1997 Annual Report

of the

Maine Commission

for

Community Service

submitted to

The Governor and Legislature

What is it?

The Maine Commission For Community Service engages citizens to serve their communities in the areas of education, environment, human needs, and public safety.

Established in 1994 by Executive Order and under state statute in 1995, the 26-member Commission is Maine's partner with the federal Corporation For National Service. The Maine State Planning Office provides administrative support.

It's mission is to foster community service and volunteerism to meet human and environmental needs in the State of Maine.

Through planning, convening, and investments, the Commission seeks to make real a vision of vibrant, productive communities with involved, responsible citizens.

What does it do?

The Maine Commission for Community Service works to ...

• get things done to meet local education, public safety, human and environmental needs;
• strengthen communities by bringing diverse people together to solve problems at the local level;
• encourage civic responsibility through community service and participation;
• expand opportunities for citizens of all ages to serve their communities and for affordable post secondary education.

The Corporation for National Service (a federal agency similar to the FDIC or Resolution Trust Corp.) delegates responsibilities for technical assistance, training, development of sustainability, monitoring operations, and evaluation to the Commission.

As Maine's partner with the Corporation, the Commission administers state AmeriCorps and community-based Learn & Serve America programs. It also coordinates with the Maine Dept. of Education, grantee for school-based Learn & Serve, and the Corporation's state office, administrator for VISTA and Senior Corps.

1996 Activity Highlights...

Strengthening Service in Maine

• Identified critical unmet human, public safety, and environmental needs in Maine that can be addressed by community service or volunteer work. These needs will be given priority consideration when the Commission requests program proposals for national service funds.
• Comprehensively assessed the prevalence of youth service opportunities and planned for start of a youth service network.
• Completed two assessments of volunteer involvement in government services. One examined municipal government volunteer programs. The second assessed the types and prevalence of volunteer programs under state agencies' sponsorship.
• Published a guide to determining the dollar-value of volunteer services using Maine wage data.
• Formed a coalition of public and private statewide organizations that support community service or non-profit volunteer agencies. The coalition serves as a vehicle for coordinating and collaborating among the member groups.
• Sponsored a day-long workshop on engaging disabled citizens in community service and volunteer work. The training was conducted by the Maine Volunteer Connection in partnership with Maine Independent Living Services.
• Accepted an invitation from the Children's Cabinet to help develop and support implementation of key Cabinet projects. Commission staff helped secure a VISTA to assist the Cabinet. The Commission Director has been a member of the design team for "Communities for Children".

Strengthening National Service in Maine

• The Maine Commission obtained the state's first community-based Learn & Serve K-12 award ($148,000). Known as Project Bond, it involves youth who have left school or are at-risk of leaving, in service-learning activities that are integrated into academic achievement. All funds were subgranted to implementation sites. The participating schools and their programs are listed on page __ of this report.
• Successfully competed at the federal level for a special national service grant, Governors' Innovative Grant Program ($217,000). Known as the AmeriCorps*Blaine House Service Corps, the project addresses issues of restorative justice options for first-time juvenile offenders and supportive housing for people with disabilities. Information on the program can be found on page ____.
• Coordinated statewide service projects that united all national service people in Maine: AmeriCorps, VISTA, Learn & Serve, and Senior Corps members. In April 1996, clam seedlings were introduced to closed and depleted clam flats from Jonesport to Waldoboro. In October 1996, the focus of service was Bangor where shelter rooms were painted, child care center facilities renovated, landscaping completed at University College, and stacks organized at the Bangor library's.
• Carried out technical assistance and training efforts for all Corporation for National Service programs under the Commission's jurisdiction. Major events were National Service Orientation Conference for all new AmeriCorps and Learn & Serve participants and Mid-Winter National Service Training for AmeriCorps and VISTA participants.

National Service Funds granted through

the Maine Commission for Community Service

The federal dollars to operate AmeriCorps and Learn & Serve programs in Maine are viewed as investments by the Commission. Whenever funds are granted, the expectation is that they will leverage not only local cash and in-kind support of the service project but, also, people who will volunteer to join the AmeriCorps or Learn & Serve students in making communities vibrant, productive places to live.

In 1996, the Maine Commission administered a total of $960,601 that went directly to community-based service programs. All matching funds are obtained by the programs through private and public cash contributions as well as significant in-kind donations by community supporters. The Maine Commission does not distribute any state dollars.

Where are its roots?

