BRIDGTON

Deadline for Senior College classes approaches
The registration deadline for community members to sign-up to attend the Senior College’s slate of February online winter classes is Jan. 27.
Eight virtual classes will be offered on Zoom from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Feb. 2-25.
Classes will include “Maine Turtles and the Turtles of Holt Pond Preserve,” Feb. 2; “Global Economic, Market and Geopolitical Outlook,” Feb. 4; “Poems of Spring” Feb. 9; “Donald Baxter MacMillan, Arctic Explorer,” Feb. 11; “Page Break – Question of Principles,” Feb. 16; “Tennessee Williams Movie Adaptations,” Feb. 18; “Realism to Semi-Abstraction,” Feb. 23; and “Ghosts and Ghost Towns of the White Mountains,” Feb. 5.
The Senior College at Bridgton is the hometown program for anyone 50 years or older in Bridgton and surrounding Lakes Region communities to learn new things and meet new friends. Senior College has sessions in the spring, fall and winter each year that are designed to appeal to every interest. Membership is open to any senior in the Lakes Region.
Reservation forms are available at the Bridgton Library and at the Senior College website at seniorcollegeatbridgton.org. Send completed registration forms, along with a $25 check, to: Senior College at Bridgton, P.O. Box 308, Bridgton, ME 04009. For more details, call 647-5593 or email seniorcollegebridgton@gmail.com. Class enrollments are limited to 25. A Zoom link will be provided to those registered before the start of classes.

PORTLAND/BANGOR

Toy, coat drive a success
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, News Center Maine’s annual Coats and Toys for Kids Campaign was deemed a success.
Due to safety concerns, coats and toys could not be gathered in grocery stores throughout the state. Instead, News Center created a Coats and Toys for Kids Wish List that allowed Mainers to purchase items have them sent directly to The Salvation Army. From there, purchases were distributed statewide to help people stay warm and happy this winter season.
In just over a months’ time, more than 9,150 purchases were made from The Wish List and $34,889 was donated to The Salvation Army. Money from the donations was given to nine Salvation Army locations to buy more coats and toys to help their communities. Toys were distributed to families in need during the holiday season. Coats, boots, blankets, hats, gloves and snowsuits have been – and will continue to be – distributed throughout the winter.

PORTLAND

Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office wins award
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office is one of four sheriff’s office’s nationwide to be awarded the National Sheriff’s Association Triple Crown Award in 2020. The award recognizes those sheriff’s offices that achieve simultaneous accreditations from three accrediting bodies: The Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies, the American Correctional Association’s Commission on Accreditation for Corrections, and the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare.
Of the 3,081 Sheriff’s Offices in the United States, only 68 of them have attained this award since it was established in 1993.
Under the leadership of Sheriff Kevin J. Joyce since 2010, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office is the only agency in Maine to have received this award. Accreditation is a team effort that involves all agency personnel.
The Cumberland County Jail was Maine’s first adult detention facility to have achieved accreditation from the American Correctional Association in 2002. In 2005, the agency became accredited by the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare illustrating their commitment to providing nationally accepted standards of care in health services delivery to the inmates housed in the facility. In 2015, the agency became accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies for demonstrating compliance with the best practices related to life, health, and safety procedures for the agency and ensuring law enforcement is prepared to meet basic community service expectations and manage critical events.

SKOWHEGAN
Walmart teams up with United Way donation campaign
Walmart is starting 2021 off right by supporting communities across the U.S. through their round-up and donate campaign.
Now through Jan. 29, customers can add a donation to United Way at checkout when they make a purchase through Walmart.com or on the Walmart app. Donations will be distributed to United Way Worldwide and local United Ways based on the zip code of the donor’s credit card used for purchase.

KENNEBUNK
KHS senior a finalist in U.S. Senate Youth Program

Kennebunk High School senior Ruth Metcalfe is a Maine finalist for the 2021 United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) and will advance to the virtual State Finals of the contest this Friday in a virtual event hosted by the Margaret Chase Smith Library at Skowhegan.
Metcalfe, of Kennebunkport, is one of 10 Maine students to advance in the competition, from which just two students from each state will be selected to move on to the 59th annual USSYP’s Washington Week event to be held online March 14–18. It features a fully immersive learning experience that incorporates the key elements of the program in a weeklong interactive format.
State contest winners, who attend the entirety of the program, also will receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship.
Metcalfe said she became interested in the program after being on the Kennebunk High School Congressional Debate Team, where she learned the importance of policy, leadership, and legislation.
“I am excited to represent KHS through this incredible opportunity and look forward to the finals on (Friday),” said Metcalf.
The U.S. Senate program was founded in 1962 to increase young Americans’ understanding of the relationships among the three branches of government, the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials, and the importance of democratic decision making.
Kennebunk High School Principal Jeremie Sirois said he is thrilled to have Metcalf represent KHS in the program. “(Metcalf) is my first finalist for this program in my eight years working as a principal,” said Sirois. “She is a caring, kind, exceptional young lady who is wise beyond her years. We are all pulling for her.”
Metcalfe is the daughter of Michael and Jennifer Metcalfe. She also is a student representative on the RSU 21 School Board.

