PORTLAND, Maine (February 1, 2012) — Mercy’s 7^th Annual Gourmet Gala for Gary’s House Food and Wine Extravaganza will be held on Wednesday, March 21^st  at the Holiday Inn by the Bay and will feature 16 restaurants and chefs from greater Portland’s restaurants and caterers.

Hosted by comedian Joe Ricchio with guest judge Sam Hayward, James Beard Award winner and Chef at Fore Street, this food and wine extravaganza includes both a silent and a live auction, as well as live music by Paper Street Jazz Band. And all new this year— beer tasting!

This event is open to the general public, details follow:

What:              Mercy’s 7^th Annual Gourmet Gala for Gary’s House

When:             Wednesday, March 21

Time:              Doors open at 6 PM, Judging is 6-7:30 PM

Where:            Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland

Cost:               $40 per person

Highlights:     Comedian Joe Ricchio as the guest MC and auctioneer, Sam Hayward, Chef at Fore Street as guest judge, Music by Paper Street Jazz Band, Silent and Live Auction – items include airline tickets, restaurant gift certificates, jewelry, art and much more.

Restaurants and vendors attending the event include A Moveable Feast, Calendar Island’s Maine Lobster, Cranberry Island Kitchen, CVC Catering, DiMillo’s Floating Restaurant, Figa, Flour Designs, Frog & Turtle Gastro Pub, Holiday Inn by the Bay, Mercy Food Service, Nosh, Otto’s Pizza, The Meat House, Pineland Farms, The Farmer’s Table, and Zapoteca.

For tickets, more information about the event or to sponsor, please contact Kim Toppi at
207-879-3605. For a complete list of participating restaurants visit our website or Facebook Page.

About Gary’s House
Gary’s House opened in 1998 as a safe and affordable place for families to stay when a loved one is in the hospital. Gary’s House is more than just a place for guests to rest, it’s a place where families can gain strength from one another while they cope with emotional and physical stresses that can accompany illness and hospitalization.

About Mercy Health System of Maine
Mercy Health System of Maine is a growing community of health care professionals who provide clinically excellent, compassionate care. A recognized leader in quality, safety, innovation and patient experience, Mercy operates campuses throughout southern Maine, offering a broad range of medical and surgical services, as well as primary and specialty care. The story of Mercy includes Mercy Hospital, Gary’s House, McAuley Residence, Mercy Recovery Center, and VNA Home Health Hospice. For more information, please call (207) 879-3486 or visit www.mercyhospital.org.

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Lucille Moffett of RPC with Michael Newsom of W.J. Wheeler

South Paris & Bethel, Maine – For Immediate Release –During the months of December and January, W.J. Wheeler Insurance Agency donated $500 to Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills in Norway, Maine through their popular “Facebook Like Contest”.  The agency will be hosting a similar contest during the month of February, which will benefit another one of its non-profit partners – Oxford Hills Athletic Boosters (OHAB).

OHAB exists to serve the students, parents, faculty and the Oxford Hills community-at-large. Their mission is to promote, support and create interest in the Oxford Hills athletic programs.  Unfortunately, throughout the country and in many parts of Maine, student athletic programs are suffering because of budget cuts.  The OHAB raises money and offers support so that the community’s children can stay healthy, active, and happy through these athletic programs!

Recently, the OHAB has helped the area’s children by purchasing a new scoreboard for the elementary schools, buying a new wrestling mat, paying for the freshman sports programs, and starting a lacrosse program in the middle school.  This only scratches the surface of the benefit that the Boosters are to the community!

The team at the W.J. Wheeler Insurance Agency encourages its local community members to join in the effort to support the OHAB by liking the agency’s Facebook page.  The experts at W.J. Wheeler are committed to supporting the OHAB and making sure that the youth of Maine can still express themselves through athletic programs!

Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/wjwheelerinsurance

About W.J. Wheeler:

Established in 1864, W.J. Wheeler is a locally owned, independent Maine insurance agency.   The insurance experts at W.J. Wheeler strive to offer the highest quality customer service, and take pride in creating long standing relationships with each and every client.  W.J. Wheeler is also invested in the community through programs designed to provide consumer coupons to local businesses and donations to local non-profit organizations.  Finally, they are on the forefront of technology by offering fun and informative opportunities through their social media pages.

