Appointments

The Congo-Kinshasa Community of Maine held its general assembly election on Nov. 19 and elected Patrick Kambu Mbenza as its president.

Pierce Atwood recently announced that partner Jared S. des Rosiers has been appointed by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court as a Trustee to the Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection. The purpose of the fund is to promote public confidence in the administration of justice and the integrity of the legal profession by reimbursing clients who suffer losses caused by an attorney’s dishonest conduct. He will serve a three-year term ending in Dec. 2014.

Good Deeds

Maine Distilleries LLC, producer of Cold River Vodka, Cold River Blueberry Flavored Vodka and Cold River Gin is proud to announce that it will be donating one pound of potatoes to prominent food banks in each state for every bottle of Cold River sold in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts during the first quarter of 2012. They are partnering with Green Thumb Farms Inc. of Fryeburg and The Good Shepard Food Bank in Auburn, as well as The New Hampshire Food Bank in Manchester, N.H. and the Greater Boston Food Bank in Boston, Mass.

Governor Paul LePage and Commissioner Anne Head from the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation joined state employees in the cabinet room of the State House recently to announce the results of a three-month campaign to raise funds for charities across Maine. The Maine State Employees Combined Charitable Appeal began Sept. 15 and concluded with the announcement that more than 1,200 state employees have pledged nearly $300,000 to 500 local, state and national charities. Donations from state retirees were also accepted.

Twenty-two Portland Kiwanis Club members and two University of Southern Maine K Club members served a Christmas-style lunch with all the fixings to senior citizens in early December at The Woodfords Club in Portland. The meal was catered by Brad Morrison from Have Chef Will Travel of South Portland, entertainment was provided by a jazz trio from the Deering High School Key Club of Portland and transportation for the seniors was provided by VIP Tour and Charter Bus Company of Portland. The Portland Kiwanis Club has served a senior luncheon for over 40 years at various locations at Christmas time.

Elizabeth Richards, president of Kiwanis Club of Portland, recently presented a $1,000 check for the Portland Eyeglasses for Students Fund to Portland Public Schools Nurse Coordinator Amanda Rowe. The club raised the money by sponsoring a Kake Walk walk-a-thon around Back Cove Trail. Members from the service leadership programs sponsored by the club collected walk sponsors with the net proceeds benefiting the clubs’ service activities. The Catherine McAuley High School Key Club collected enough sponsors to earn $100 for its club treasury.

Morong Falmouth recently presented a check and food donations to the Good Shepherd Food Bank for money raised during their “Pay it Forward to those Less Fortunate in Maine” campaign. They donated $100 for every car sold from Nov. 1-Dec. 17 to a food bank fund and have been asking community members to “Stuff the VW Bus” with non-perishable food items.

The Portland Pirates recently partnered with the Ronald McDonald House to host the first “Night of 1,000 Smiles.” Tickets to the game on Jan. 7 were discounted to a rate of $10, and $5 from each ticket sold went to the Portland Ronald McDonald House.

Jean Libby of Bath Savings Institution was recently named Volunteer of the Year by the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce. She is an active member of the Chamber, serving on the Boast ‘n Toast Committee and the committee responsible for the Spirit of Excellence Program. She is quick to volunteer her time, equipment and banking expertise to support chamber events such as the Yarmouth Clam Festival or assist other nonprofit organizations in the area.

Bernstein Shur recently recognized attorneys Linda McGill and Roy W. Tilsley with awards for pro bono and community service. McGill received the Sumner T. Bernstein Pro Bono Service Award for her exceptional work on pro bono initiatives, including the International Senior Lawyers Project, for which she has volunteered for the past eight years. McGill has done extensive work in India for the ISLP and the human Rights Law Network and was recently honored as their “Volunteer of the Decade.” Tilsley received the Barnett I. Shur Community Service Award for his work with New Horizons for New Hampshire. New Horizons operates a homeless shelter and soup kitchen and provides mental health services and drug and alcohol counseling to the homeless population of greater Manchester. He is the president of their Board of Directors and is involved in fundraising for the organization, also volunteering in the soup kitchen.

As a part of Portland’s Downtown District’s Light Up Your Holidays month-long celebration, Shop for a Cause Day recently provided an opportunity for local businesses to give back to their community. This year, over 40 participating buisnesses contributed a portion of their sales on Dec. 3 to the Center for Grieving Children and the Portland Police Department’s Cadet Program, totaling over $6,500 in donations.

Sidebar Elements

---

In early January Rep. Heather Sirocki, R-Scarborough, welcomed Honorary Page Cora Stewart of Scarborough to the Maine House Chamber.

To celebrate National Blood Donor Month and help increase awareness about the ongoing need for blood, Dunkin’ Donuts of Maine and the American Red Cross teamed up for the fifth annual “Give a Pint, Get a Pound” campaign. The campaign kicked-off Jan. 3 at the American Red Cross Donor Center in Portland and Bangor as well as at the Elks Lodge in Waterville, and provides all presenting donors with a coupon for a free pound of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. Since 2007, Dunkin’ Donuts has given away more than 350,000 pounds of coffee.

Portland Rotary is funding a significant program in the Dominican Republic to install 60 prosthetic hands on amputees. A team of seven Rotarians will be traveling this month to La Romana, Dominican Republic. Shown are Bruce Moore and John Curran, the project chairman, practicing the hand-fitting process.