PowerServe: A decade of service through the Donnelly Family’s eyes

By Lorraine Glowczak

The special spring tradition of volunteering continues, bringing neighbors together once again and marking 10 years of service rooted in compassion, connection, and community. PowerServe participants will gather for another day of community service, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 9, on the Windham Historical Society campus before volunteers disperse to their assigned community projects, and return at 1 p.m. for a shared lunch.

In celebration of its 10-year anniversary, PowerServe hopes
to complete at least 35 service projects with 250 volunteers
at its community service event on May 9 in Windham. 
COURTESY PHOTO  

0 Although the focus is community service, PowerServe has been more than a volunteer event. From the very beginning, the organization has also been a story about people, purpose, and the ripple effect of one teenager’s belief that caring for a community can create lasting change.

This annual volunteer-driven initiative continues to live out its mission of “caring boldly and serving strong.” Often described as a spark of light in the community, PowerServe began as a way to simply turn grief into action.

Launched in 2016 after the unexpected passing of 16-year-old Shane Donnelly, the effort started when Kristine Delano of YoungLife Sebago saw the impact on the students at Windham High School and the wider community and felt called to respond. Inspired by the power of community service, she created a day in early May 2016 to unite the community in kindness and connection in Shane’s honor.

For the Donnelly family, PowerServe is deeply personal – a legacy of compassion that began with a vision to help others and has grown far beyond what they imagined. Each year, they watch that spark spread, drawing in about 200 volunteers and strengthening community bonds through projects like yard cleanups, painting, and small repairs for Windham neighbors and nonprofits.

“When you lose a child, you enter a kind of grief you never imagined,” Shane’s mother, Kim Donnelly said. “But out of something so tragic, something unexpectedly beautiful has grown. People experience loss every day, yet what PowerServe has become is a reflection of community – where nearly two-thirds of the volunteers are youth and students serving alongside adults, all working together.”

Shane’s sister, Maddie Donnelly, a senior at WHS, who was 7 years old at the time of his passing, said her brother carried a quiet, steady outlook on life that was rooted in the outdoors and a deep caring for others. 

“Whether he was talking about college, dreaming of becoming a Maine Game Warden, or simply enjoying time outside, he found a sense of peace and tranquility in nature,” she said. “He was also known for offering kind words and giving others the benefit of the doubt, always choosing compassion first.”

Maddie shared that his compassion for others truly lives on in the spirit of PowerServe, and she is determined to keep that spirit alive by spreading the word about the organization. This year, she did so through her Senior Capstone Project, a graduation requirement.

“It felt like an easy decision to choose PowerServe as my capstone topic,” she said. “Sharing PowerServe and helping people learn about it just made sense. It speaks to the kind of person Shane was and it feels good to make others feel good in his honor. He loved serving others and being outdoors – this is something he would have truly enjoyed doing.”

She said that PowerServe is not just about the projects being completed, it’s about the people being present with one another. It’s about connections.

“Watching volunteers and recipients sit down, talk, and truly connect is what stays with you, Maddie said. “Some of the most meaningful stories come afterward from neighbors who didn’t just receive help, but also shared time, laughter, and a sense of being seen.”

Maddie agrees with her mother, saying that she enjoys connecting with the recipients.

“Our conversations are so much fun and we create lasting memories,” she said. “Sometimes we spend at least an hour talking with each other. It leaves everyone feeling genuinely uplifted.”

As for the requests for assistance, the Donnellys say that it is often a friend, neighbor, or loved one who makes the request for others. 

“People who need help with gardens, painting, etc. generally do not want to burden family, and once we step in, we keep checking back to see how they’re doing, even helping them enjoy flower gardens they haven’t been able to tend to in years,” they said. 

PowerServe, which recently became an official nonprofit, allows all donated funds to stay in Windham, and is hoping to complete at least 35 service projects with 250 volunteers at its community service event on May 9.

“The more volunteers, the more projects we can do and the more people we can help, the better able to make a greater impact and difference in our community, which exemplifies Shane’s personality and would make him so happy,” Maddie said.

As PowerServe celebrates a decade of service, its impact is measured not just in completed projects, but in the relationships built, the gratitude shared, and the reminder that meaningful change often starts with a simple decision to show up and help.