The ethic of service the Maine Commission promotes is rooted in American traits dating to colonial days. Today's community service models, like AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve, and Senior Service Corps, owe their structures to some of the most well known and effective government programs in our history.

• The Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s offered men public service jobs - such as building the roads of Acadia Park and carving the Appalachian Trail - in exchange for a financial benefit to support their families.
• After World War II, the nation recognized our veterans' public service and passed the GI Bill, making higher education readily accessible to Americans of all economic and cultural backgrounds.
• In forming the Peace Corps, America brought a global view to service. Program volunteers received a living allowance and an end-of-service readjustment allowance.
• VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) in the mid 1960s became a community resource to address unemployment, poverty, and illiteracy. VISTAs received a modest living allowance. Now, as AmeriCorps*VISTA, they are eligible for an education award upon service completion.
• Around the same time, opportunities arose for older Americans to use their talents in community service. Foster Grandparents work one-on-one with children who have special needs. Senior Companions help homebound elderly remain independent. Both programs, now part of Senior Service Corps, provide stipends to those who serve. A third program, RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program), reimburses volunteers for out-of-pocket expenses.
• The education/service link was strengthened in the 1980s with creation of Learn & Serve America, where students of all ages integrate service opportunities and academic work.
• AmeriCorps crews help communities meet local needs directly and achieve concrete results. Members live on a modest stipend and qualify for an educational award for college or technical training.

What's been done in Maine?

1996 Highlights of National Service

By AmeriCorps Members ...

• Operated a holistic community service program for 234 juvenile offenders in Greater Portland. The youth served at 384 local sites, doing work valued at $30,648. Recidivism rate of participating juveniles is only 5% after 12 months.
• Provided conflict resolution consulting service to 501 residents of assisted housing.
• Helped tenant councils develop by-laws and conduct needs surveys of residents in assisted housing.
• Acted as companions and role models for 35 youth in an urban street program.
• Removed nearly 9,000 square feet of graffiti from public buildings.
• Trained 603 seasonal farm workers on pesticide safety.
• Started integrated pest management with 50% Washington and Hancock County cranberry growers
• Provided training and technical assistance to 13 volunteer water quality monitoring groups from Kittery to Rockland.
• Worked with over 250 farmers in Somerset, Androscoggin, and Oxford Counties on farm water quality assessments and integrated crop management.
• Constructed/ rehabilitated 17+ miles of trails used by 220,000 outdoor recreationists.
• Completed initial phase of trail system development on the Nahmakanta Management Unit, a 43,000 acre Unit acquired through Land For Maine's Future.
• With the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, began construction of a 5.4 mile trail on 2,000 acres of land purchased through the Forest Legacy Program.
• Developed trails at a site along the Androscoggin River in Turner and Leeds which was obtained through Land For Maine's Future.
• Stabilized 1,500 ft. of shoreline in the Penobscot River Corridor and Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
• Aided Beals Island Regional Shellfish Hatchery spawn and rear 20+ million clams.
• Helped 44 municipalities form the Casco Bay Coalition.
• Taught 6,600 children environmental education.
• Trained 145 volunteers to maintain trails. Later, 59 of the m donated 1,200 hours.
• In China's Webber and Three Mile Pond Watersheds, remediated 25 sources of pollution.
• Converted 72 miles of abandoned railroad beds to multi-use trails in Caribou.
• Constructed Outdoor Learning Centers for use by 1,500 students in Augusta,, Northport, and Naples public schools.
• Opened and operated two new adult day care centers in Washington County.
• Provided staff for Quoddy Bay Children's Center.

By VISTA ...

• Helped Portland's Children's Museum start a recruitment program to engage low-income and culturally diverse neighbors as volunteers in museum activities.
• Carried out Year One of a 5-year comprehensive community health needs assessment in areas served by 11 rural health centers.
• Developed and delivered HIV presentations for community members and schools.
• Coordinated major fundraising projects for an AIDS Support Services Program.
• Solicited donations for a new adult day care facility, including $1,500 worth of furnishings.
• Raised funds for purchase a new EKG machine at Lubec Regional Medical Center.

By Students in Learn & Serve K-12 programs ...

