Kennebunkport Resort Collection comprises 10 inns, resorts, hotels, and eight restaurants within Kennebunkport. The Kennebunkport Resort Collection is also a hospitality group and a part of local charitable events. Heading the KRC’s community impact initiatives is Regional Director Justin Grimes.

Grimes describes the fee charged to guests to raise the charitable funds. With a focus on sustainability, Grimes has been behind the organization’s efforts to uplift the community. The KRC channels its charitable funds from the 1 percent impact fee paid by guests of the resort collection, with contributions made on a quarterly basis. This year alone, a sum of $75,000 has been donated to support various causes.

“The community impact fee was derived basically to be supported by our guests. We charge a 1 percent impact fee. These donations are voluntary for the guests. The response from guests has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Grimes. “At the rate we are going on, I think in five years, I think you are just going to see a profound impact that we have made on our local community.”

He said that they also put collection boxes in the guest lobby so they can participate in food and toy drives if they choose. The resort collection made some ways to recognize the charitable donations by their guests by giving them a free snack, cocktail, or something to show thanks, “to recognize people’s moments of kindness and humility,” said Grimes.

“We support staple organizations like our local school system and affordable housing,” Grimes said. “We founded this impact fee on three pillars: natural environment, affordable housing, and the youth of our community. All of our giving is centered around those three pillars. And that is what our guiding light and touchstone on how we determine where to donate the moneys to.”

Originating in 2011, the KRC found a new dimension of purpose in 2022 with the launch of the KRC Community Impact initiative. The initiative seeks to create a lasting impression by targeting specific groups that align with the pillars. Through strategic collaborations with organizations like the Center for Wildlife, Maine Youth Leadership, Kennebunkport Consolidated Parent Teacher Association, and Kennebunkport Heritage Housing Trust, the KRC’s impact has been felt across the community.

Central to the KRC’s initiative is the KRC Cares volunteer program. The initiative allows KRC staff to actively engage in charitable activities within the area. The program extends the offer of a paid day off for staff members to participate in charitable initiatives, taking part in activities such as beach clean-ups, participation in Toys for Tots campaigns, and involvement with Habitat for Humanity projects.

In January, the organization collaborated with Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build Sponsorship program, contributing to the construction of a new home within the neighborhood. The KRC donated $15,000 in February to support the renovation of RSU 21’s athletic complex. In August, a donation of $15,000 was made to the Above Board Gala, an annual event channeling funds to local causes; this year’s beneficiary was Believe in Kids Maine.

The beneficiaries of the KRC’s donations have been carefully selected, said Grimes. Among them, the Center for Wildlife, a nonprofit entity located in Cape Neddick, is a recent recipient. The center’s mission to foster symbiotic relationships between humans, wildlife, and the environment aligns with the KRC’s overarching goals, said Grimes.

“Our most recent donations were for the Center for Wildlife which obviously just stresses how important our natural environment is to us in our area and more broadly,” Grimes said. “That is really what we mean we mean when we say, “keeping the town alive,” it is a kind of 360, when you pull away from each of the recent benefactors we have had, you see they all support that concept of sustainability as a community for the long run. We want to be a part of that beyond just providing hospitality experiences obviously.

“We really tried to focus our community impact on organizations that are providing core services, for example, affordable housing. Without affordable housing here in Kennebunkport, we wouldn’t have been able to sustain a workforce such as we have today.”

Kennebunkport Resort Collection’s commitment is focused on bolstering local businesses, residents, and organizations. According to the organization, the commitment serves as the lifeblood that helps sustain the spirit of Kennebunkport and has had a positive impact on the local job market, generating over 400 employment opportunities. Additionally, the organization addresses the challenge of housing availability by offering staff members access to suitable accommodations.

Grimes said that the KRC feels a great sense of pride making a difference in the lives of Mainers and employee’s lives. “We have found people are reaching out to us with their additional causes,” he said.

The impact, Grimes said, has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

 

 

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