Susan Doliner, Matthew Charles O’Reilly and Karen Milliken have joined the Piper Shores Board of Directors.

Scarborough, Maine, January 27, 2012 – Piper Shores, Maine’s first and only non-profit lifecare retirement community, today announced the addition of three newly elected members to its Board of Directors.

New Board Members recently elected at the Annual Meeting in October 2011 include:

Karen Milliken – Vice President at R.M. Davis, Inc.

Matthew Charles O’Reilly – Retired Chief Investment Strategist and Senior Vice President from People’s United Financial, Inc.

Susan Doliner, FAHP – Associate Vice President for Development at Maine Medical Center

These new members join existing board members Patrick O’Reilly, Suzanne Austin, Kathryn Barber, Patrick Costin, Mary Keysor, Stephen Larned, Suzanne McCormick, Stephen deCastro, Sylvia Most, Dennis J. O’Donovan, Victoria Kuhn and Mary M. Bertolet. The Piper Shores Board of Directors is focused on completing construction of the Master Campus Plan started in 2011 and in developing a new five-year strategic plan for the retirement community.

“We are very excited to welcome Susan, Karen and Matthew to the Board of Directors,” said Michael Bierley, Executive Director of Piper Shores. “They are each outstanding business and community leaders, and we look forward to utilizing their talent and experience to further the implementation of our 2012 initiatives, most especially the completion of construction of our Master Campus Plan started in 2011.”

About Piper Shores

Piper Shores is the only nonprofit lifecare retirement community in Maine and the first to be recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (CCAC) – the nations’ only accrediting body for continuing care retirement communities. Built in 2001 in a style that complements Maine’s architectural heritage, Piper Shores is located on 138 acres of beautiful oceanfront property, situated between Higgins Beach and historic Prouts Neck in Scarborough, Maine. Piper Shores is an innovative retirement community that promotes the long-term wellbeing of its residents through a continuum of activities and lifecare services. Piper Shores’ residents enjoy active, independent lifestyles with guaranteed priority access to on-site assisted living and skilled nursing care, whenever they may need it.

Piper Shores is owned by Maine Life Care Retirement Community, Inc., a Maine nonprofit organization, formed by a group of accomplished local individuals to deliver the shared vision of creating an ideal retirement community on the coast of Maine. Life Care Services, LLC, the nation’s leading development and manager of senior living communities, provides management services for Piper Shores.

For more information, visit http://www.pipershores.org or call 207-883-8700.

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Portland, Maine (January 26, 2012) — Art All Around®, a project sponsored by the Maine Center for Creativity, has won the William Johnson Award for outstanding achievement in demonstrating aesthetic merit in industrial or commercial coatings work. The team will accept their award at the national convention in Tampa, Florida.

The award comes from the Steel Structures Painting Council, a national professional society concerned with the use of coatings to protect industrial steel structures. The structure awards program was created as an opportunity to give recognition for outstanding high-performance coating work. The awards are given to recognize the work of teams of contractors, designers, end users and coating manufacturers for excellence on particular coatings projects.

Tank #28, recipient of the William Johnson Award

The William Johnson Award was given to the team that painted Art All Around’s Tank #28 at the Sprague Energy tank farm in South Portland, the third tank of a total of 16 that will be painted, making Art All Around the largest piece of public art in the world. This project has received recognition and praise for its use of color, gloss, texture, and coating that enhances the industrial environment, while representing a design created by a world-renowned contemporary artist, Jaime Gili.

The coatings team involved in this project are Sprague Energy, Sherwin-Williams, AMEX Industrial Coating, Jon Cavallo P.E., ENERCON and the volunteers of the Maine Center for Creativity. The project is visible by air on the approach to Portland’s International Jetport and is fast becoming a major landmark visible from numerous locations in Portland, South Portland and on the water. More than a quarter million people see it on their daily commute on I-295 and annually more than 500,000 Downeaster Amtrak passengers pass it.

