One lucky family will have a chance to experience a weeklong getaway at the Shore House on Orr’s Island this year.

Harpswell resident Jennifer Bisson and her mother Melinda Richter, the owner of Island Candy Company, are giving community members a chance to win a vacation at their familyowned rental summer house.

Bisson said she came up with the idea for the contest after seeing the support her family received from the community when her grandmother, Orr’s Island resident Joanne Harris, suffered a stroke this past year.

She said residents and local community groups called and supported her family by visiting Harris at the hospital, cooking meals or providing transportation to help the family out during this time of hardship.

“People have just been lovely to us and the situation and to my mother,” Richter said. “We’re just very grateful.”

Bisson wanted to donate the vacation house to another family who may have experienced similar troubles and could use a “mental break from life to refocus.”

“The contest came out of the kindness of others, who were so kind and giving during our family’s struggle,” Richter said.

The Shore House, which overlooks Garrison Cove, Cribstone Bridge and Cook’s Lobster House, has been family run since 1965, the current owners being Richter and her sisters Andrea Michelson and Leeanne Keller. The house was a popular tourist attraction, built in the 1900s as a gift shop and ice cream parlor, until the sisters transformed it into a rental home in 2006.

Community members are invited to nominate themselves or other families who could benefit from this island vacation by submitting a brief explanation on how this vacation could improve the family’s quality of life.

Winners will be able to stay at the house for a week, with a choice of staying in the upstairs Posey Unit or the downstairs Leona Unit. Each floor accommodates six people and includes a kitchen and living area.

Bisson is also hoping to receive donations from local businesses and put together a welcome package for the winners to help them enjoy their time in town.

“We would try to tailor the experience to somebody’s needs,” added Richter.

Bisson is accepting written nominations of 250 words or less through May 17, with the winner being announced on May 25. Submissions can be emailed to jenniferstone86@gmail.com with “Shore House Vacation” written in the subject line.

“We just want to try to make a difference in somebody else’s life,” Bisson said.

More information about the contest is available at shorehousemaine.com or on their Facebook page.

dkim@timesrecord.com