Bath Rotary donation

Bath Sunrise Rotary Club presented a check for $1,000 to Kimberly Gates, executive director of the Bath Area Food Bank (holding dog), on Jan. 23. The food bank serves Bath, West Bath, Woolwich, Arrowsic, Georgetown and Phippsburg. Contributed / Bath Sunrise Rotary Club

Sea Tow captain recognized for Mary E rescue

Capt. Christopher Davis, operations manager of Sea Tow Portland/Midcoast, was honored for rescuing several passengers aboard the Mary E this past summer.

Capt. Christopher Davis was honored for his part in rescuing passengers from a Maine Maritime schooner that foundered last summer. Contributed / Sea Tow Portland/Midcoast.

Davis, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, received his award for Efforts Above and Beyond during the 2021 Sea Tow Services International annual meeting. While completing a member tow at the Maine South Boat Ramp on the Kennebec River on July 30, Davis noticed a large, red hull with two people standing on top. He then navigated his Sea Tow boat in the direction of the historic 73-foot schooner from the Maine Maritime Museum. Davis assisted several passengers by creating a lifeline to his boat to bring the passengers to safety. He also quickly came to the aid of an elderly female passenger who fell in the water due to the Mary E listing.

“Things can change on the fly while we’re out on the water – no two days are ever the same,” Davis said. “I’m just glad I was in the area at the time of this incident and could put my on-water training and expertise to good use and help the Mary E passengers to safety.”

“We couldn’t be prouder of Capt. Davis and his astute awareness and quick response when lives were on the line,” said Sea Tow President Kristen Frohnhoefer. “His award is just one way to show him how much we appreciate his efforts to go above and beyond the call of duty when boaters needed him.”

In addition, the franchise earned Outstanding New Membership Sales for 2021, Outstanding Membership Growth 2021 and 10 Years of Continuous Membership Growth. Co-owners and Capts. Matt Wilder and Bruce White were recognized for their outstanding sales achievements.

White said he is proud of his “big enough to serve, small enough to care” franchise.

“We try every day to maintain this special small-town feeling we have here in Maine where we know so many people,” he said.

Recognition

Like many Southern Maine real estate companies, Portland-based Keller Williams’ groups saw exceptional sales in 2021. Both the Tru Brit Realty Group of Saxby, Meek & Coward at Keller Williams Realty and The Marc Gup Real Estate Group at Keller Williams Realty topped a record-breaking $40 million-plus in sales in 2021. The Tru Brits were involved in 88 buyer and seller transactions and the Marc Gup Real Estate Group helped 89 families sell or buy. Both firms earned Keller Williams’ prominent Double Platinum Award.

Breen

Sen. Cathy Breen, D-Falmouth, received the Legislator Award from the Consumer Council System of Maine on Jan. 28 in recognition of her work to advance mental health-related legislation.

“As a member of a family who lives with mental illness, I have tried to use my time in the Senate to shine a light on mental health and spur our state government to find creative, effective ways to improve our continuum of care,” Breen said. “I’m thankful to CCSM for the vital work its members do in influencing this work.

Granted

Four organizations are being funded through the United Way of Southern Maine’s Racial Equity Fund, which supports organizations led by and serving people of color: In Her Presence, $76,160; Gateway Community Services Maine youth mentoring program, $30,750; Intercultural Community Center, $40,000; and Maine Association for New Americans community transportation project, $24,051.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine received $10,000 for its Torch/Keystone clubs when grants were recently awarded by the Edward H. Daveis Benevolent Fund at the Maine Community Foundation. The clubs work to develop leadership and decision-making skills and build a culture of community service. In all, 12 organizations were awarded a total of $82,500 for projects that ranged from music classes and bereavement support to workshops with performing artists and others. The Telling Room will expand its Young Writers & Leaders program to serve multilingual immigrant, refugee and first-generation teens with a $7,500 grant. The Portland Public Library received $7,500 for early literacy programming geared toward children up to age 12 and older.

Ten Maine schools benefited from Berlin City Auto Group’s donation of $27,500 on behalf of its Drive for Education program. The program uses part of the proceeds from area car sales to fund grants. Local schools included Ocean Avenue Elementary, Portland; Saccarappa School, Westbrook; King Middle, Portland; Frank I. Brown Elementary, South Portland; Amanda C. Rowe Elementary, Portland; Lyman Moore Middle, Portland; and Lincoln Middle, Portland.

A pair of Portland arts organizations that were economically impacted by the pandemic received federal grant money through the American Rescue Plan. Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine and ROIL Maine Inside Out were each awarded $150,000.