Author Archives for Michael

Questions arose at Tuesday’s Bridgton Selectmen’s meeting about the historic eligibility of the Main Street building to receive a $9,500 matching facade grant under the Community Development Block Grant program administered through Cumberland County.

By Gail Geraghty

Staff Writer

Last-minute questions have arisen over whether the Bridgton Books building on Main Street has enough historical significance to qualify for a Community Development Block Grant from the town.

Planning and Economic Development Director Anne Krieg told Bridgton Selectmen Tuesday that Cumberland County CBDG officials raised the question with her last week, when turning over the final CDBG project list as decided by the board at their March 8 meeting. Krieg said county officials told her that the building, owned by Justin and Pam Ward, needs to be either listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in order to receive the $9,500 in matching funds the Wards have requested for facade improvements.

She said both she and the county are now researching the issue, but wanted to make the board’s grant approval for the bookstore provisional on establishing the building’s historic status. In the 2004 Bridgton Historical Society publication, Rediscovering Bridgton’s Main Street, the building, located at the corner of Nulty and Main Street in what is known as Post Office Square, is known as the March Building and has a rich history of prior retail uses dating back to the 1920s.

steve gleason, gleason documentary, team gleason, als, gleason at sundance, paul varisco, michel varisco, living with als In this love affair with the city, Gleason sparked a love of his own. Varisco was pregnant, and Gleason had been diagnosed with ALS, a terminal illness that would increasingly halt his neural functioning.
With the help of Michel’s father, Paul Varisco, Gleason founded the philanthropic organization Team Gleason in 2011 to help other ALS sufferers continue to enjoy their time despite the fatal diagnosis.

“We sent people on adventures to show that they could still live life and not just sit home,” Paul Varisco says. Gleason spent each new day exploring fatherhood with young Rivers and falling more in love with his wife as she stepped up to take on every challenge that presented itself.

Turning Family Movies into Film

Watching Gleason motivate the ALS community peaked a desire in his closest friends to share the footage he made for Rivers with a larger audience. At that point, I realized I had the skill set needed to tell stories, and I wanted to help them make this into a film.”

Though there are many shades to Gleason’s story, to his wife, at the heart of it all is the power of love.

“I think it’s so important that people know about ALS and how it affects people and what they have to live with,” she offers. “But secondly, and probably more importantly is that they should take away that this is a love story a love story of two individuals, a son, but a love story from a family that adopted Steve, a love story from a family from the Northwest, the city of New Orleans and now the nation.”

Premiering in Park City was a surreal experience for the Gleasons. Their success was celebrated at an opening night premiere party hosted by Chase.

“It’s something to share our experience with all the people that we love,” Varisco says.

Gleason and his inner team had gathered together as a family to see his story shared at the Sundance Film Festival. At the end of it all, the crowd cheered for Gleason, once again.

A A A The Community Foundation of East Mississippi is accepting applications for an education grant to be awarded this spring and implemented during the 2016-17 school year.

A A A The Excellence in Education Grant is available to teachers, schools, school districts, and community-based organizations with a focus on improving education.

A A A The Excellence in Education Endowment was one of the first funds created at the Community Foundation in 1987 by the Phil Hardin Foundation.A The fund was created in memory of Walter L. Smith showed a deep and abiding interest in the well-being of east Mississippi and its people,” Glover said.

A A A This gift from the Phil Hardin Foundation to the Community Foundation, in the form of an endowment and the grant it provides, is used to fund educational projects in the five counties the Community Foundation serves: Clarke, Kemper, Lauderdale, Neshoba and Newton.

A A A aThis fund is a great example of people caring deeply for their community because any time education is prioritized, that communityas capacity to be successful and offer a better quality of life for all its citizens improves significantly,a said Glover.

This grant may be awarded to an individual school, an entire school district, or a community based organization focusing on improving education.A A A A

A A A To apply for the grant, contact the Community Foundation of East Mississippi by emailing office@cfem.org or by calling 601-696-3035.

Vineyard Notebook

To keep up with the news sign up for our free twice-a-week email, the Vineyard Gazette Notebook.

Was arts council wrong in revoking grant?, Lifestyle News & Top Stories – The Straits Times

It is even more amazing that a seemingly parochial tale of Singapore can resonate far beyond our shores (Sonny Liew Book An International Bestseller, The Straits Times, March 19).

Given its lauded trajectory, the National Arts Council’s decision to revoke the $8,000 publishing grant for the book seems myopic and misguided.

First, was the council wrong to have deemed the content sensitive?

Exactly which parts of this novel are sensitive and why were they considered so by the council?

Second, should the council’s funding conditions be re-examined?

It is often said that the appreciation of art is subjective and for a person to not see the beauty of art, even if the rest of the world sees it, is unfortunate but understandable.

However, for an organisation whose goal is to promote Singapore arts to not see the complex beauty of Liew’s work is tragic and ironic.

Harvey Neo

Community

March 25, 2016 1:39 PM

Good news about French Hospital Medical Center Foundation and the Senior Nutrition Program

Videos

Loading the player… More Videos Body found at Pirate’s Cove A closer look at Arroyo Grande’s proposed public art piece Taylor Morris gets new prosthetic device at Cal Poly Wildflowers are springing up in eastern SLO County Why steelhead trout in Whale Rock Reservoir are struggling, and how they are getting help A tour of 1949 San Luis Obispo County How Arroyo Grande ended up with Civil War veterans How to spot a skimmer at a gas pump or ATM Diablo Canyon supporters at SLO courthouse SLO International Film Festival honors Ann-Margret with King Vidor Award 2 days ago Drones used to count gray whales off Piedras Blancas

For your use the Tax-ID read full descriptionBe a trend-setter and one of the first to make a contribution!AnonymousUserAnonymousUserAnonymousUserAnonymousUserAnonymousUser

Amid a Rising Philanthropy Scene in LA, the New Mayor’s Fund Has Been a Hit – Inside Philanthropy – Inside Philanthropy

Centennial Legacy Campaign Frequently Asked Questions – California Community Foundation

National Philanthropic Trust Calls Castro

Washington-based tax consulting and government relations firm Castro Strategies LLC has been hired to represent independent public charity National Philanthropic Trust on Capitol Hill for taxation issues.