Camden National Bank is pleased to announce its 2022 Leaders & Luminaries Awardees, and provide $20,000 in grants for their respective organizations. The 2022 honorees include: Amy Ford of Portland Community Squash, Timothy Griffin of Dempsey Center for Quality Cancer Care, Kylie Hinkley of Peabody Memorial Library, and Lissa Widoff of Waldo County Bounty.
Camden National Bank aims to shine a light on board members who demonstrate innovative thinking and outstanding board governance to advance their organization’s mission and impact. Since 2011, Camden National Bank has donated $220,000 to 58 Maine nonprofits with Leaders & Luminaries Awards presented to board members who exhibit exemplary leadership skills, execute strong strategic and financial plans, and have a passion for their organization’s long-term growth.
“Nonprofits are a driving force in our communities and effective board governance is imperative to their success,” said Renee Smyth, chief experience and marketing officer of Camden National Bank. “It’s our honor to recognize these four outstanding board members for their continued dedication to creating positive, sustainable change in Maine.”
Camden National Bank’s independent selection committee narrowed the pool of nominations down to four Leaders & Luminaries Award Winners, each receiving $5,000 grants. Donations were funded through the bank’s private charitable foundation, The Bank of Maine Foundation.
2022 Leaders & Luminaries Award winners:
Amy Ford, Treasurer of the Board, Portland Community Squash (Portland, ME):
Portland Community Squash (PCS) aims to build an accessible community center that holistically supports and unites its members. They envision a community with enough social and human capital to overcome ever-changing societal challenges and prosper. Ford acts as the PCS board Treasurer and helped design the Campaign for 100 Scholarships for their after-school program, which provides $250,000 in financial aid each year to students. Ford also led an effort on the PCS board to recruit board members that accurately reflect PCS’s community. Through this effort, PCS has recruited five new board members over the last two years who represent various immigrant communities that PCS serves through its junior and family programs including Iraq, Burundi, Somalia, and Sudan.
Timothy Griffin, Board Chair, Dempsey Center for Quality Cancer Care (Lewiston, ME):
The mission of The Dempsey Center is to make life better for people managing the impact of cancer. Their core focus is on meeting clients where they are and offering care and community that supports them in every part of their journey. During his time on the board, Griffin has partnered with the Dempsey Center’s leadership teams to design multiple scale strategies, build organizational capacity for growth, and manage their endowment in turbulent economic times. He has helped identify diverse revenue generation strategies and supported the Dempsey Center team in diversifying their fundraising efforts to broaden their reach and stewardship capacity. Griffin has recruited more than 10 individuals to the Dempsey Center Board and Committees, and led the multi-year recruitment for the new Dempsey Center president and chief executive officer.
Kylie Hinkley, Trustee, Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, Peabody Memorial Library (Jonesport, ME):
The Peabody Memorial Library’s mission is to provide services, cultural activities, technology education, and to act as a social resource to improve the quality of life in their area. Hinkley began volunteering at Peabody Memorial Library in 2003 at the age of six as a Girl Scout. Over the years, her role as a volunteer grew substantially and in 2012, at the age of 15, Hinkley was asked by the Board of Trustees to join them as a Trustee; she was then nominated and elected as the Treasurer for the Board of Trustees in 2019. In her tenure, Hinkley has established a Teen Advisory Group to increase the involvement of younger patrons and leads vital fundraisers to support the libraries community operations and programming. She was also instrumental in the creation of an endowment for the library, which now provides a quarter of the libraries operating expenses.
Lissa Widoff, Treasurer of the Board, Waldo County Bounty (Belfast, ME):
Waldo County Bounty (WCB) works to ensure that everyone has access to fresh, nutritious food by collaborating with local farmers, organizations, and community members towards an equitable food system. Widoff has used her four decades of work in environmental policy, health, and conservation to co-found Waldo County Bounty. She led the organization through the process of becoming a registered nonprofit, and established WCB’s governance structure, while growing their relationship with their fiscal sponsors. Widoff led the WCB team through establishing bylaws and policies, and guiding board members into leadership roles based on their individual strengths. At various stages, Widoff has been vital to founding, envisioning, incorporating, and sustaining Waldo County Bounty.
