Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/872198
W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 G I V I N G G U I D E 2 0 17– 2 0 1 8 e foundations, which have been in operation since 1995, and the work they do help with brand awareness and make the company a good corpo- rate citizen of the community, someone who people want to do business with, says Kathy Walker, direc- tor of marketing and communications and treasurer of the NEDD Foundation. More importantly, though, "it aligns with our mission." Walker says employees also feel good about working for a company that helps the community. " ey feel like they're doing meaningful work," she says. "Everybody loves to hear the success sto- ries," related to the company's foundation work. Camden National Bank's Hope @Home pro- gram, for instance, is only two years old, started to drive more awareness toward homelessness in the state. e $100 donations are made in the name of the homeowner taking out the loan, and the bank also has promotions during the year to raise money for the program. Aside from the $50,000 it awards each year in the Main Street Foundation, Androscoggin Bank donates $25,000 to the foundation for the $25K for Kids program, which started in 2013 when the bank pledged $100,000 a year to the foundation in honor of outgoing president Steve Closson. e mission of the grant is to provide "the three essentials of life — food, shelter and security — to as many children as possible," the bank's website says. While the program was only supposed to last four years, the bank extended it to this year, and will meet soon on whether to off er the grant again in 2018, bank spokeswoman Melissa Runstrom says. e mission of the 25K for Kids grant is an extension of that of the Main Street Foundation, which is focused on keeping "at-risk kids in Maine safe, healthy, active, happy, educated, and nour- ished." Grants of up to $5,000 are made to nonprofi t agencies "actively working in our communities to help kids thrive." e bank generally gives more than $50,000 a year through that program. Andersen says the foundation began 20 years ago and embraced a variety of causes, but they had to narrow the focus. e focus is now youth at risk, which ranges from homeless and after school programs, to food and shelter, literacy and other issues. e bank also donates to a number or local causes and sponsors everything from Little League teams to road races. With cutbacks for social pro- grams on the state level, Andersen said the founda- tion has a focus that can make an impact. e Northeast Delta Dental programs, too, help in an area that needs it in its two annual grant cycles, Walker says. She says state and federal cutbacks have had an impact on oral health care, particularly in rural areas, and the foundation is always needed, whether at schools, nonprofi t dental clinics, research. "We work to increase access, provide education, pro- mote oral health," the list goes on, Walker says. While its Hope @Home program supports homeless shelters, Camden National doesn't have one specifi c focus for its monthly giving. "Anything we can do to help," Smyth says. MaUreen MilliKen, a cor respondent for Mainebiz, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t e D i t o r i a l @ m a i n e B i Z . B i Z 1-800-564-0111 | eatonpeabody.com Augusta | Bangor | Brunswick | Ellsworth | Portland "We are proud to be a part of Maine's strong culture of giving and we know that it's important to be good stewards of that culture for genera ons to come." - David M. Aus n, Eaton Peabody President P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y C A M D E N N AT I O N A L B A N K Melanie McKean, development director of Preble Street, outside the Joe Kreisler Teen Shelter in Portland, advocating for Camden National Bank's Hope @Home program.