People and Business

Lobster rolls bring Christmas cheer

More than $6,500 was raised for the Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers Oct. 18 during its annual Christmas program lobster roll lunch. The money will fund distribution of boxes of gifts and clothing to more than 1,600 financially disadvantaged children throughout the state. Using 120 pounds of donated claw and knuckle lobster meat from Portland-based Cozy Harbor Seafood Inc., volunteers gathered at 5:30 a.m. and prepared 696 lobster roll lunches. Cozy Harbor Seafood has supported the program for three years, and additional donations came from Hannaford Bros., Winslow House of Pizza and Inland Hospital in Waterville.

Grants

Susan Fineran, director of the University of Southern Maine School of Social Work and professor of women and gender studies, and Jean Bessette, research associate in the USM Muskie School of Public Service were awarded a three-year, $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women, to foster a healthy campus climate for USM students, faculty and staff. The grant will fund the USM Campus Safety Project, which works with community members and departments throughout the university to provide programs and trainings that enhance victim/survivor safety and promote accountability for offenders.

New Hires, Promotions and Appointments

Laura Peterson was named new project/productions manager of the Holden Agency Employee Benefits Solutions in Portland. The division provides brokerage services for group health, dental, life and AD&D insurance, short-term and long-term disability benefits and group long-term insurance. Peterson’s responsibilities will include health care reform and value based integration, as well as compliance and client account management.

Craig W. Douglas, of Harpswell, was elected vice president of the New England Water Works Association, the region’s largest and oldest nonprofit organization of water professionals. Douglas is the district engineer for the Brunswick & Topsham Water District. He oversees capital improvement projects, the geographic information system and asset management plans, as well as facility planning.

Stacy Johnson was named director of marketing operations at New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland. Johnson brings more than 20 years provider and payer-based health care expertise to NERHP. She is dedicated to the values and mission of both NERHP and Maine Medical Center.

Peter O. Baker, of Yarmouth, was named executive director of Cape Memory Care, a specialized care facility for people with Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias and related memory impairments. He will be responsible for the daily management at Cape Memory Care, in Cape Elizabeth, and will work with staff and residents and their families to maintain a safe, caring environment.

Girls on the Run-Maine, a local nonprofit that uses the power of running to inspire pre-teen girls, named Emily A. Clark as the council director. Clark will help guide nonprofit’s mission and continued growth. She brings more than 15 years of nonprofit experience, with expertise in fundraising, marketing, promotions and events.

True North, of Falmouth, welcomed Dr. Bill Daly, a new independent practitioner offering holistic health and functional medicine. Daly is a board certified internal medicine physician who earned his doctorate at Boston University School of Medicine and trained in Boston. He practiced primary care internal medicine for 33 years in Andover, Mass.

Recognition

Yarmouth-based Vreeland Marketing & Design captured top honors in technology, social media and special events, as well as recognition for media relations at the Maine Public Relations Council 2013 Golden Arrow awards Oct. 10. The annual awards, held at Southern Maine Community College’s McKernan Center, recognize outstanding work in public relations and are judged by a national jury of PR professionals.

Amy Coppers-Costantino, a lead project engineer at Wright-Pierce, received the 2013 Young Member of the Year Award from the New England Water Works Association. This award recognizes “outstanding dedication and service” through active involvement in programs and committees that help advance the organization’s mission.

The Maine Irish Heritage Center will honor banker and philanthropist Moira Hastings Fuller on Nov. 16 with its sixth annual Claddagh Award. The Claddagh Award, which represents traditional Irish values of friendship, loyalty and love, is given each year by the Maine Irish Heritage Center to an individual of Irish heritage from Maine who has devoted his or her life to community service. Fuller will receive the award at a ceremony at the Irish Heritage Center in Portland.

Sidebar Elements

From left, Kim Nashed, Jean Sawyer, Jackie Dalton and Alayne Bacon of Friends of The Maine Children’s Home prepare lobster roll lunches Oct. 18 to raise money for the Christmas Program.