursday. Today’s shout out of Mission love goes to Witham Family Hotels in Bar Harbor.
Each year recently, Witham Family Hotels hosts a Charitable Christmas Celebration fundraiser. Among its many positives, the Celebration provides gifts for the Mission’s Christmas Program.
This year’s 7th Annual Charitable Christmas Celebration on December 8th was held at the Atlantic Oceanside Hotel in Bar Harbor. This wonderful event offered holiday crafts, hot cocoa and cookies, Santa letter writing, a photo booth, a raffle, and a visit with Santa himself!
Witham Family Hotels’ donations the Mission’s Christmas Program includes science kits, bikes, dolls, art supplies, books — all wonderful gifts children will be thrilled to receive. Thank you for helping make this a merrier Christmas.
Morris ‘Moe’ Young and his Mission ornament courtesy of his sister, Ms. Wanda Theobald.
NORTHEAST HARBOR, ME – This holiday season the Mission is offering supporters a heartfelt way to honor family and friends. Honoring someone, such as Ms. Joyce Young, his daughter Michelle, and Ms. Wanda Theobald’s tribute to late husband, father, and brother, Morris “Moe” Young, shows great esteem.
“Being one of twelve children from Gouldsboro,” writes Ms. Theobald of her brother, Moe “was a recipient of the generosity of the Seacoast Mission as a child. Seeing that car drive in, knowing there was a special gift for each of us, made such an impact. As he got older, Moe would say that it really made a difference, and how grateful he was.”
A bus driver for Gouldsboro and Ellsworth, Moe Young’s “kind and caring heart touched many lives,” continued his sister. “If you knew Moe and are able to donate to this amazing program, please do so in his memory. He was so loved and is missed by many.”
From now until Christmas, for a small donation to help with the Mission’s work, the names of honorees will be handwritten on Mission holiday ornaments, and displayed on the Colket Center Christmas tree in Northeast Harbor.
Who in your life would you like to honor? Click here.
Wendy Harrington Honored on the Mission Christmas Tree
NORTHEAST HARBOR, ME — Honoring someone is recognizing their value to the world and to us. This holiday season the Mission is offering supporters a heartfelt way to honor people in their lives.
From now until Christmas, for a small donation the names of people honored will be handwritten on Mission holiday ornaments, and displayed on the Colket Center Christmas tree in Northeast Harbor.
These photos show the Mission ornament honoring Director of Service Programs and Scholarship Coordinator Wendy Harrington.
Wendy joined the Mission in 2002. She and her husband, Charlie, helped create the EdGE Program. Wendy was also instrumental in the Mission food security programs, housing rehabilitation, and community events at the Mission Community Center.
In the Mission’s May 2021 eNewsletter, Wendy said, “My work was, and is, centered on families and community and the belief that children thrive when they have the support of the people around them.”
It is an honor to both know and work with Wendy Harrington.
Who in your life would you like to honor? Click here.
(Wednesday Spinners members with Matinicus Island residents at the Matinicus Island School. (Photo courtesy Susan Merrill.)
NORTHEAST HARBOR, ME – On November 10, the Wednesday Spinners traveled aboard the Sunbeam to share their passion for spinning with an island community. It was their second island trip in three years. For almost a half-century, the Spinners use old-fashioned wooden spinning wheels, to turn the woolly covering of sheep—called fleece—into yarn.
Some group members gift or sell their handspun yarn. Others make clothing to sell. But the six Spinners who joined with the Sunbeam gave residents of Matinicus an opportunity to observe spinning and to interact with the group. Set up at Matinicus Island School, original member Cynthia Thayer recalled, “We taught and later enjoyed an evening with people who came with their knitting. They talked about the island and told us stories. A couple of people came with their wheels and we helped to get those operational.”