Notable people who also contributed to the success of the project include Jean Maginnis, Founder and Executive Director of the Maine Center for Creativity, Gregory W. Boulos, Chair, Governance Committee, MCC and Co-Project Director, Georgia Flanagan, AMEX Industrial Coatings Supervisor and Graphic Designer, Alan Holt, Project Facilitator, Tom Dobbins, Board of Directors, MCC and Sprague Technical Project Director, Katherine Greenleaf, Board President, MCC, Phil Harriman, Chair of the AAA Capital Campaign Committee, Pamela Plumb, Nominating Chair, Lead Volunteer AAA Committee Member, and Chuck Lawton, Chair of the Development Committee, MCC. This award represents the volunteer work and years of effort put in by the entire Board of Directors and Advisory Council of the Maine Center for Creativity.

About Maine Center for Creativity

The Maine Center for Creativity (MCC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) led by a volunteer board of directors. Founded in May 2005, MCC is committed to nurturing innovative companies and people in Maine by developing projects and programs that support the growth of creative industries and the arts. Among its educational and creative projects, MCC is organizing Art All Around™, an international design competition to paint the Sprague Energy tanks in South Portland, the Creative Toolbox Series, and Pecha Kucha events in Maine.  For more information, please visit www.mainecenterforcreativity.org

The Franco Center will present another unique, festive and must-experience event with its offering of “Mardi Gras in L/A” in the Franco Center’s Heritage Hall. In the tradition of New Orleans, Mardi Gras audiences will be treated to Cajun cuisine, spirits, and music.

As many know, Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” en Francais. However, this holiday has a much wider historical and international appeal beyond the Francophone diaspora. Traditionally, Mardi Gras is the last decadent or “fat” feast before the fasting that often accompanies the season of Lent. Here at the Franco Center, we take this as a serious endeavor and, for several years, have presented the most notable Mardi Gras celebrations in the Lewiston/Auburn area. This year will be no exception!

Chef Edmond, “Directeur des Andouilles et des Cornichons” at the Franco Center, has an amazing meal planned of traditional New Orleans cuisine, including Crab Gumbo, Jumbalaya, New Orleans Ratatouille, Andouilles with Onions and Peppers, Truffled Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes, and the crowning dish, a King & Queen Cake. There will be ample amounts of classic New Orleans libations, like the legendary Hurricane, to help you forget the impending fast.

Of course, no Mardi Gras party is complete without some foot stomping, street shaking, soul stirring music. To help us get in the proper mood for celebrating, we’ve got local favorites the Blues Buzzards. This group, led by veteran guitar man Earl Bigelow, is dipped in the blues, has heaps of horns, and knows how to fatten up a Tuesday, or Saturday, as the case may be.

About the Blues Buzzards
The Blues Buzzards are an 8-piece blues/rock band with a 3-man horn section, playing a rompin’, stompin’  mix of tunes by Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, T Bone Walker, Van Morrison, Elvis, The Beatles, and countless others.  Lead by veteran guitar man Earl Bigelow, The Buzzards have been thrilling Maine audiences for over thirty years.  The horn section gives the band a fat,  brassy sound along the lines of Blood Sweat and Tears, Tower of Power, and other horn bands.  Comprised of seasoned musicians, the Buzzards turn any event they’re playing into a rockin’ good time.

About the Franco Center
We are Le Centre D’Heritage Franco-Americain. The Franco American Heritage Center in Lewiston, ME, USA.

We believe history and heritage are action verbs, just like community and neighbor. We practice these by engaging members of our community young and old to share their experiences and traditions, so we might all benefit from them.

We’re a performing arts organization that celebrates our Franco-American Heritage; a legacy handed to us by generations of our brave ancestors who relocated here from France, from Quebec, and from all across the globe. We also strive to welcome new visitors and residents to our region, engaging members of our community young and old to share their experiences and traditions, so we might all benefit from them.

We present the best in symphonic music, solo instrumentalists, chorales and choirs, and contemporary music. We have a wildly successful theme night series, as well as more informal nightclub performances.

To Buy Tickets for this event: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/223484
For General Box Office and Ticket Information, please visit: http://www.francocenter.org/box-office-info/
Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/francocenter
Find us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/francocenterME

Brunswick, Maine: Cornerstones of Science, the national science literacy initiative based in Brunswick, is the recipient of a $5,000 grant to recognize the 50 th anniversary of the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, heralded as one of the most significant books of the 20th century and the beginning of the environmental movement.

