SCARBOROUGH
Bank seeks nominations for grant funding
Town & Country FCU’s “Better Neighbor Fund” is seeking nominations for its 12th year of awarding funds to nonprofits in Cumberland and York counties.
The process is open to nonprofits that are a designated 501(c)(3) organization and are headquartered and serve Cumberland and/or York counties. Anyone can nominate a deserving nonprofit including the nonprofit itself. The first 25 nominees that meet eligibility requirements will then participate in an online vote during the month of October. The credit union will award a total of $25,000 in grants to the eight organizations with the most votes in grants ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.
To nominate an organization, go to tcfcu.com and click on click on community events.

PORTLAND
Junior Achievement of Maine announces new campaign
Junior Achievement of Maine (JA) will launch its new volunteer recruitment campaign on Wednesday, encouraging people to get involved in their community by becoming Junior Achievement volunteers and role models.
To inspire new volunteers, the hashtag #PutYourselfOutThere will invite past, present, and future volunteers to reflect on and share how they make a difference in their community and how the experience impacted them.
With school season beginning, new volunteers are needed to make a difference in local schools by teaching students the entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy skills that are not usually taught in the classroom. Hands-on, classroom curriculum and volunteer training is provided.
The campaign will focus on the impact you can make as a JA volunteer, highlighting volunteer testimony and the important and necessary life lessons one can pass along to students in grades K-12.
For more details, visit jamaine.org.

NEW GLOUCESTER
Historical society taking orders for apple pies
New Gloucester Historical Society is now taking orders for its 2022 native apple pie sale, with pick-up on Sept. 30.
Only 100 pies will be made and they are available by pre-order only. The cost is $10 each.
To put in an order, contact bjtc4NGMHS@gmail.com or call 926-3198.

CASCO
Foundation donates $1 million to camp
Camp Sunshine,  a free, year-round retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, has received a $1 million gift from the New Balance Foundation to endow one entire session at the camp in perpetuity. The funds will provide families with the opportunity to meet others on similar journeys and to re-group, re-energize and restore hope for the future. Each New Balance Foundation session will host as many as 40 families, which is about 80-100 children and 150-170 total family members. This year’s New Balance Foundation session at Camp Sunshine was Sept. 2-5. To date, the New Balance Foundation has donated nearly $2 million to Camp Sunshine. For more details, go to campsunshine.org.

BRUNSWICK
All welcome to Navy ball
The Casco Bay Council of the Navy League of the United States will host a traditional Navy Birthday Ball Oct. 15 at the St. John’s Community Center. Area residents wishing to show their support are invited to come and join active duty and reserve sailors from Bangor, Bath, Portsmouth and beyond in celebrating the founding of the U.S. Navy.
The Continental Navy was established by the Second Continental Congress on October 13th, 1775, which transitioned to become the United States Navy after the Revolutionary War. This year marks the 247th birthday of our nation’s Navy.
This will be an evening during which some time-honored Navy traditions will be observed. The night will begin at 5 p.m. with a social hour, followed by a buffet dinner, dancing and a raffle of items provided by local area businesses.
Tickets for the general public are limited and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
To reserve a spot, contact Doug Thacker at dgthack@gmail.com.

PORTLAND & ELLSWORTH
Almost $300,000 awarded to preservation projects
Twenty-two historic buildings from across the state have received grant funding from the Maine Community Foundation (MaineCF) for needed preservation work.
The Belvedere Historic Preservation and Energy Efficiency Committee has awarded a total of $290,438 toward those projects and one donor, with an advised fund at MaineCF, awarded an additional $2,500 grant.
Projects will include repairs to the Holden Town Meeting House and the First Congregational Church of East Machias, which was listed on Maine Preservation’s list of endangered buildings in 2021. Energy efficiency improvements will be made to Foss Mansion in Auburn, home of the Woman’s Literary Union of Androscoggin County.
Grant recipients include $20,000 to Durham Historical Society, Ellsworth Historical Society, Friends of the First Congregational Church, Quoddy Tides Foundation of Lubec, Danforth’s Union Hall, Windham Hill United Church of Christ, and the Woman’s Literary Union of Androscoggin County at Auburn; $18,620 to The Friend Memorial Public Library at Brooklin; $18,500 to Bar Harbor Historical Society; $17,500 to Northeast Historic Film of Bucksport; $15,000 to Greenwood Town Hall; $12,000 to The Fifth Maine Regiment Museum at Peaks Island; $10,968 Poland Spring Preservation Society; $10,000 each to the Association Culturelle et Historique du Mont-Carmel at Grand Isle, the Lincoln County Historical Association at Wiscasset and Wolfe’s Neck Farm Foundation at Freeport; $8,000 to The Old Bristol Historical Society; $7,800 to Holden Historical Society; $4,450 to The Cary Library at Houlton; $4,000 to The Friends of L.C. Bates Museum at Hinckley; $2,000 to the Woodlawn Museum at Ellsworth; and $1,600 to Maine Maritime Museum Bath.
For complete list of grants to preservation projects, visit mainecf.org/recentgrants.

Scholarships available for adult learners
Adult learners returning to school may be eligible for scholarships from the Maine Community Foundation.
Eligible scholarship recipients will receive a one or two-year certificate or four-year degree at the end of the program and meet one of the following requirements: be over the age of 25, work full-time while enrolled in school, have dependents, be financially independent, have not received a standard high school diploma, or delayed college enrollment.
The deadline for applications is Nov. 15. For complete guidelines and to apply, visit mainecf.org/scholarships or contact Jackie Shannon at 412-2004 or jshannon@mainecf.org.