‘Jolly John’ sells
car dealership

SACO — John Pulsifer, owner of Jolly John Chrysler Dodge Jeep on Route 1 in Saco, has recently sold the car dealership to Bill Waldron, owner of Portland Volvo and Portland Saab in Scarborough.

Waldron began operating the dealership on Sept. 1, and will continue using the Jolly John name until the official franchise transfer approval is authorized by the factory and the sale is finalized, which is expected to happen before the end of the year.

United Way kicks
off annual campaign

PORTLAND — The United Way of Greater Portland launched its 82nd annual campaign Aug. 31 at a Portland Sea Dogs game at Hadlock Field in Portland.

The 2010 campaign chair, Michael Stoddard, senior vice president/ growth manager at People’s United Bank, threw the first pitch, while United Way staffers, employee campaign managers, members of the campaign cabinet, business leaders and other campaign volunteers filled the general admission seats wearing t-shirts with the campaign logo, Live United.

For further information about United Way of Greater Portland and its annual fundraising campaign, please visit unitedwaygp.org.

Portland Chamber elects
new board, officers

PORTLAND — The Portland Regional Chamber recently elected its 2010-2011 officers and named new members of the board of directors.

The new officers include Anne Gauthier of National Semiconductor, chair; Jim Cohen of Verrill Dana, LLP, vice chair; and Al Swallow of Maine Medical Center, treasurer.

Board members for 2010-2011 are Jim Elkins, Jim Erwin, Jeremy Fischer, Kevin Freeman, Jim Harnden, Steve Hewins, Jay Kiel, Sandra Lipsey, Chris Lynch, Harold Pachios, Ed Palmer, Brian Petrovek, Michelle Philbrook, Susan Pye, Michelle Raber, Ron Ward, Larry Wold and Stephan Woods.

Maine Cancer Foundation
awards $723K in grants

PORTLAND — The Maine Cancer Foundation announced that it has awarded $723,360 in grant monies this year.

The total dollar amount distributed by the Foundation this year was twice as much as last year, thanks to increased success in fundraising.
 
Eight proposals out of 19 submissions were selected to receive a total $649,140 in cancer research funding.

The Maine Medical Center Research Institute received funding for three research projects totalling $243,640. The Jackson Laboratory received $247,500 in grant money for three research projects. The University of Maine was granted $80,000 for a study by Andre Khalil, Ph.D. The Maine Center for Cancer Medicine received $78,000 for a study led by Dr. Matthew Dugan.

In addition, the Maine Cancer Foundation awarded grants totaling $74,220 to 12 cancer education and patient support programs across Maine.

Good Deeds

At the annual Peter J. Feeney Golf Tournament, 27 teams raised $2,500 for  the Make-A Wish Foundation, and $875 for cancer patient Emily Rice, daughter of Firefighter/Paramedic Paula Bernier and step-daughter of Deputy George Bernier, Cumberland County Sheriff. The championship team was the Penobscot County Bombers golf team, consisting of Governor Baldacci, his brother, Penobscot County Commissioner Peter Baldacci, Penobscot County Commissioner Steve Stanley and Nick Carparelli.

Dr. Michael Frost of Cumberland, Dr. Robert Swan of Yarmouth and Dr. David Palmer of South Portland, recently volunteered their time at the Special Olympics to offer free oral health screenings to participating athletes through the Special Smiles program, an international Special Olympics program called Healthy Athletes Initiative.

The annual auction and yard sale sponsored by the Orr’s and Bailey Island Fire Department raised $37,000 to help fund the operation of the all-volunteer department, which provides fire and rescue services for Orr’s and Bailey Islands, and portions of Great Island.

More than 100 attorneys and staff from the Maine offices of Pierce Atwood LLP participated in the firm’s seventh annual Day of Community Service. Employees spent the day volunteering at Bayview Heights, Camp Ketcha, Crossroads for Women, and Portland’s Downtown District. One of the volunteer projects entailed planting over 200 flowering plants throughout downtown Portland.

The Seventh Annual Hospitality for Habitat, a program of the Maine Innkeepers Association that raises funds for Maine chapters of Habitat for Humanity, raised a total of $21,500. This year, 33 MEIA member properties offered guests a 50% discount on room rates in May in exchange for a donation check for $35 made out to Habitat for Humanity. The property that raised the most funds was the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, which raised approximately $8,000.

Cumberland Farms convenience stores donated $3,407 to the Portland Police Youth Services Division to support city initiatives to combat underage drinking. The donation will help fund a number of youth programs developed by the police department, including “Friday Fun Nights.”

The Mid Coast Hospital Auxiliary yard sale, held at the former Bookland at Cook’s Corner Mall, raised a total of nearly $40,000. The funds were donated to Mid Coast Hospital, earmarked for the Auxiliary pledge of $150,000 for the waiting area in the new emergency department, and will be used to expand the Auxiliary’s scholarship program.

The Portland Water District Board of Trustees contributed $20,000 in support of  the Home Plumbing Assistance Program. The money will be used to help low-income residents repair leaks and install water saving devices.

Sidebar Elements

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Twelve employees from Spectra Energy’s Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline and Maine Natural Gas spent the day painting the Pownal municipal salt storage barn. Pictured, from left, are Spectra Energy employees Steve Leary, Don Thompson and Lara Bailey who spent the day scraping, sanding and painting the facility.

National Distributors, a South Portland-based beverage distribution company, donated a handicap-accessible van to Alpha One, a South Portland nonprofit that helps people with disabilities live independently. Pictured here, on right, is Jeff Kane, president of National Distributors, handing over the keys of the van to Dennis Fitzgibbons, executive director of Alpha One. The van will eventually be retrofitted to be used for Alpha One’s driver evaluation program.

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