• In Lewiston, Bath, and Auburn, students joined with teachers, administrators, and city officials to host educators from the Russian Environmental Education Project.
• Jay High School's alternative education students designed and constructed River Walk, a 2-mile, handicap accessible, multi-use recreational trail and park on the Androscoggin River. The students moved 37 tons of materials, built a shed to house equipment, and assembled bird and bat houses to attract wildlife.
• At Wells High School, students analyzed water samples as they monitored 1,600 acres of estuary. Data collected helped re-open clam flats and swimming areas that closed 9 years ago.
• 200 students at Lewiston High School and Longley Elementary School transformed the city's snow dump into a picnic area, nature trail with restored native habitats.
• Kennebunk students collect water samples as part of their effort to monitor the port, river, and coastline of their town.
• Bath Middle School students designed a brochure for a historic walking tour of downtown Bath.
• Newport's Nokomis High students researched, designed, produced, and installed descriptive signage about the native habitat of the endangered Black Tern.

By Senior Corps ... Senior Companion Program ...

• 568 homebound adults, usually elderly, were visited at least twice weekly in 10 Maine counties. Among these adults, 44% live alone, 35% could not drive, 19% were visually or hearing impaired, 38% had some kind of physical limitation; 29% were chronically ill; 14% had an acute illness.

The 85,541 hours of service by Senior Companions were spent in these ways:

• 55% helped with home management, 21% assisted with aspects of nutrition;
• 16% provided respite for family members; 30% provided transportation assistance; 95% provided companionship.
• As a result of the volunteers' 32,746 visits, 71% of the clients showed improved mental health and 20% improved physically.

... Retired Senior Volunteers

• 2,233 retired seniors gave 170,000 hours in 436 Maine community agencies. Among the places they worked were schools, libraries, health facilities, shelters.

... Foster Grandparents

• Volunteered 13,000 hours with 64 children in Head Start centers, dealing with health, social skills, reading, and verbal skills.
• Provided 320 hours of home-based service during the summer for Head Start children in order to reinforce skills and facilitate a smooth transition to kindergarten.
• Gave 17,000 hours to tutor 80 special needs children in schools from East Machias to Brunswick.
• Spent 500 hours in hospitals and developmental centers assisting with the needs of exceptional children.
• Provided 20,000 hours of assistance in health, nutrition, socialization, and learning skills at child care facilities.
• Supported 105 families who have special needs children with services in their homes. Families were referred by hospitals, social services, DHS Child Protective Services, schools, and the Bureau of Children with Special Needs.

What Is On The 1997 Agenda?

• Develop a State Unified Position on Community Service. Through a public input process and consultation with key leaders, the Commission will consider what role community service should play in addressing critical unmet needs in Maine; what are the opportunities and barriers to increased service, and what actions could strengthen the many service efforts now in Maine communities.

• Launch a Maine Youth Alliance. Many young people in Maine are involved in service through their schools, communities, churches, and youth groups. Nowhere, however, is there a network through which those youth and the adults who guide them can communicate, provide each other technical assistance, and address common concerns. The Commission will facilitate creation of such a network to strengthen and support service by Maine youth.

• Expand the role of AmeriCorps programs in addressing Maine needs. Early in 1997, the Commission will request proposals for AmeriCorps crew programs. This will mark the beginning of another 3-year grant cycle to help communities address local needs through service. AmeriCorps Members who serve full-time receive a living allowance of $8,340 for 1997/98 and, on completion of service, are eligible for an educational award of $4,725 which may be used for post-secondary education or to pay college loans.

Who serves?

Mark Hews, Chair

Poland Springs Coordinator, Thresholds of Maine Resource Conservation District

Perry Gates, Vice-chair

Camden

Educator, Projects Inc.

Edith R. Scott, Secretary

Clinton

Commercial Loan Officer, Peoples Heritage Bank

Diane Andrews

Camden

Director Member Services

Maine Chamber & Business Alliance

Peter Bender, Ex-officio

Boston, MA

Director, Corporation State Office

Paul Chretien, Immediate Past-chair

Brewer

Labor Liaison, AFL/CIO

Norman Duzen

Cutler

Retired clergy, Senior Companion Volunteer

Major Everett B. Flannery, Jr.

Clinton

Chief Deputy, Kennebec County Sheriffs Dept.

