Sebago Lakes Region Chamber welcomes new board chair and recognizes award recipients

By Kaysa Jalbert

The Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce celebrated 60 years with the theme “Honoring the Past, Treasuring the Present & Shaping the Future” at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner held on Thursday, Jan. 18 at Camp Sunshine in Casco.

From left, Vickie Bartlett, Jane Bartlett, President/CEO Robin
Mullins and Board Chair Jonathan Priest gather during the
Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce's annual
meeting and awards ceremony on Jan. 18 at Camp Sunshine
in Casco. The Bartletts attended the ceremony representing
the Bartlett family as the late George Bartlett was honored
with the Frank Koenig Chamber Hall of Fame Award.
SUBMITTED PHOTO  

“We shared a video on the Chamber’s incredible history and discussed how the organization continues to thrive and evolve as the region changes,” said Robin Mullins, President of the Sebago Lakes Region of Commerce. A table at the event highlighted the 60 years of the Chamber’s history, including regional guides and photo albums.

Two new Board Members were added to the chamber’s leadership team for 2024. Tricia Zwirner of the Nominating Committee introduced the new board members, Maureen LaSalle of Northern Lights Mechanical, and Maureen Mazur of Taro Health.

The Chamber Board also voted Jonathan Priest of J. Priest Insurance to succeed Jennifer Arsenault of Edward Jones as the new Board Chair. Arsenault was awarded a plaque to commemorate her term of service as Board Chair.

The Annual Meeting also included a social hour, a buffet dinner, a business meeting, and ended by recognizing the following award recipients:

Dave Pollard presented the Chamber’s Community Service Leadership Award to Lacy Antonson for her work in Gray, especially at the Gray Wild Blueberry Festival. Mullins said that the Community Service Leadership Award recognizes a civic-minded individual or group that has made a significant contribution to the quality of life in the Sebago Lakes Region. Nominees are passionate about a cause and work tirelessly for the greater good and to inspire others to become involved in their community.

The Chamber’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award is presented annually to a Chamber member operating in the Lakes Region whose innovation and creativity have succeeded in starting their own successful business while opening new economic opportunities for the Sebago Lakes Region. This member has donated their time and/or resources unselfishly for the good of their local community, Mullins said. This year, the Entrepreneur of the Year Award was presented to Shaw Dwight of Paul's Boutique in Windham. He thanked his team, his father, and his wife for helping him become successful.

Richie Vraux presented the Business of the Year Award to Kenny Cianchette and his team at Erik's Church in Windham. “This award is presented to a Chamber member operating in the region that has set an example in leadership, innovation, and quality, and has provided noteworthy economic opportunity to the people of the Sebago Lakes Region,” said Mullins. “This business should also have donated their time and/or resources unselfishly for the good of their local community.”

Mullins announced the winner of the Frank Koenig Chamber Hall of Fame Award. This specific award is presented to an individual whose commitment of time, resources and talent have made the Sebago Lakes Region a better place to pursue one’s livelihood and dreams.

“Frank Koenig was passionate about the chamber and worked tirelessly for the betterment of our region and his local Chamber of Commerce,” says Mullins. “Like Frank, the recipient should have a history of passionate and active contributions to the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce. This person should have made an impact on the chamber and the local community all while maintaining the highest of integrity. The award is presented posthumously to George Bartlett, who we sadly lost in July of 2023.”

The Frank Koenig Chamber Hall of Fame Award given to Bartlett was accepted by his wife, Jane, and his daughter, Vickie, who spoke on behalf of the family, expressing their gratitude for recognizing how much George meant to the community, and how much he would have loved this award.

Mullins said that the Chamber looks forward to another busy year of events in 2024 such as the monthly Business Breaks, the Polar Dip in February, Member Appreciation Week in May, the Scholarship Golf Open in June, the Golf Ball Drop at Summerfest, a Pancake Breakfast at the Gray Wild Blueberry Festival, community Trunk or Treats, the Sebago Spirits Festival, and other community holiday events including the Bid of Christmas.

The Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce was launched 60 years ago by a group of innovative business owners and was called the North Windham Business Association and is now made up of 14 Board Directors and seven officers whose mission is to foster economic growth and prosperity throughout the region. <

‘Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Carving Day’ set for Saturday

Camp Sunshine, an award-winning retreat in Casco for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, has announced plans for Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Carving Day.

The “Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Carving Day” is a free, national initiative that calls for people of all ages to carve, paint or decorate pumpkins at home on Saturday, Oct. 24 and share their images on social media using the Instagram hashtag #CarveforCamp.

Organizers hope to connect with more people than ever before, as plans for the annual Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Festival, which has been a fall tradition throughout the Northeast since 2003, had to be restructured this year because of the pandemic.

"Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Carving Day was designed to be a fun and festive way for communities across the country to come together and show their support for the families Camp Sunshine serves," said Michael Katz, Camp Sunshine's Executive Director. "This event will also help us continue to reach new families

who may be able to benefit from our programs."

Everyone who participates in Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Carving Day and submits a photo of a pumpkin that they've carved, painted or decorated using the hashtag #CarveforCamp on Instagram will be automatically entered to win a $100 L.L. Bean gift card.

It's entirely free to participate in Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Carving Day. For more information and ways to support Camp Sunshine's mission, visit www.campsunshinepumpkinfestivals.org.

Founded in 1984, Camp Sunshine provides retreats combining respite, recreation and support, while enabling hope and promoting joy, for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families through the various stages of a child's illness.

Camp Sunshine's program is offered year-round and has the distinction of having been designed to serve the entire family in a retreat model.

The program is free of charge to families and includes on-site medical support. Bereavement sessions are also offered for families who have experienced the death of a child from a supported illness. www.campsunshine.org. <

SEALs for Sunshine undertake 16-mile swim to help military families enjoy Camp Sunshine

Mike Wisecup, Matt Shipman, Lew Emery and
Chad Kalocinski after the first fundraiser in
August 2014 which was a 13 mile swim

By Elizabeth Richards

In 2014, four active duty Navy SEALs participated in the inaugural SEALs for Sunshine event, a 13-mile swim across Sebago Lake. On July 25^th, 2019, SEALs for Sunshine will hold their sixth annual event with the longest swim event to date.

Swimmers, including SEALs for Sunshine founder, retired Navy SEAL Commander Michael Wisecup, will navigate from Long Lake in Bridgton, through Naples into Brandy Pond, down the Songo River and across the northern part of Sebago Lake, where they’ll end their journey at Point Sebago, next door to Camp Sunshine.

Wisecup started SEALs for Sunshine to raise awareness of what the camp could offer to military families with children facing life threatening diseases. The first event in 2014 coincided with Camp Sunshine’s 30-year anniversary campaign, “Going the Distance.  “Going the Distance seemed to fit with a 13-mile half marathon swim across Sebago Lake,” Wisecup said.

Every year since then, SEALs for Sunshine has held at least one intense physical challenge to support the goal of raising money for military families to attend Camp Sunshine. Just over $500,000 has been raised through these events, prompting a significant increase in military families – both active duty and veterans – attending camp.  Many of these families would not have known about Camp Sunshine without the publicity surrounding these events, Wisecup said.

The funds raised through SEALs for Sunshine events directly supports both attendance at the camp and travel costs to alleviate the financial burden of getting to and from camp, Wisecup said. 

The goal the first year was for each of the four swimmers to raise $2500, the approximate cost of getting one family to camp. They ended up raising just over $250,000.  “We were blown away.  There was so much support for it, support for the camp, support for the military. It was really nice,” Wisecup said.

Since that first event, SEALs for Sunshine participants collectively have swum 391 miles, biked 770 miles, run 116 miles, and put in 780 miles worth of stand-up paddle boarding.

“We try to do something different every year,” Wisecup said.  “This year, we’re coming back into the water.” 

The events are deliberately extremely physical challenges, Wisecup said, to bring some awareness to the difficulty a family faces when their child receives a life altering diagnosis.  “At that moment, that family has to fight for everything. They can’t quit. That’s a cornerstone of the SEAL ethos - never quit,” Wisecup said. 

While participants have the benefit of preparation and training, families don’t have that luxury, Wisecup said. “They don’t get to prepare their finances, their life, and put everything in order,” he said. “We’re lucky to be able to prepare, but we need to make it hard so that it connects, and it’s something we can have in common with those families as well.” 

This year, according to a fundraising letter sent by Camp Sunshine Development Director Michael Smith, there is a matching challenge from Ralph and Suzanne Heckert and the Capital Group, so each donation made will be doubled.

SEALs for Sunshine events have enabled more than 200 military families from across the country to travel to Camp Sunshine, Smith said in the letter, but there are many more who still need help. 

To support the July 25^th Swim for Sunshine, visit www.campsunshine.org or www.sealsforsunshine.org.

Editor’s note: Michael Wisecup, has been named vice president for strategic initiatives at Colby College. His responsibilities include operationalizing and managing key strategic initiatives, developing strategies and processes to assess and improve the quality and effectiveness across all areas of the College, coordinating special projects to ensure strategic alignment, increasing organizational focus, and facilitating collaboration regarding strategic planning, execution, and crisis management. 