PORTLAND
Full Plates Full Potential announces executive director
Full Plates Full Potential has selected Justin Strasburger to be the organization’s first executive director. Strasburger joined the team on Jan. 6, bringing nearly 15 years of experience as a leader and advocate working to level the playing field around access, equity and opportunities.
Prior to joining Full Plates, Strasburger led strategic initiatives and national growth strategy at Bottom Line, a nationally recognized college access and completion organization, following a four-year stint as executive director of their flagship Boston region.
Full Plates co-founder Justin Alfond said, “(Strasburger) brings a strong combination of experience leading, collaborating with partners and focusing on the root issues of increasing access to students wanting to better their lives. He’s an ideal leader and joins Full Plates at a crucial time for kids and our school partners. We are excited to have Justin on board as we continue to navigate the current pandemic and longer term opportunities of structurally increasing participation in school meals.”
Strasburger spent his summers in Maine and earned a Bachelor of Arts in government and teaching at Bowdoin College. He began his career with Harlem Children’s Zone in New York City, completed the Institute of Nonprofit Practice’s certificate program through Tufts University and earned a master’s in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Northeastern University.
A native of New Jersey, Strasburger lives Brunswick with his wife and two sons.

SACO
Southern Maine businesses benefit from COVID-19 relief grants
A wide variety of businesses and nonprofits say the government relief money has helped them stay afloat. Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC) was one of the organizations tasked with administering the grants.
SMPDC executive director Paul Schumacher said his agency has disbursed more than $40 million. The nonpartisan nonprofit funneled relief to businesses in 39 towns throughout York, Cumberland and Oxford Counties. The organization participated in three funding programs: Maine Economic Recovery Grant Program; The Maine Tourism, Hospitality and Retail Recovery Grant Program; and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Micro-Enterprise Forgivable Loan Program.
“It was extremely gratifying for SMPDC to be able to provide this level of assistance to the businesses in our region. I was struck by the tremendous need for this support and by the determination of the businesses to fight their way through this pandemic,” Schumacher said. “I would also like to thank my staff and our partners at the state level who worked tirelessly to process more than 700 grant applications and over 40 million dollars into the regional economy.”
Pepperrell Cove, a waterfront destination in Kittery Point, said the grant it received is enabling their restaurant, Bistro 1828, to stay open this winter in a reduced capacity and also invest in an air filtration system to fight COVID-19.
Eastern Trail executive director Jon Kachmar said the nonprofit experienced losses of more than $100,000 and was forced to cancel its largest fundraiser of the year, the Maine LightHouse Ride. “The funding we received was a ‘lifeline’ that will help us get back up and running,” said Kachmar.
Douglas Webster, founder/artistic director of Ice Dance International, said the grant money made a big impact on his Maine-based small nonprofit performing arts company. “We haven’t been able to perform since last March, which is how we generate income,” said Webster. “The relief funding gives us the opportunity to perform this winter in Maine. Now, we’re able to provide free, pop-up performances and educational programming to kids and families. It’s a great opportunity to share the work we do and bring some joy during a difficult time.”
For more information, please visit smpdc.org.

AUGUSTA
Maine TREE announces new education head
The Maine Timber Research and Environmental Education Foundation (Maine TREE) has hired Jessie Rack as its new director of education.
Rack will be responsible for sustaining and expanding Maine TREE’s capacity to meet the needs of schools, teachers, parents, students and other partner organizations for environmental education programs connected to Maine’s forests. Most recently, she coordinated the University of Arizona’s Supporting Environmental Education and Communities Program, providing environmental education outreach to Title I K-12 classrooms.
“I am excited to be joining Maine TREE because it gives me the opportunity to help connect Maine teachers and their students with the forest, giving them the tools to engage safely and effectively with nature,” said Rack, who has used the Project Learning Tree curriculum for many years.
Rack earned her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut and has been an environmental educator and interpretive naturalist across the New England region. She also interned as a science journalist for National Public Radio and worked as a writing professor at Princeton University.
For more details, go to mainetree.org.

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