Dawn Girardin

Dryden

Volunteer Coordinator,

Western Maine Community Action

Susan Jennings

North Waterford

Educator, UMaine Cooperative Extension

Susanne C. Kibler-Hacker

Brooks

Director, Institutional Advancement, Unity College

Lawrence LaPierre

Old Orchard Beach

Retired Senior Volunteer, Red Cross Volunteer

Greg Lavertu

Sabattus

Student, Former AmeriCorps Member

Catherine K. Lebowitz

Bangor

Retired Senior Volunteer, former legislator

Ed Maroon, Ex-officio

Represents the Department of Education, Augusta

Director, Learn & Serve Program

Joyce McPhetres

Waterville

Manager of Education, Assistant Vice-President

MBNA New England

Alfred Millette

Waldoboro

Director, Therapeutic Foster Care, Catholic Charities Maine

William L. Michaud

Friendship

Exec. Director, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of MidCoast ME

Tammy Newton

Oxford

Student, Youth Representative

JoAnne E. Peterson

South Portland

Consultant, Hospice Volunteer

Katherine Roberts

Hallowell

Social Worker, Maine Children's

Home for Little Wanderers

Susanne W. Sandusky

Mapleton

Exec. Director, United Way of Aroostook

Judi Stebbins

Winthrop

Speech Pathologist, Griffiths Assoc.

Winthrop Town Councilor

Kathryn Tremper

Topsham

Graduate Student; KIDS Consortium

Patricia Toto

Unity

Retired Director of Placement, KV Technical College

Where Are National Service Programs?

Associated Farmworkers Opportunities Program

Training and Development Corp. (sponsor)

Director: Jack Frost

P.O. Box 476, Ellsworth, ME 04605 Voice: 667-7543 Facs: 667-3780

Team members train migrant and seasonal farmworkers how to reduce exposure to pesticides, and how to access health, educational and other supportive services

AmeriCorps*College Conservation Corps of ME

Maine Conservation Corps, Workforce Development Center

Director: Ken Spalding Coordinator: David Gerkins

124 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333 Voice: 287-4931 Facs: 287-3611

23 Members do conservation and outdoor recreation service projects across Maine. AmeriCorps*CCCM also provides post secondary education opportunities and career training to economically disadvantaged youth. Service projects include constructing hiking trails, developing outdoor learning centers at local schools, erosion control projects in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and training volunteers in trail maintenance techniques.

AmeriCorps*Blaine House Service Corps

Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (sponsor)

Director: Guy Quattrucci

Water Street, PO Box 268, Wiscasset ME 04578 Voice: 882-7552 Facs: 882-7308

The Blaine House Service Corps is a 14-member AmeriCorps program with two teams addressing critical issues of homelessness and youth at-risk in two Maine cities.

• In Bangor, a team is rehabilitating housing for 43 limited income people with special needs.
• In Lewiston, AmeriCorps Members coordinate community service sites and work side by side with juvenile offenders who make restitution for offenses through meaningful community service projects.

AmeriCorps Works for ME

Portland West Neighborhood Planning Council

Director: John Forssen

155 Brackett Street, Portland, ME 04102 Voice: 775-0105 Facs: 780-1701

This 16 member team coordinates community service sites and work side by side with juvenile offenders to make restitution for offenses through meaningful community service projects such as playground restoration and graffiti removal.

DownEast Community HealthCorps

Regional Medical Center at Lubec (sponsor)

Director: Eunice Rescott

P.O. Box 130, Lubec, ME 04652 Phone: 733-2939 Facs: 733-2946

The 15 members aim to improve health in Washington County.

• Community Health Educators provide information on nutrition, breast and cervical cancer, cardiovascular health, smoking prevention and cessation, head injury and immunization.
• Recreation Assistants encourage youth to be involved in regular fitness programs and develop Project Adventure program at local schools.
• Video Producers, with the Health Education Department, develop programs on health care for local access cable station. Assistants to the Lubec Light write health articles.
• A Child Care Provider assists staff at the Quoddy Bay Children's Center, a licensed day care center.
• Senior Care Providers aid clients at Sunrise Home Health and the High Tides Senior Center, helping seniors to remain in their homes and assisting with activities of daily living.

AmeriCorps *YouthBuild

Portland West Neighborhood Planning Council

Director: Anne Schink

181 Brackett Street, Portland, ME 04102 Phone: 879-8710 Facs: 780-0105

and

AmeriCorps*YouthBuild

Kennebec Valley Community Action Program (sponsor)

Director: Shannon King

PO Box 4747, Skowhegan, ME 04976 Phone:474-8487 Facs: 474-6614

YouthBuild is a comprehensive youth development program that offers education, construction training, and leadership development for youth, ages 16-24, who have not completed high school. AmeriCorps members rebuild communities while they rebuild lives ... learning construction skills as they renovate or build housing for low income families in their own communities. Funding for YouthBuild comes from both the Corporation for National Service and the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.

