Sunny days

Members of the Bath Garden Club after preparing the sunflower garden at Dike-Newell School last month to get it ready for students to plant sunflower seeds. Club members who participated were Laurie Beck, Pat Shaw, Patty Boutilier, Gail Shean, Anne Armstrong Holly Guy and Betsy Fear. Contributed / Bath Garden Club

Recognition

Altrusa International Portland has named Ray Richard this year’s Volunteer of the Year for his work with Portland Wheelers. Contributed / Altrusa

Altrusa International Portland is proud to announce that Ray Richard is Altrusa’s 2021 Volunteer of the Year for his work with Portland Wheelers. The award was presented to Richard virtually on May 19; the club donated $250 to the organization in his honor.

Richard is the current president and provides about 800 hours of service per year. He began as a volunteer “pilot,” pedaling the adaptive trikes that Portland Wheelers uses to give rides to anyone who can’t ride a bike by themselves. An avid bicyclist, Richard leads a crew in maintaining and repairing the trikes, drives trucks and trailers to ride sites and trains new pilots. He also meets with potential partner organizations and participates in fundraisers.

“The wheelers love riding with Ray, who cracks silly jokes and is incredibly kind and patient with them,” said Sue Walls from Portland Wheelers, who nominated Richard.

Nancy and Vin Veroneau are the recipients of Waynflete’s 2021 Drake Award, presented annually for exemplary service to those in the private school community.

Vin Veroneau served on the school’s Board of Trustees from 2011-2014 and from 2017-2020, twice holding the office of treasurer. Both he and Nancy Veroneau had many volunteer roles in the Parents Association over the years and chaired the Senior Gift Committee several times. The couple is best known, however, for the extraordinary contributions they have made to Waynflete’s athletic program over the decades.

At its annual spring conference held virtually in May, the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) formally recognized the Portland Housing Authority’s Solterra as one of the Notable Projects of 2020 in the state of Maine. Solterra – sun and earth in Italian – at 58 Boyd St. in East Bayside is a mixed-income, six-story building.

Hires, promotions, appointments

Arts & Cultural Alliance of Freeport has selected Dana Legawiec to be its new executive director. Legawiec is a nationally recognized community–based teaching artist and educator who is committed to the construction of inclusive creative communities. She has a Master of Arts in education from Harvard University, is on the faculty at Colby College and the University of Southern Maine Theatre Departments, and founded the Theatre Program at Bowdoinham Community School. 

Granted

The Maine Women’s Fund recently announced $155,000 in grants for nonprofits that are working to address the vital needs of women and girls statewide, including ArtVan’s Art Therapy in Sagadahoc and Cumberland counties, Elder Abuse Institute of Maine, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, In Her Presence, Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse Maine, and Transgender Network.

Town & Country Federal Credit Union’s “Non-profit-a-Day” in the month of May campaign resulted in 31 nonprofits receiving contributions selected at random and based on the public’s suggestions. Recipients included Portland-based Maine P-PODS, which helps improve the quality of life for those affected by Type 1 diabetes, and The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland.

New on the shelves

Bristol Seafood of Portland has added to its retail offerings with Bristol Seafood Singles. They feature quality frozen seafood with chef-crafted compound butter and spices. The range includes center-cut Atlantic salmon portions; additional flavors include lemon and pesto butter or ginger and garlic butter.