Pioneer Times photograph/Gloria Austin
GRAND PRIZE WINNER — Visiting Nurses of Aroostook (VNA) was chosen as the $5,000 winner of Bangor Savings Bank Community Matters More. At the presentation were, from left, Erin Mitchell, Terri Lyons, Debbie Jacques, VNA community relations manager; Chris Nickerson, vice president and regional market manager of Bangor Savings Bank; Brenda Richards, assistant vice president of Bangor Savings Bank; Diane Shaw and Debbie Upton.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
HOULTON — For the last six years, Bangor Savings Bank Foundation has offered its Community Matters More grant-making initiative.
The voting ended March 11, with winners recently announced. The $5,000 award-winner from the northern Region was Visiting Nurses of Aroostook (VNA).
In January, Maine residents were able to decide how to best allocate $100,000 the bank pledged for non-profit organizations. The voting lasted for six weeks and a year ago, 100,000 votes were cast to give away monies to 68 nonprofits.
Since its inception in 2007, Community Matters More has provided $500,000 in total grants to hundreds of Maine nonprofits.
“Community Matters More gets broader in its reach and more successful every year, with new Maine nonprofits appearing on the ballot and receiving write-in votes and significant community attention. The number of Maine people taking the time to participate and vote for their favorite causes also grows each year. Their understanding of the importance of supporting communities is what makes this effort so successful,” said Yellow Light Breen, executive vice president at Bangor Savings Bank.
Each of the 48 nonprofits listed on the ballot was eligible to receive at least a $1,000 grant for participating in the program, and the top 20 write-ins that get the most public support will also receive a grant from the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation. The organizations with the most votes in each of the eight regions (including write-ins) will receive $5,000 each.
For the northern region, the nominees were: Golden Key Senior Center; Jeffrey S. Parola Foundation; Millinocket Regional Hospital Auxiliary; Shaw Public Library Association; Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum; and Visiting Nurses of Aroostook/Hospice of Aroostook.
Visiting Nurses of Aroostook (VNA) has been a trusted home care provider for nearly 45 years. As a non-profit home health and hospice provider their mission is to serve the home care needs of Aroostook County neighbors and friends regardless of their income level or ability to pay.
“We serve all of Aroostook County,” explained Deb Jacques, community relations manager. “Due to our rural geography; our clinicians travel hundreds of thousands of miles to reach our patients and care for them. Generous donations like the one from Bangor Savings Bank’s Community Matters More helps bridge the gap between the payments we receive for our services versus the true cost of delivering the care we provide. We are deeply grateful.”
Each year Visiting Nurses of Aroostook provides compassionate care to approximately 800 patients who are healing from illness or injury.
“Thanks to VNA’s hospice services, we have the privilege of sharing the end-of-life journey with nearly 200 patients and their families,” said Jacques. “As a member of Eastern Maine HomeCare and EMHS, we are committed to Maine residents having access to the right care, delivered at the right time and in the right place.”
Community Matters More not only provides financial support to nonprofits, but it also generates substantial exposure and community awareness for the work these organizations do to enhance the quality of life in Maine.
“VNA would like to thank the staff at the Houlton branch of Bangor Savings Bank for nominating our organization,” added Jacques. “We also thank the many patients, staff and community members who voted for us. We’d especially like to recognize staff member Diane Shaw. She sent a request through Facebook to hundreds of contacts requesting their vote. We believe her efforts were instrumental in VNA receiving the Community Matters More gift.”
