Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 JA N UA R Y 1 1 , 2 0 1 6 for Little Wanderers — the state's two longest-operating children's agencies — merged under the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers name and the headquarters moved to Waterville. A good fi t to lead Abrams was a newly minted col- lege graduate when she went to work as a long-term substitute teacher at Waterville High School. e Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers was developing a program for preg- nant and parenting teens, in collabo- ration with the high school and its school board; Abrams was identifi ed as a good fi t to lead the program. "For the time, I think both the home and the school board were way ahead of the curve in terms of understand- ing what kids need and what it takes to collaborate," says Abrams. " ere wasn't much collaboration back then. ere can be a tendency for nonprofi ts to work in silos. We worked well together on issues we saw from diff erent directions." e teen parents themselves were key in driving the initiative: " ey were coming to us saying, 'I want to take a prenatal class, but I'm uncomfortable because the classes are all married cou- ples and I'm single,'" Abrams recalls. "After that, they said, 'I need parenting classes.' en they came back saying, 'I need to fi nish high school.'" When she came on, the agency was on Main Street in a space formerly occupied by a boys club. To accom- modate growing programs, the agency moved to a donated three-story build- ing at 34 Gilman St. Abrams started as a part-time tutor, became a licensed social worker, went to work in the adoption program, took on fundraising and fi nances as the assistant executive director, then became executive director in 1992. Over the years, Abrams says, the suc- cess of the programs uncovered greater need. Space continued to be an issue. "We had enough money to survive, but the building was too small to exist with the programs we had," she says. In 2001, the agency launched its fi rst capital campaign in order to pur- chase a fi ve-building campus that was the former Criminal Justice Academy on 93 Silver St. in Waterville. " at was huge," says Abrams. "It was the fi rst time we did a capital cam- paign, even though the organization, at that point, was well over 100 years old. We needed to raise at least $1.5 million." Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell served as the campaign's honorary chairman. Philanthropists Harold and Dorothy "Bibby" Alfond helped the agency exceed its goal by $500,000, which became the core of the campus maintenance fund, today yielding about $30,000 in annual interest for mainte- nance projects. e participation of the Alfond family also illustrates the impor- tance of personal relationships, says Abrams: Bibby Alfond's periodic visits to the children's center helped draw attention and additional donations. e move, which occurred in 2002, also ramped up the home's operational budget. e Gilman Street location had about 10 staff ers and an operat- ing budget of $450,000. Today, those numbers have about quadrupled, with approximately 40 staff ers, depending on the season, and an operating budget of $1.9 million. Programs include outpa- tient mental health counseling (over 200 clients annually), case manage- ment services (about 100 clients) and a nationally accredited early care and education program (55 children, infant- school age). e teen parent alternative school program, providing one year of academic education as well as prenatal and parenting classes, accommodates 20 students on average and occupies a building that also houses the city's alter- native school program, which accom- modates another 20 to 25 students. On average, the adoption program places 10 to 14 children in a year. "We're still lean and effi cient," says Abrams. "We keep our budget down. Salaries and benefi ts are one of our biggest costs. We now hire staff with master and bachelor degrees, and it costs more to do so." "Lean and effi cient" is all the more essential when the economy plunges. As executive director, Abrams has seen the agency through three recessions. Abrams cites the latter as an example of how she and her board powered through tough times. Dorian says the agency's high standards and focus on improvement engender trust that allows it to thrive through both good and trying times. Dorian's nonprofi t background includes 27 years of leadership and management experience, including 15 years as executive director at LEAP (Life Enrichment Advancing People), and an extensive background in com- munity relations, strategic planning, development and fundraising. " is organization hasn't tried to just do the same old thing," he says. "It's always focused on how to do better with the least amount of resources. " L S , a w r i t e r b a s e d i n B a s s H a r b o r, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . Samantha Gifford, Ryan Porter, and Lindsay Gifford-Skilling Gifford's Ice Cream We're in business to help your business. Member FDIC Member FDIC We work hard to do things right. We're as passionate about our business as we are about our customers. 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