The next day—a holiday—children visited and were introduced to the craft. “We get together because we love spinning. If we find people who are really interested in it, we share it,” Cynthia continued. The trip was planned by Island Outreach Director, Douglas Cornman, MA, BC-DMT. He and the Sunbeam crew brought the Spinners to Isle Au Haut in 2019. He shared, “They spin and weave magic. They are kind, they are wise, they are generous. They are grateful. People gravitate to them and enjoy watching what they do, even if they have no particular interest in spinning, weaving, or knitting. There’s something intriguing and entrancing about
their work. It was wonderful to see islanders get excited about a craft that they may not typically engage with or be aware of. It was a positive experience all around and that is why the Mission puts so much effort into these outreach trips.”
For the Matinicus visit, the Spinners were once again excited to see life on an island, talk to people, and witness the day-to-day. “It’s very special to see the Mission’s guests get as much out of the trip as the islanders. I sat there and felt the energy generated in the room between island residents and the Spinners. It is hard to articulate how powerful that energy is, and it is that energy that helps me realize—that reminds me—that there is something in this universe beyond ourselves. I think the islanders felt it.”
During the trip, a Spinner said Wednesday is their spiritual home. It is a time they come together as a community. One particular Matinicus student, age 9, became captivated by their craft. He parted his own wool and the Spinners helped him spin it into yarn. In less than 24 hours, he had turned raw wool into yarn. “You could see him indulge in the process,” remarked Douglas.
“The Sunbeam crew was just fantastic,” said Cynthia, “Of course Jillian is amazing with the food she puts out. She’s always so cheery and happy. The whole experience was extremely positive. I hope we’ll go out again soon.”
At the beginning of the pandemic, Covid-19 precautions moved the Wednesday Spinners away from their regular mid-week meetings in each other’s homes. “These days,” explains Cynthia, “we’re spinning down at Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor. It’s a big hall and we can spread out.” The group’s sessions have a specific purpose. “What we don’t do is have people come to our group, so they can learn how to spin. We’re there to spin our own work. Many of us teach for pay. Once a person knows how to spin, we see if we have room in the group and ask them to come,” she said.
Visit the Wednesday Spinners, their work, or to get in touch about a lesson via their Facebook page. Want to learn more about Island Outreach? Explore the News or visit the program.
An EdGE student leaf rubbing at D.W. Merritt Elementary.
CHERRYFIELD, ME – EdGE Director Isaac Marnik, and Downeast Director Mel Adams, had high praise this week for the several full-time EdGE staff members who shouldered the added work of running EdGE after-school programs. Without them, said Isaac, the after-school programs could not have stayed open.
“We are open at all seven school locations. We had 333 students attend at least one day of an EdGE after-school program,” said Isaac.
Mel Adams said the EdGE staff really leveraged all their mental, physical, emotional energy to ensure that EdGE continued on throughout this time period. “Thank you can never be enough,” he said.
Interested in engaging youth at our after-school program? Jobs are open for EdGE after-school staff in Machias and Harrington! Plus, the Mission offers a $100 sign-on bonus after 60 days. New staffers will lead activities, oversee groups of children, and work alongside EdGE site coordinators.
“We hope to have another good month of programming going forward,” said Isaac.
L-R: Director of Island Outreach Douglas Cornman, Director of Island Health Services Sharon Daley, RN, Nurse Peggy Akers, and Assistant to the Island Health Services Director Margaret Snell enroute aboard a mail boat to give Covid booster shots on Maine islands.
NORTHEAST HARBOR, ME — Island Health Services Director Sharon Daley, RN no sooner completed a multi-island run aboard the Sunbeam administering flu shots, when the Mission received a CDC green light to administer Covid vaccination boosters among certain island communities.
Sharon and fellow Sunbeam crew member, Director of Island Outreach & Chaplain Douglas Cornman, are members of the Mission Covid Vaccination Team. In three months, starting in February 2021, that team Covid vaccinated 343 people on seven islands.
On November 1, Douglas said, “Last week, in less than 48-hours, Sharon, Administrative Assistant Margaret Snell, and I, scheduled Covid booster shot trips to seven islands. We secured vaccine. We put fliers together announcing the vaccine booster is available, and posted them on the islands,” Douglas said.
The response from island communities was instantaneous.
“Over the weekend we had over 50 people contact me requesting their booster. In two weeks we’ll be doing boosters on those seven islands. We will have given everyone their booster before their Thanksgiving holiday,” said Douglas.
