Eliza MacLoed, 6, and Emily Patashnik, age 7, decided they wanted to have a talent show to raise money for kids with cancer.  On Saturday, June 14, oblivious to what adults may have thought would be an impossible task in our so-called “recession,” they organized and presented a one-hour talent show to 40 neighbors, family and friends.  The result? $236 raised for the Maine Medical Center’s Children’s  Cancer Program!

Goodwill Industries of Northern New England announced today that is has received an initial grant of $686,864 of a $1.1 Million three award from the Department of Labor (DOL) to manage the YouthBuild program in Lewiston, Maine.  Goodwill will recruit 70 at-risk, low-income youth ages 18-24 in the Lewiston-Auburn area to participate in the two-year program.

YouthBuild is a national program that assists out-of-school youth in obtaining their diplomas or GEDs while providing occupational training in the construction industry.  In addition to leadership training, the youth also participate in community service by renovating affordable housing in their communities.

In spite of the slow economy, Oakhurst Dairy announced that they are donating more than $17,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine as a result of their recent promotion.  During the month of March, Oakhurst Dairy committed to donating $.10 from every Oakhurst Orange Juice container sold to Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine. The promotion coincided with the Boys & Girls Clubs Centennial Celebration

President, Stan Bennett said, “Giving back to our community has always been a top priority for Oakhurst Dairy.”

Co-chairs, Kim Laramy and Thomas Hillman reported that 85+ volunteers
met with 28 non profit organizations for the Heart of Sharing project last Thursday.
Definitely a very busy and productive day of giving back to our community.

The Gilbane Building Company’s Portland office fielded a strong team of 18
walkers from their Portland office in support of the Southern Maine Heart
Walk, held May 17 at Payson Park. In addition to fielding the team of
walkers, the company donated $10,000 to the benefit!

Kevin Debasitis, Senior Business Development Manager with Gilbane said,
“Events like this remind us of why it’s so enjoyable to live and work in southern
Maine, and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

Due to its high visibility and sales success, on Saturday, May 16th,  all the Prime Motor Group stores in Saco have been selected to host a Keep Your Kids Safe program. Prime will have a whole slew of events at all of their stores on the Prime Auto Mile, including police cruisers, ambulances, a K-9 corp. fire trucks and more.  First 300 families will get a FREE Guard-A-Kids Smart ID stick.

In February, a student at Greely High School with Downs Syndrome was sent into the school’s basketball game, and proceeded to score 2, 3 pointers! Since then his life has really changed, with interviews, a spot on Good Morning America, and the buzz of the school. Now CBS wants to do a spot with him for the Final Four!

Portland’s easygoing quality of life is praised in the April 1st feature. The list was compiled based on a leisure index, crime data and 5-year cost of living average and unemployment figures. Kudos for local highlights go to Grittys, Cinque Terre, Blackpoint Inn and Cold River Vodka!

April 1st, Reported by Keith Shortall, of MPBN News

You may have noticed that there isn’t a lot of “good” news coming out of your radio these days. Enter Bob Cott and Sam Surprise, who feel that a number of success stories are being ignored in favor of a constant barrage of gloom and doom.

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Portland, ME – In just three days, 99.9 THE WOLF and 107.5 FRANK FM raised a boatload of money for the annual Cares For Kids Radiothon, live from the Atrium at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. This is the largest amount raised in the history of the Cares For Kids Radiothon, beating last year by over $17,000. Both stations are owned by Nassau Broadcasting.