To mark the occasion, Cornerstones of Science is partnering with the Marine Environmental Research Institute (MERI) in Blue Hill to sponsor MERI’s 2012 Rachel Carson Lectures, a monthly series that increases public awareness and understanding of critical ocean issues. In addition to Dr. Susan Shaw, director of MERI and leading marine toxicologist, the series will bring other national and international scientists to speak on current topics from aquaculture to climate change to science communication and microplastics. The lectures will be recorded for online viewing and will be part of Cornerstone of Science’s year-long program, Silent Spring Revisited: Rachel Carson’s Legacy and Ocean Health Today.

MERI’s first 2012 Rachel Carson Lecture is on January 26, 2012, with University of Maine professor Dr. Stephen Coghlan. He will speak on:
The Penobscot Undammed: Restoring the River: A thousand square miles of river habitat will open up when the Veazie and Great Works dams on the Penobscot River come down. With the construction of a fish bypass on a third dam, 11 species of sea-run fish will be able to return to their historic spawning grounds. This is a significant step in addressing more than 100 years of damage to the river’s fragile ecosystem. Dr. Steve Coghlan from the University of Maine’s Department of Wildlife Ecology will discuss the impacts of dam removal and answer the question: Can we restore the Penobscot to its historic natural state?

Location: MERI Center for Marine Studies, 55 Main Street, Blue Hill, Maine from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. A reception honoring the speaker begins at 6:00 p.m. Seating is limited, so please arrive early. For information, call (207) 374-2135 or email info@meriresearch.org . For directions and more information, please visit MERI’s website: www.meriresearch.org

Funding for this program is in part from the New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative (NEOSEC) and the Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence – Ocean Systems (COSEE-OS).

In addition to MERI’s 2012 Rachel Carson lecture series, the statewide celebration will include the following:
• Cornerstones of Science will host book clubs, and science café-style book discussions at local libraries throughout the state. Upcoming lectures and activities throughout 2012 can be found at the Cornerstone of Science website, www.cornerstonesofscience.org .
• Marine Environmental Research Institute (MERI) Director Dr. Susan Shaw will be a featured speaker at World Ocean Day, a Rachel Carson celebration on June 8 at the Portland Art Museum, sponsored by the Maine Coastal Program. The event features three women leaders in ocean sciences: Dr. Shaw, marine toxicologist, explorer and doctor of Public Health; Nancy Knowlton, world-renowned coral reef scientist; and Anne Doubilet, hall-of-fame diver, oceanographer and explorer.
• Portland Public Library and Cornerstones of Science will host an end-of year celebration featuring a panel discussion and film screening of A Sense of Wonder, the award-winning play based on Rachel Carson’s final months at her home in Maine, performed by Kaiulani Lee (Details TBA).

Other events and activities will be announced throughout the year.

Contact: Cynthia Randall, Director, cynthia.randall @ cornerstonesofscience.com
Susan Ryan, Associate Director, susan.ryan @ cornerstonesofscience.com
Rebecca Carino, Marine Environmental Research Institute, communications @ meriresearch.org

Cornerstones of Science, 14 Maine Street, Brunswick, Maine 04011,
207-208-8975
MERI Center for Marine Studies, 55 Main Street, Blue Hill, Maine 04614,
207-374-2135

The tournament is a best-ball scramble with a maximum of 27 teams, each with one Maine golf professional. Registration is open now through May 15^th (spots typically sell out by mid-May). Teams may reserve a spot online at www.garyshouse.org.

From left to right: Garin Veris, President George H.W. Bush, event volunteer George McCrillis

Proceeds from the tournament benefit Gary’s House—a safe and affordable short-term home for those with a loved one receiving medical treatment in a Portland hospital. Each year, the Point of Light Award is given to the individual or group that has made a significant contribution to the success of Gary’s House. Previous recipients include President George H.W. Bush, American Airlines, and the Maine PGA Professionals. This year’s award will be presented by Eileen Skinner, President and CEO of Mercy Hospital.

The George H.W. Bush Celebrity Golf Classic is one of the top fundraisers for Gary’s House, and essential to supporting ongoing operations. It has historically raised more than $150,000 for the charity.

What: George H.W. Bush Celebrity Golf Classic          

When: Tuesday, June 13, 2012

Time: Golf begins at 10:00 a.m., Dinner, Auction, and Point of Light Awards Gala at 5:00 p.m.

