Hires, Promotions, Appointments

Hospice of Southern Maine has hired Hilary Doane as the organization’s new community outreach liaison. Doane, who lives in Cumberland, has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Southern Maine and more than 16 years of experience in pharmaceutical sales and education. Before accepting the position with Hospice of Southern Maine, she was employed at Publicis Touchpoint Solutions as a professional sales representative.

Michelle Raber, of Scarborough, who owns Raber State Farm Insurance Agency in Scarborough, has been designated a Chartered Financial Consultant by the American College of Financial Services. Raber, who lives in Scarborough and is a graduate of Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, has been with State Farm for 22 years. With the designation comes an invitation to the College’s 84th Knowledge Summit and Commencement on Honolulu, Hawaii.

Portland law firm Murray Plumb & Murray has added Rachel White Sears of Cape Elizabeth to its legal team. Her practice focuses on commercial transactions and commercial litigation. Prior to joining Murray Plumb & Murray, Sears worked as a law clerk for Judge John A. Woodcock Jr., of the United States District Court for the District of Maine. Sears received her J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Maine School of Law, where she was an Osher Scholar and the executive editor of the Maine Law Review. Sears received her bachelor’s degree in international relations and her master’s in anthropology from Stanford University.

Recognition

The Paul Harris Fellow Award has been presented to Nancy Miles of Cape Elizabeth by South Portland-Cape Elizabeth Rotary President Scott Irving in appreciation of the “immeasurable assistance” she has given to the communities of South Portland and Cape Elizabeth.

Paul Harris Fellow awards are given to individuals who contribute to Rotary International’s charitable and educational programs. It is also awarded to individuals who meet high professional and personal standards set forth by Paul Harris, a co-founder of Rotary in whose memory the reward was created.

Miles received Cape Elizabeth’s Ralph T. Gould Award for Citizenship for volunteerism— she was cited for her work in Cape Elizabeth’s Middle and Pond Cove schools, organizing and chairing the town’s recycling committee, serving on the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust and creating the Community Garden at Gull Crest Fields. Miles was the driving force and first chairwoman of the Garden Committee, and organized the Cape Community Garden at Maxwell’s Farm.

In 2010, Miles started Judy’s Pantry at the local United Methodist Church. Miles also serves on the board of the Cape Farm Alliance, a group of fishermen, farmers, gardeners, horse lovers and business owners who support sustainable, local food in Cape Elizabeth.

Broadreach Public Relations, based on the Portland waterfront, was awarded gold in the 2015 Bulldog Not-for-Profit PR Awards for the firm’s work with Maine nonprofit Safe Passage and the kayaking expedition led by Dr. Deb Walters. Broadreach Public Relations provides strategic communications, public affairs and marketing services to firms and companies in both Maine and New England.

The award was given in the Best Issue/Cause Advocacy Campaign category for “Grandmother Kayaking 2,500 Miles from Maine to Guatemala to Raise Money for Children of Guatemala City Garbage Dump,” which promoted a solo paddling expedition from Maine to Guatemala by Walters. The campaign was designed to raise awareness and money for Safe Passage, a Yarmouth-based nonprofit that works to help children and families living in the Guatemala City garbage dump.

Broadreach’s work included promoting two launch events in Yarmouth and Portland, and multiple local media outreach at each of Walters’ landings on her journey. Media coverage included two unique NBC stories, major daily newspapers, international coverage and numerous local stories.

Winners were chosen by working journalists, whose assessment of the campaigns were based on the ability to achieve extraordinary visibility and influence opinion, as well as creativity, command of media and technology, and tenacity.

New Beginnings

Spurwink Services has opened the River House residential treatment program at its 899 Riverside St. campus in Portland. The primary focus of River House will will be working with children and families struggling with complex trauma, such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and domestic violence.

Over the past several years there has been an increase in complex trauma in children referred to the Spurwink Residential Programs, according to Spurwink President and CEO Eric Meyer. In response, Spurwink has designed its new River House program to provide up to 12 residents with “trauma informed system of care.”

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