Ron’s Mexican Cantina and Grill will continue to make a positive impact in the community under new ownership

Ron's Mexican Cantina at its new location.

By Elizabeth Richards

           

When Ron Eby of Windham Automotive built Ron’s Mexican Cantina and Grill for the first Summerfest celebration in Windham, he never imagined it would be a catalyst for raising nearly $700,000 dollars for Camp Sunshine. But in the years since he created the food cart, that’s exactly what has happened. And although the cart has now been sold, new owner Jose Chavez of A La Mexicana plans to continue the tradition of giving.

Eby said that when he built the Cantina his goal was to build something that would inspire others as they worked to get Summerfest started.  He then decided that the proceeds raised from the cart would go to support Camp Sunshine. Over the years, the Cantina became somewhat of an icon in the area. 

“It was a huge success,” Eby said. In recent years, however, it hadn’t seen much use. Eby came to a point when it was time to move forward and do something different, he said, so he decided to sell the Cantina.

When Chavez expressed interest, Eby said, “I told him I’d love to see it still used in some capacity to raise money for Camp Sunshine.”

Chavez said that continuing to support Camp Sunshine is in their plan, but they haven’t yet determined exactly how that will happen. He added that he wants to help the community, especially since they have helped him so much.  “I want to give back a little bit too,” he said.

As for Eby, he stated he will continue to raise money in other ways.  “It’s come time to move on and do something different,” he said. 

Eby has been honored for his efforts as a 6 Who Care recipient, and he was one of four finalists for the NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian of the Year award in 2012. That honor came with a $25,000 donation to Camp Sunshine.

The move to A La Mexicana was a great one for the cantina, Eby said. “I probably couldn’t have asked for a better destination,” he said.  He believes the cantina will be beneficial to both the restaurant and the community and he hopes that it will evolve in a way that grows awareness of Camp Sunshine and the work that they do.

Eby said that he’s been able to make a greater impact than he ever imagined. The Cantina started a “ripple effect,” he said.  “That drop was started, and those ripples continue to this day. If it can continue with Jose, that would be special,” he said.

Eby called Camp Sunshine a “diamond in our own back yard.” People don’t realize the national and even international impact the camp has for families, he added.  Being able to make such an impact makes him step back and say “wow”, Eby said. “It started with a little idea, and a little dream.”

Ice Bar fundraising event this Saturday at Buck’s Naked BBQ by Lorraine Glowczak

Arctic Spirits will provide a unique fundraising event on Saturday, February 25 at Buck’s Naked BBQ, 4 Turning Leaf Drive in Windham from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

The fundraiser, a first for Arctic Spirits and the Windham area, will be an ice bar event with the proceeds going to Camp Sunshine, located in Casco. Camp Sunshine provides a year-round opportunity for children with life-threatening illnesses to spend a week at the camp. This camp provides respite, recreation and support to children and their families from all over the country at no cost to them.

Emily Wainwright, one of the founders of Arctic Spirits, stated that they began raising funds for Camp Sunshine about two years ago. The first fundraiser was a wine and beer tasting event and it has slowly morphed into the Ice Bar event.

Light appetizers and all types of beverages will be served, along with entertainment by DJ Nate Hicks, a raffle and silent auction inside! Arctic Spirits is one of the only ice bar events in the Sebago Lakes Region.

Tickets are available online at: www.eventbrite.com by typing the key words “Arctic Spirits” into the search bar on the homepage. The cost to purchase the tickets online prior to the event is: $25 per person or $40 per couple. Tickets include one free drink ticket good for a mixed drink, beer or wine.

Tickets are also available and can be purchased for the same cost, in person at the following locations:

Metayer Eye Care, 4 Commons Ave

Microtel Inn, 965 Roosevelt Trail

Freedom Massage, 999 Roosevelt Trail

Windham/Raymond Adult Education, 406 Gray Road

Gorham Savings Bank, 766 Roosevelt Trail

Mechanics Savings, 3 Drive-in Lane

Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce office, 909A Roosevelt Trail

Buck’s Naked BBQ, 4 Turning Leaf Drive

Tickets may also be purchased the day of the event for $30 per person or $50 per couple.

“I am honored to be able to plan such a cool event to help Camp Sunshine out,” Wainwright stated. “For the children and their families, it’s a lasting, memorable, fun time to have the chance to enjoy what our little region has to offer.”

Wainwright would like to remind area businesses, that sponsorship opportunities are still available starting at only $100. She is also still actively taking in donations for the silent auction, raffle, and door prize give-a-ways. For donations or sponsorship, contact Wainwright at: Emily@metayerfamilyeyecare.com.

If you would like more information about Camp Sunshine, visit www.campsunshine.org <