Dog days of summer

Giving back

Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution, with locations in Portland, Scarborough and South Portland, has announced it will provide a $5,000 scholarship donation to PSL Services/STRIVE. The South Portland-based nonprofit helps people with emotional and intellectual disabilities. The donation will support STRIVE WorldWIDE, a first-of-its-kind, interactive online program that teaches independent living skills.

UScellular has donated 42 wireless hotspots and two years of service to Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, which has three locations in Portland and one in South Portland. According to a prepared release, hotspots have proven to be a vital tool for youth to access the internet, study and complete homework, and will be loaned out to families to support reliable home access.

Ocean State Job Lot, which has stores in Falmouth and Biddeford, announced its recent “Buy-Give-Get” program has resulted in the collection of 30,000 backpacks regionwide. The Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation partnered with the New England Patriots Foundation and the USA Veterans Military Support Foundation, both of which collected school supplies through their own networks as part of the program. The backpacks were donated to students in need, including children in military families.

Recognition

The city of Portland is thrilled to announce that the Barron Center, the city’s 219-bed, long-term skilled rehabilitation facility, has earned a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. CMS created the Five-Star Quality Rating System to help consumers, their families and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily and to help identify areas about which to ask questions. The Barron Center’s score improved from a three-star rating in 2019 – no small feat in light of the pandemic.

“I’m so proud of the staff at the Barron Center for their hard work and dedication to our residents,” said Kristen Dow, director of the Portland Health & Human Services Department. “I want to thank them for the work they do each and every day. It is because of them that we were able to improve to a five-star rating.”

Best Lawyers, a widely recognized peer-review publication in the legal profession, has named all partners at Petruccelli, Martin & Haddow for inclusion in the 28th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Gerald Petruccelli was recognized in several areas of practice, including appellate practice, arbitration, commercial litigation and mergers and acquisitions. Michael Martin was recognized in the areas of commercial litigation and insurance law, while James Haddow was recognized for his work in litigation – municipal and municipal law.

Save the date

ProsperityME’s 13th Annual Community Block Party is Thursday, Sept. 16, at Brick South in Portland from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

The event is an opportunity for the community to gather and celebrate the richness immigrant Mainers bring to the state and to highlight collective efforts to make Maine a more diverse, equitable and inclusive place to live, work and play.

This years’ theme is “Opportunities to Flourish,” and the program includes awards and recognition, interviews with community members, a roundtable discussion with ProsperityME student, professional networking and entertainment. Register through Eventbrite; masks and vaccination cards will be required to attend.