Yellow Tulip Project is top pick at national competition

A Portland-based nonprofit dedicated to smashing the stigma of mental illness was recognized Aug. 21 with top honors in a nationwide competition for youth creating meaningful and lasting change in their communities.

The Yellow Tulip Project won a top prize at Ashoka and T-Mobile’s Changemaker Challenge Lab as one of the top six youth-led organizations. The goal of the challenge is to empower young people to disrupt the status quo, and create new solutions that positively impact their neighborhoods, communities and our country by giving young innovators a bigger platform to make an impact.

“We want our message of hope to reach more people and we know that reducing the stigma around mental health issues will save lives,” said YTP founder Julia Hansen. “Collaborating with other bold and creative changemakers from across the US is an experience that will change the trajectory of YTP. 

The Changemaker Challenge was open to young people in the U.S. and Puerto Rico ages 13-23, and over 300 applicants were submitted. The Yellow Tulip Project was one of the 30 finalists chosen to attend an all-expenses-paid, two-day intensive Changemaker Lab in Seattle.

The prize included $5,000 and a second all-expense-paid trip to T-Mobile’s Bellevue HQ for intensive mentoring and advice on how to scale YTP. Plus the CEO Pick winners will have a chance to be on Legere’s Slow Cooker Sunday show, which receives almost 5 million views. John Legere also offered $5,000 of his own money, bringing the total to $10,000 for the team. 

Granted

The Frances Hollis Brain Foundation Fund at the Maine Community Foundation has awarded 31 grants totaling $175,740 to nonprofit organizations that serve disadvantaged, underserved, and/or vulnerable communities in Maine. Grantees include Tri-County Literacy in Bath, for early literacy programming at Head Start; Jewish Community Services of Southern Maine, to support the volunteer coordinator at the food pantry; and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, to support Maine health centers that provide quality care to low-income women. For a complete list of grants, visit www.mainecf.org. 

Recognition

Global laboratory instrumentation manufacturer Fluid Imaging Technologies of Scarborough has earned the 2018 Pharma Innovation Award. Honored in the category Analytical and Monitoring Devices for its FlowCam Nano particle analyzer, the award recognizes the breakthrough instrumentation as “the industry’s first-ever flow imaging nano particle analyzer (that) provides digital images of particles ranging in size from 300nm to 10+ µm.” 

Wright-Pierce, an employee-owned, multidisciplinary environmental engineering firm, has been recognized again this year by Engineering News Record as one of the Top 200 Environmental Firms in the country. 

New Ventures

Governor Baxter, a Topsham-based maker of handcrafted accessories, announced that their signature Governor Baxter dog beds will be offered at select Filson stores this fall. J. Phinney Baxter White, founder of Governor Baxter and a descendent of Maine’s 53rd governor, Percival Baxter, said, “History is important to us and the same holds true at Filson. Governor Percival Baxter loved dogs. When his Irish setter Garry passed away, he flew Maine’s Capitol flag at half-mast. Filson was established in Seattle in 1897 to outfit prospectors headed for the Yukon Gold Rush in 1897.

Clark Insurance opened its newest location in West Falmouth at 65 Gray Road at Gorham Savings Bank. Clark Insurance agents Tiffany Richards and JoAnn Martin will be at the Falmouth location serving customers from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

Save the date

The 7th Annual Agents of Change Digital Marketing Conference will be Thursday, Sept. 20 at the Abromson Community Education Center on USM’s Portland Campus. The marketing conference is being targeted to business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketers, with sessions on Facebook, SEO, partnering with Amazon, and an entire track dedicated to local business. For more, see  https://bit.ly/2MNzThf.

Founder Julia Hansen, center, Amy Topchick, a junior at Scarborough High School, and Alison Ingalls, a Cape Elizabeth High School senior, accepted a national award on behalf of the Yellow Tulip Project at the T-Mobile Changemaker Challenge Competition.

The Rotary Club of Brunswick was awarded a $5,000 grant to purchase nine laptop computers, mouses and a computer charging cabinet for the Brunswick Teen Center. The Rotary District 7780 grant was based on quality and positive community impact. From left are Stacy Frizzle, executive director People Plus, Betty Hughes, District 7780 grants coordinator, Jordan Cardone, Teen Center director and Carolyn Bulliner of The Rotary Club of Brunswick.