For more details about PowerServe, to volunteer to help, or to request a project, send an email to [email protected]. <

PowerServe lights the way for community engagement and service

The creator of the 302 Rotary light display is PowerServe,
a local community volunteer group that is dedicated to
serving the Windham community. Here the Rotary is
displayed in hues honoring the Ukrainian national colors.
SUBMITTED PHOTO  

By Masha Yurkevich

Many may have noticed the lights honoring Ukraine that shine brightly around the rotary on Routes 202 and 302. There have been some inquiries on social media platforms wondering who the responsible party is for the illumination of Christmas lights that now display the national colors of Ukraine.

The initiator of this often talked about illumination is PowerServe, a local community volunteer group that gathers annually to help serve the Windham community. PowerServe started in 2016 when Shane Donnelly, a Windham High School (WHS) student, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 16. Windham resident Kristine Delano, Chair of YoungLife Sebago whose daughters attended WHS at the time, witnessed the sense of loss happening to the students and knew something needed to be done. 

“Seeing firsthand the amazing job that YoungLife leaders did in mentoring teens in the Sebago area, Delano wanted to build a legacy of service in our community to build encouragement and connectivity,” Sam Patton, Day Director and Sponsor Coordinator of PowerServe said. “She, her family and other YoungLife leaders recruited a small group of volunteers to organize a day that would help our community, be fun, and enable all generations to work together.” 

The organization provides services such as paint sheds, build trail bridges, pick up trash, restore historic graves, plant memorials and much more. 

WHS Juniors, Maddie Hancock and Grace Paiement are both volunteers for PowerServe and act as the school liaisons with the organization to continue the PowerServe tradition. Hancock first got involved with her family and then got reinvolved when the event was advertised through National Honors Society, which is when Paiement also got involved. From there, both Hancock and Paiement talked with Patton Day and got involved in the planning process.

Last year, due to COVID-19, PowerServe was not able to gather in its usual large numbers of volunteers. Fortunately, they still found a way to help the community by creating the light display to be enjoyed during the evening hours.  

This year, PowerServe will continue its kind acts.

“The committee has been meeting once a week to plan events for this Memorial Day,” Hancock. “We are planning to do around five projects for the community and about another five projects for someone in the community in need.” 

Their next community service project is planned for Memorial Day. Hancock said that their project coming up has a goal of getting 120 volunteers of which all will get a PowerServe t-shirt with a barbeque after the projects are completed.

The volunteers will be separated into smaller groups of six to ten volunteers who be assigned a specific project. Each project usually takes between two to four hours. Upon completion of the project, the Donnelly family honors their son’s life by providing the barbeque meal and offering an opportunity for volunteers to share their experiences about the day. 

“These memories last for years and we keep coming back for more,” said Patton. “This is a day where friends and family can serve and invest in the town together. They can help their neighbors together and meet others. Some connections are still going years later and have continued to support one another.”

Their next big event will be on Memorial Day, May 30th, 2022. To sign and volunteer, please visit their website at www.powerserve.me/home. 

If you know a person in the community who is in need, you can also nominate them through the same website.  

Briefly, YoungLife is a Christian organization whose focus is to make sure that middle and high school students have positive role models in their lives. As stated on their website, YoungLife leaders make sure people feel a sense of belonging and encourage teens as they navigate life as an adolescent. 

PowerServe is sponsored by a loyal set of businesses which include, but are not limited to, YoungLife Sebago, Gorham Savings Bank, Lowes, Shaw Earthworks, Windham Rental, Bob's Screen printing, Hannaford, Island Cove Builders, Benson Farms and more. If you would like to sponsor PowerServe, you may do so on their website, www.powerserve.me/home. <

Windham author drawing national attention for her inspired storytelling

Windham resident Kristine Delano's unpublished short story
'Glimpse of Lace' has been chosen as a finalist for the 2021
Cascade Awards for literary work. Delano also has written
three novels since retiring from a high-powered Wall
Street career and moving with her family to Maine.
COURTESY PHOTO  

By Ed Pierce

A Windham author is about to make a splash nationally for her writing, but Kristine Delano’s own life story is nearly as compelling as the stories and novels she hopes to tell. 