AmeriCorps*VISTA

Corporation for National Service

Maine/New Hampshire Director: Peter Bender

91-93 State Street, Concord, NH 03301-3939 Phone: 603-225-1450 Facs: 603-225-1459

Ten VISTA projects currently operate in Maine.

• Children's Museum of Maine (Portland): develop traveling exhibits; encourage low income families to become involved in the Museum as volunteers.
• Beacon Teen Center, Portland Ministry-at-Large (Portland): at this low-barrier center for homeless youth, establish career awareness program; create job opportunities in local private sector companies; expand existing volunteer base for center; set up peer support and youth discussion groups to raise self-esteem and instill trust in adults.
• Sumner Adult Education (East Sullivan): develop resources and expand opportunities for low literacy adults; survey businesses to identify employment related skills.
• Maine Council for Adolescent Health (Manchester): develop and coordinate media campaign, "Choose Health", which will aim to increase adolescent use of preventative health services.
• HealthReach, Dayspring AIDS Project (Waterville): provide health education to those unserved by 11 health sites in central and western Maine; develop funding sources for support services for AIDS patients.
• College Conservation Corps of Maine (Augusta): develop financial aid program to assist youth in pursuing post-secondary education; develop social service and building trades components; develop new partnerships and outreach for program activities.
• Together Place (Bangor): increase access for mentally ill adults to community, social and recreational activities; recruit and coordinate volunteers to create partnerships; create alliances and expand resources.
• Regional Medical Center at Lubec: help adult day care centers in Lubec/Eastport recruit local volunteers; promote public awareness of services; develop financial resources. Assist with prevention programs for youth.
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services (Orono): work with low-income farmers, fishermen, and foresters to locate markets for their products and enhance their business skills.
• Maine Volunteer Connection (Warren): assist in development of statewide database in conjuntion with Maine Independent Living Services; recruit community volunteers to deliver workshops; identify existing youth resources for a project that will assist communities in preventing teen suicide.

Learn & Serve America (K-12)

Learning Connections - School-based Grants

Sebago Elementary School & The George E. Jack School (SAD #61)

Contact: teacher Pauline Lyons Voice: (207) 787-7731

Sebago Elementary School, Rte 114, East Sebago, ME

All sixth graders will investigate the Northwest River's water quality. Students will work either individually or in small groups to design projects to improve or maintain the river's overall health. As part of their action plan, students determine 2 appropriate audiences with whom they will share their work.

Averill High School (GoodWill-Hinckley Home for Boys & Girls)

Deputy Dir: Gregg Dowty Voice: (207) 453-7335

P.O. Box 159, Hinckley, ME 04944

Using their school as a concrete example, 40 students will explore the relationship between schoolroom structure and societal attitudes as they have changed over history. As part of this project, students will recreate significant periods in American education to better understand the impact of societal perceptions about children and learning during these historic periods. Then they will model an outdoor classroom to reflect their predictions of education and society in the 21st century.

Orono High School (Union #87)

Contact: Connie Carter Voice: (207) 866-2319

14 Goodridge Drive, Orono, ME 04473

In ninth grade, students engage in exploratory community learning experiences and seminars, culminating in development of a personal "Service Learning Action Plan." During first semester of junior year, students implement their action plans (min. 30 hrs of service) under supervision of community mentors and site supervisors. During second semester, students prepare a presentation demonstrating their accomplishments for a panel of community members/teachers.

Fort Fairfield Middle School/High School (SAD #20)

Contact: Andrew Coiley Voice: (207) 472-3271

P.O. Box 112, Fort Fairfield, ME 04742

Over 120 middle and high school students will establish a camping area, complete with an Adirondack shelter, picnic tables, tenting areas and outhouses, adjacent to the International Appalachian Trail which runs through Fort Fairfield. Students will also establish a year-round bulletin board to inform hikers about local historic sites and other points of interest and build a side trail to lead hikers past many of the sites. To document their work, students will produce a video.

Noble High School (SAD #60)

Contact: William York Voice: (207) 698-132

46 Cranberry Meadow Rd, Berwick, ME 03901

Over 90 freshman will research and restore local cemeteries. Working with local historical societies, students will first compile a listing of all public and private cemeteries in the area. They will then survey, map, and beautify the cemeteries, restore headstones, and conduct primary historical research on the family histories of the deceased. To disseminate their work, the students will product a documentary video, publish a guidebook to the cemeteries, and prepare an exhibit of their work for public display.

