Artists assist cancer fight

Proceeds from the sale of handmade jewelry, original oil and pastel paintings, sculptures, clocks, mosaics and more at the 4:30-7 p.m. grand opening celebration of Casco Bay Artisans will benefit programs at the Cancer Community Center on Main Street in South Portland. Gallery co-owners and jewelry designers Jen Swarts and Tina Dinsmore said 20 percent of sales from all artists works will be donated in support of close friends who have been diagnosed with cancer and Center efforts to assist local people suffering from the impacts of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. “This is a great opportunity for folks to start their holiday shopping. They can get a one of a kind gift and feel good that their purchase is also going to help Maine people with cancer receive free wellness and emotional support services,” Swarts said. Casco Bay Artisans is located at 63 Market St. in Portland.

Grants & Scholarships

Portland Adult Education received a $68,000 grant from the John T. Gorman Foundation to fund a language learning lab at the program’s Locust Street school. The learning lab will be equipped with a mix of 20 computers and tablet devices to offer language learning opportunities to students currently on the waiting list for Adult Education language courses in Portland. The new learning lab will allow students, including those on the waiting list, access to language learning tools and software, as well as the support of a full-time staff coordinator and a team of volunteers.

University of Southern Maine seniors Steven Falconer, Sarah Moody and Cody Souviney have received a combined total of $29,000 in scholarships from The Patriot Foundation Scholarship Fund of the Maine Community Foundation. Falconer, Moody and Souviney are expected to receive bachelor’s degrees in business administration in May and majoring in the risk management and insurance track of general management. Scholarship applicants demonstrating interest in personal and commercial insurance professions are given preference for the award.

New Hires, Promotions & Appointments

Katryna Treuhaft has joined Norton Insurance Agency as a marketing specialist. Treuhaft is an experienced commercial lines marketing professional whose background includes Amerisc, a division of USI based in the New York area. She served most recently with Prudential as a disability and family medical leave claims manager.

Recognition

Steve Howell received this year’s Robert B. Ganley Award for his 16 years of volunteer service broadcasting Portland High School football games on TV3, Portland’s educational access television station. The award was presented at the football game between Portland High and South Portland High School on Oct. 25. The two high schools take turns presenting the award, which honors a recipient or recipients who have supported football and athletics in their community.

Chaya Caron, owner of Chaya Studio Jewelry in Portland, has been selected as a finalist in two categories of the 2014 Niche Awards. Each year, Niche magazine hosts the awards in recognition of both production and limited-edition craft works made in the United States and Canada, and Caron is among only five finalists in each category. Her platinum diamond bubble ring was selected as a finalist in the wedding jewelry category, and her eastern star flower ornament with stand is competing in the Non-Jewelry Enamel category.

Thomas Newman, Richard O’Meara, and Kelly McDonald, of Portland law firm Murray Plumb & Murray, have been honored for their pro bono legal services in the 2013 Katahdin Counsel Recognition Program. Each devoted more than 50 hours of pro bono work to Katahdin Counsel in the past year.

Jennifer Barbour of Brunswick made her print debut in “The Mother of All Meltdowns,” a compilation of humorous, heartwarming and heroic stories, recently released in print and digital formats. Barbour has two children.

Chris Neagle, of the law firm Troubh Heisler, achieved Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating in real estate. Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review’s highest rating is an indicator of a lawyer’s ethical and professional ability based upon evaluations by other members of the bar and the judiciary. In addition, Neagle was included in the 2014 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.