Delano’s new short story, “Glimpse of Lace,” has just been selected as a finalist in the Short Story category for the Cascade Awards, a writing competition open to any author nationwide. She’s also working on three different novels she hopes to publish while appreciating family life at home on the shores of Highland Lake in Windham.

Life these days is vastly different and somewhat slower from the hectic 20-plus years she spent as working for Wall Street companies before retiring, giving up her panoramic view of New York City and moving north to Maine to pursue her passion for writing.     

Growing up as a military dependent, Delano became a voracious reader as she frequently had to pack up and relocate as a child with her family and having to make new friends wherever the family moved to. It left her with many untold stories in her head she always wanted to tell, but as she progressed in her financial services career, finding the time to devote expressing herself creatively through her writing posed a problem.

“When I worked on Wall Street, I used my writing in more of a technical way,” Delano said. “When I retired, my family was surprised with what I wanted to do because they expected me to go into consulting or to open a small business.”

While working for financial companies, she often mentored young staff members about their careers, but paid attention to what they had to share with her about their lives. It became the inspiration for some of her future stories.

“They spoke to me about their fears and their lives,” Delano said. “They shared their experiences. It was a good genesis for me as a writer.”  

Married to an architect and the mother of three children with one in college, one starting college in the fall and the other a freshman in high school, Delano also continues to sit on the global board of a 6,000-member financial services organization focused on women’s empowerment. She also is active as a speaker, mentor, and strategic planner for many businesses, churches, and parachurch organizations, but writing and developing ideas for stories is now front and center for Delano.

“I typically get four or five ideas a day and then have to figure out which one can stand the test of time,” she said. “I kind of write it in my head and before putting pen to paper I’ve already kind of worked out the character’s voice.”

She says that she’s found that writing is a world away from her former Wall Street career.

“It’s surprising for me. I thought I had a thick skin. I worked on Wall Street and always succeeded,” Delano said. “Writing is very different. Sometimes you don’t know that you don’t like what you’ve done. It’s overly complicated or pedantic or subjective. I’ve found though that you can’t write to please everybody.”   

The ability to connect with readers though is what inspires and motivates Delano’s writing.

“The best impact I can have on one person is through their eyes or how they see themselves with what I write,” she said. “I’m trying to find an authentic voice that will speak to somebody.”

The plot of her short story selected as one of three finalists for the 2021 Cascade Awards is as genuine as it gets and Delano’s keeping her fingers crossed for when the award recipients are announced in August.

In “Glimpse of Lace,” Annabelle has a unique blessing, or perhaps it’s a curse. For almost five years, since 10th grade, she’s gotten glimpses of the end of her romantic relationships before they’ve even begun. This has made her weary of men. While sipping hot chocolates before their last runs on the mountain, Brian, a recent finance graduate from Bates, brushes up against Annabelle. She glimpses herself in lace and Brian next to her in a tux. Brian is exactly the kind of guy Tara, her best friend, would choose for her, so why can’t Annabelle believe this glimpse got it right?

According to Delano, the reactions she’s received so far about her storytelling keep her motivated to write more.

“In the beginning my goal was to get stories out of my head and onto paper,” she said. “Now I want feedback about my writing. I want to get better at my craft.”

Writing her first novel gave Delano great practice of the discipline, patience and time required for writing.

“I had a misconception that as soon as you finish a novel you should publish it,” she said. “To gain the attention of an agent is a long process and now I believe you shouldn’t publish anything until you know that it’s the best that you can do.”  

She’s just completed writing a second novel and a third one while she continues looking to get them published.   

Her writing regimen for a short story is a bit quicker.

“I can finish a first draft of a 2,000-word story in about three hours,” Delano said. “It can then take weeks and months though to work through the voice of the story and pieces of the plot.”

On any given day, Delano can be found finding ideas for stories or sitting down at her computer to write. Compared to the hustle and bustle of her Wall Street career, her new lifestyle evolves at a slower pace, but she’s able to derive a great amount of satisfaction from turning an idea into a literary expression and in much different surroundings.   

“We live in such an amazing place and Maine’s life is sometimes hard,” she said. “There are beautiful people and families here and great stories to tell. I’m available to listen.”

If you would like to follow her writing journey, like her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KristineDelano.Writer <