Greely High School (SAD #51)

Contact: Kathy Coyle Voice: (207) 829-4825

P.O. Box 6A, Cumberland, ME 04021

The Students Take Part Volunteer Program already in place at the high school will expand to include a large group project with the Town of Cumberland to develop the Dillenback Property. Students will conduct a needs assessment of the area, research local history, and design and build a gazebo already planned for the site. Community Partners: Town of Cumberland, the Dillenback family

Project Bond Sites - Community-based grants

ME Youth Partnership for AIDS Prevention - York County Extension Service

Contact: Jonathan Prichard Voice: 1-800-287-1535

RR2, Box 1678, Sanford, ME 04073

This program promotes changes in attitudes and behaviors necessary to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. Two Youth Networks involving several school partnerships in western and southern Maine will be responsible for all aspects of assessing, designing, planning and implementing an HIV/AIDS education program in the regions' middle schools.

Alive and Well, Town of Mt. Vernon

Contact: Terri Ann Bourk Voice: (207) 293-3651

PO Box 98, Mt. Vernon, ME 04352

Selected Mt. Vernon youth, ages 11-19, will plan and research establishing a business that they will own and manage. Ideas under consideration include a Day Care Center where teens would work and get school credit and a youth-managed car wash with adjacent coffee shop. This community and school effort aims to meet an identified need in Mt. Vernon and developing an entrepreneurial spirit in participating youth.

A Course in Common Good -Opportunities Aleternative School

Contact: Dianne Webb, Midcoast Family Planning Council

Voice: 594-6880 Email: dwebb@nktech.com

1 Main St., Rockland, ME 04841

This program involves 10-12 high-risk youth who have chosen to attend Opportunities Alternative School. "A Course for the Common Good" invites youth to identify community needs, and select, design and carry out a plan for addressing the selected need. The program seeks to integrate youth into the community by empowering them to become pro-active citizens interested in the common good.

Mountain Valley Youth Community Service Team - Rumford Group Homes, Inc.

Contact: Howard S. Shwartz Voice: (207)364-3551

346 Pine St., Rumford, ME 04276

12 youth will identify a service-learning project that will be valued by the community of Rumford. Tasks will include administering a community survey, conducting focus groups and developing a "short list" of the most popular options. The broad-based involvement of the community in identifying the issue will assure a viable, exciting project for the next year.

Bicentennial Path Project - Down East Family YMCA

Contact: Robert "Rob" Eaton Voice: (207)667-3086

PO Box 25, Ellsworth, ME 04605

15-20 at-risk students from Ellsworth Middle School will restore and improve an area along the Union River called "Bicentennial Path." Currently overgrown and unsafe, the path will become a place where osprey, eagles, and seals can be observed and appreciated by Ellsworth citizens.

Alternative Education Service-Learning Course - Maine School Administrative District #17

Contact: Michael Newsom Voice: (207)743-8914

23 Market Square, South Paris, ME 04281

Youth enrolled in the Alternative Education program will research potential community-based projects. With adult volunteer partners, they will choose one, design a plan for addressing the selected project, and defend it and implement it.

Service Learning Initiative for Community Education and Recreation (SLICER)

Contact: Deanna Bailey Voice: (207)882-4080

The Morris Farm Trust, PO Box 136, Wiscasset, ME 04578

8-12 youth from Wiscasset High School will help convert the 60-acre Morris Farm into a safe, accessible agricultural education and recreation center while conserving natural resources.

Developing an Entrepreneurial Training and

Small Business Development Center for Downeast Maine

Contact: Geoff Zentz Voice: (207)422-3510

Alternative School, Steuben, ME 04680

Youth from eastern Hancock and western Washington Counties will plan, design and develop of an entrepreneurship training and small business development center to serve high school students and the adult community. The program aims to create meaningful work for local people by expanding entrepreneurial opportunities in the area.

OPTIONS Service Learning Curriculum Project

Contact: Robert Birmingham Voice: (207)985-1100

MSAD #17 , 1 Storer Street, Kennebunk, ME 04043

Through gathering information, determining causes, and identifying and prioritizing community needs, students will investigate potential service-learning projects in Kennebunk. Options include developing an education program for the Kennebunk Plains Wildlife Area, creating a bikeway plan for Kennebunk, conducting a survey for the Town's Solid Waste Committee, and developing a map of existing trail systems.

For additional information, contact:

Commission Staff

Maryalice Crofton, Director

Grace Braley, Senior Planner