MAINE, Maine — 6 Who Care is Care is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to honor volunteers and agencies making a difference in our community. These volunteers could be neighbors or friends of yours. They build, they teach, and they inspire. They are people that go about their day never expecting a thank you for the things they do.
NEWS CENTER Maine partners with United Way of Greater Portland and our sponsors, TD Bank and Dead River Company, to honor the volunteers who see a need in our communities and fill it with care and dedication.
This is the 20th anniversary of 6 Who Care. 146 winners have been able to allocate their grant winnings of $186,000 to local nonprofits throughout Maine.
NEWS CENTER Maine’s 2019 6 Who Care winners have been selected. Our Board of Governors had the difficult task of choosing the winners from a group of volunteers that are all helping to make Maine communities better places.
Our Mary Rines Thompson award winner, who epitomizes the spirit of volunteerism, is Jan Strout. For more than 20 years Jan has made a commitment to supporting kinship families in which a caregiver/grandparent has guardianship of their grandchild in Maine.
Our Agency of Distinction is Literacy Volunteers – Waterville Area. For the past 45 years, Literacy Volunteers – Waterville Area has provided free, confidential, one-on-one literacy instruction to adults. By working with adults who have never learned to read, those where English is a second language and teaching parents how to help with their child’s reading skills, Literacy Volunteers – Waterville Area is helping to create successful families.
Our 2019 6 Who Care award winners are…
Barry Chisholm is a 12-year volunteer with Camp Sunshine, a respite for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families through the various stages of a child’s illness. Barry has chaperoned student groups from the Kennett High School Key Club in camp clean up days and can be found at the camp’s Teen Center room during sessions.
Lynn Gierie founded the Robbie Foundation in 2010. The foundation helps bridge the gap between the needs of children with disabilities in Maine and what insurance will cover. The mission is to improve the quality of lives for children with special needs.
Cheryl Rust has advocated the reduction of the stigma of mental health diagnoses and increased access to treatment for more than 25 years.
Barbara Autio is 84-years old and has been volunteering at The Harvest Hills Animal Shelter in Fryeburg for more than 25 years. Barbara walks the dogs, cleans the kennels, works on projects at the shelter and is willing to help wherever needed.
Congratulation to all the winners!
All winners were recognized at the 2019 6 Who Care award show on October 28 at the Portland Museum of Art. Each winner was allotted grant money to donate to their non-profit of choice.
