MaineCF@35

The Maine Community Foundation celebrates its 35th year in 2018 with occasional profiles of people who contribute to and benefit from the foundation's work to improve the quality of life for all Maine people.



Alan Bray: The Art of Community

Posted on December 31, 2018 by Carl Little

"This part of Maine, the north woods and the people who live here, are tough in equal measure. People live close to the bone and retain many of the skills and instincts that are required to survive and even occasionally thrive here."

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Chet Jordan: A Legacy of Leadership

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Carl Little

“When the scholarship was started, students in Aroostook County, Bangor, and Cumberland County were eligible. We picked these places because Dad loved Aroostook County (hunting, fishing and the wonderful people). He had a business that he loved in

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George Smith: Outdoorsman, Author, and Advocate for Aging in Place

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Carl Little

“I have been writing newspaper columns and doing radio shows about my illness and the response has been amazing. I’ve heard from people from Alaska to Italy. And I feel blessed to have so many friends who are eager to help us.”

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Jean Deighan: Investing in Maine—and its Artists

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Carl Little

“I believe that artists are one of Maine’s most important ‘natural resources.’ Worldwide, Maine is known as a haven for artists. However, the life of an artist is often filled with financial sacrifice and frustration. We wanted to help.”

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Margaret Hoffman: A Nonprofit Leader and Her Village

Posted on September 05, 2018 by Carl Little

“The best part of this work is knowing that you are having an impact on people. I don’t work in a field — health care or human services — where I save lives, but arts, culture, and history are what make life worth living!”

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Nancy Howland: Giving Back

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Carl Little

“Volunteering is a wonderful way to spend your day, knowing you’ve made someone’s life easier and more pleasant. Plus, you’ve usually learned something new and probably made a new friend.”

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Pamela Plumb: Reviving Civility

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Carl Little

"We have begun treating democracy as a winner-takes-all sport, when its fundamental process is dependent on having people discuss issues, sharing and listening to each other’s different points of view, and finding a middle ground that is

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Eliot Coleman: Gardener, Teacher, Entrepreneur

Posted on July 18, 2018 by Carl Little

“[Farming] is the hardest job you will ever love. The greatest satisfaction comes from making an exceptional product that enhances the well-being of your customers.”

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Mike Felton, Paul Meinersmann & Amy Palmer: The Makerspace Initiative

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Carl Little

“At its core, the Makerspace reminds students (and educators!) that we are all inventors and entrepreneurs and have the power to solve problems.

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Stefan Jackson: Coaxer, Guide, Coach

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Carl Little

“So diversity training entails learning to enjoy pushing rope up hill: painstaking, high failure-rate work on a molecular, atomic level – and being happy with long-term success of altering strands in organizational DNA.”

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Lucy Shulman: Inventor of Languages

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Andrea Nemitz

"This is your future, your life, your student debt, not anyone else’s."

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Mariam Al-Hamdany: Learning to Lead

Posted on May 04, 2018 by Andrea Nemitz

"The staff keeps me coming back and my friends from different schools who have different backgrounds."

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Edward Kaelber: MaineCF’s Founding President

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Carl Little

“I remember getting grant proposals from small organizations. They didn’t write anything fancy, but they knew what they needed.”

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James Ritter: Maine State Librarian

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Carl Little

“…Libraries in Maine are the nodes of multiple connections and the gateways for prosperous communities.”

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Troy Murphy: Mogul Master and Adventurer

Posted on April 03, 2018 by Carl Little

“To me being a Mainer means that you’re a very genuine person who’s friendly, down to earth, and up for adventure!”

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Richard Silliboy and the World’s Largest Potato Basket

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Carl Little

“I come out here [to my workshop] and work with the brown ash and it’s almost like praying.”

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Sherry Streeter: Artist and Activist

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Carl Little

“I love this community... We are all interdependent. If something goes wrong, you’re covered because people here care.”

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Mike and Denise Dubyak: Passionate About Education

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Andrea Nemitz

“…We believe the most important component of optimizing a person’s chances to fulfill their career dreams starts in early childhood.”

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Carol Shutt and the Astor Incentive Awards

Posted on February 07, 2018 by Carl Little

“I think the [Astor] grants have made me more of an artist,” says K-8 art teacher Carol Shutt. “And they have changed how I work with kids. Being a teacher but being an artist too, I am setting an example.”

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Achayo Katanga and the Community Bicycle Center

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Andrea Nemitz

"I used to like to stay in the shadows but the CBC made me come out into the light and be myself," says Achayo Katanga, 11, who has discovered new friends and interests at the Community Bicycle Center in Biddeford.

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Betty Robinson and Tree Street Youth

Posted on January 05, 2018 by Carl Little

"The diversity that immigrant youth brings to our community enriches the social and economic fabric of our lives,” says Betty Robinson, a former board member and now county committee member at MaineCF who works with Tree Street Youth in Lewiston.

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