Where: Cape Arundel Golf Club and The Colony Hotel, Kennebunkport

Highlights:

• Scheduled celebrity appearances include: Dave Cowens, Luis Tiant, Ray Bourque.
• All golfers receive gift bags, breakfast and lunch on the course, and dinner at the Colony Hotel.
• The Point of Light Award will be presented at the Colony Hotel, following the tournament.

Sponsors:  Contact Lana Wescott at wescottl@mercyme.com or 207-229-3866 for more information or to secure your spot.

About Gary’s House
Gary’s House opened in 1998 as a safe and affordable place for families to stay when a loved one is in the hospital. Gary’s House is more than just a place for guests to rest, it’s a place where families can gain strength from one another while they cope with emotional and physical stresses that can accompany illness and hospitalization.

About Mercy Health System of Maine
Mercy Health System of Maine is a growing community of health care professionals who provide clinically excellent, compassionate care. A recognized leader in quality, safety, innovation and patient experience, Mercy operates campuses throughout southern Maine, offering a broad range of medical and surgical services, as well as primary and specialty care. The story of Mercy includes Mercy Hospital, Gary’s House, McAuley Residence, Mercy Recovery Center, and VNA Home Health Hospice. For more information, please call (207) 879-3486 or visit www.mercyhospital.org.

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(Portland, Maine) The Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development (MCED) announced today that Steve Blank, a renowned entrepreneurship educator in Silicon Valley, would speak via video conference on Wednesday, February 15 at 6:00 PM to Maine libraries and University campuses throughout the state as part of Maine Entrepreneurship Week and MCED’s Top Gun Maine program.

The event presented by MCED and supported by Blackstone Accelerates Growth is free and open to the public. During the program, local entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to listen, ask questions, and discuss his presentation alongside Top Gun Maine program participants. For a complete list of participating locations, please visit the Top Gun Maine web site.

Steve Blank spent 21 years in eight high technology companies. Since 1999, he has written about and taught entrepreneurship at Stanford, Berkeley and Columbia Universities respectively. He developed a new model for startups and worked with the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps. as well as engagements in Chile, Finland, and Russia. Steve Blank has been featured in the New York Times, Nature magazine, and National Public Radio. His book Four Steps to the Epiphany has been translated into Russian, Japanese and French.

Maine Entrepreneurship Week, part of National Entrepreneurship Week, is February 11-18. Now in its 5th year, EWeek Maine has events scheduled throughout the state including panel discussions, workshops and networking events. For a complete list, please visit: www.eweekmaine.org/.

MCED and the University of Maine Foster Center for Student Innovation have partnered to expand the Top Gun program statewide. Top Gun Maine teaches emerging entrepreneurs what they really need to know to manage and grow a successful growth-oriented business. The formal program runs for five months but the mentoring relationships can extend well beyond the confines of the program. For additional information about MCED, please visit: www.topgunmaine.biz

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ABOUT MCED The Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development (MCED) is a private non-profit founded in 1997 that assists entrepreneurs building scalable innovation based Maine businesses. Historically a traditional incubator that offered entrepreneurs space located on an academic campus, MCED is now a leading edge virtual resource for the most promising startups, regardless of their Maine location.

CONTACT:

Susan Ruhlin 774-8111

sruhlin@mced.biz

This wonderful new comedy explores our need to connect, our struggle to communicate, and our search to find the words for what lies in our hearts. “At heart”, says Schario, “it’s a story about people looking for someone who speaks their language. We’re all looking for someone who hears us, and gets us – not just the words themselves but what’s said between the lines.”

Dawn McAndrews, the recently appointed Artistic Director at The Theater at Monmouth, will direct this production starring Equity actors James Hoban as George, Janet Mitchko as Mary, Tarah Flanagan as Emma, Andrea Gallo as Alta and Edward Furs as Reston. The set design is by Michael Reidy, lighting design by Bart Garvey and costumes by Jonna Klaiber

The Language Archive will be performed at The Public Theatre, Lewiston/Auburn’s Professional Theatre, Jan 27, 28, 29, Feb 2, 3, 4, 5. Performance Times are: Thurs/Fri 7:30pm, Sat at 8pm, Sun 2pm, with an added matinee performance on Saturday, Feb 4 at 2pm. Adults $18, Youth $5, (18 and under), Group Rate (10+) $15. For more information or tickets call The Public Theatre Box Office at 782-3200 or visit www.thepublictheatre.org.