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]. <

Restored 1802 Windham map focus of historical presentation

By Ed Pierce

Famed American author Brené Brown once said that "Maps are the most important documents in human history as they are the history of human perception." That may be the case right here in Windham as a new presentation on Monday night will examine a 224-year-old map of the town.

During a presentation at the Little Meetinghouse in Windham
on Monday, April 27, participants will be able to see an 1802
map of North Windham drawn on fabric. The map was 
recently discovered by Raymond Philpot of Windham 
among a box of family artifacts. SUBMITTED PHOTO     

Windham Historical Society member Carol Manchester says that earlier this year, Raymond Philpot, a lifelong resident of Windham, discovered the map when he was given a box of historic Windham items by a family member and an 1802 drawing of the North Windham section of town was contained among the artifacts.

“He believes it was sketched on some sort of fabric,” Manchester said.

Because this document is important to the Windham Historical Society, but very delicate and expensive for them to restore, a decision was made to turn the map over to the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at the University of Southern Maine for restoration and display with a commitment that the historical society would be given a representation or copy of the map.

The map was conserved by Green Dragon bindery of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and features an 1802 drawing and manuscript map by Lothrop Snow of the plans of the last division of the town of Windham.

Libby Bischof, Executive Director of the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at USM has examined the map and will offer a free presentation open to the public and lead a discussion about the map starting at 7 p.m. Monday, April 27 at the Little Meetinghouse, 719 Roosevelt Trail in Windham. Bischof’s presentation is called “Mapping Windham Across Time.”

Bischof is a history professor and the inaugural University Historian at USM where she has taught courses in Maine History, History and Photography, Popular Culture, and Public History for the past 18 years. A visual and cultural historian of the 19th and 20th centuries, Bischof is interested in the way in which friendship informs cultural production, especially in relation to landscape and place. 

She believes deeply in site-based, hands-on education and the ways in which teaching local and regional history can lead to deeper civic engagement. In an earlier program for Windham Historical Society, Bischof gave a presentation regarding the history and manufacture of postcards.

Prior to being settled by Europeans, most of Southern Maine, including Windham, was land of the Abenaki tribe of Native Americans. Associated with the Algonquin Nation, the Abenaki lived from the Maritime Provinces of Canada through upstate New York and Ontario.

There were many seasonal Abenaki settlements between the White Mountains and Casco Bay with local lakes and rivers used for travel for thousands of years.

Historians say that the Windham area was first settled by Europeans in 1737. Massachusetts Bay colony granted land to a group of individuals and families primarily from Marblehead, Massachusetts. These settlers named the township New Marblehead, and the township was incorporated as the Town of Windham in 1762.

Windham’s early economy in Windham focused on agriculture and forestry, but the next phase of Windham’s growth centered on industrialization and manufacturing driven by power generated by the Presumpscot and Pleasant Rivers.

By 1940, Windham’s population of Windham was about 2,000 people and since then it has increased to more than 19,000.

Those attending Bischof’s presentation will be able to see the newly conserved map in person. Light refreshments will be served and although the event is free, a $5 donation is suggested at the door.

For more details about the Windham Historical Society, visit https://www.windhamhistorical.org/ <

Lonegan joins Spectrum Orthopaedics – Windham as sports medicine physician

Dr. Christopher Lonegan has joined Spectrum
Orthopaedics-Windham as a primary care
sports physician. SUBMITTED PHOTO 

Sports Medicine physician Christopher Lonegan, DO has joined Spectrum Orthopaedics – Windham as a primary care sports medicine physician. Spectrum Orthopaedics, a division of Spectrum Healthcare Partners, which includes Maine Orthopaedics Center and OA Centers for Orthopaedics, is the leading orthopaedic practice in the state of Maine.

Lonegan, DO, is a board-certified and fellowship-trained sports medicine physician who specializes in the treatment of non-surgical sports-related and other musculoskeletal injuries. He grew up in North Yarmouth, graduated Greely High School, and received his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine.

He’s formerly provided professional team coverage for the Connecticut Suns, New England Black Wolves, and Bellator Mixed Martial Arts. He has been affiliated with the Lake Placid Ironman and provided care for Bryant University, Johnson & Wales, Providence College, and the University of Connecticut.

As a Maine native, Lonegan is looking forward to rekindling old relationships and cultivating new ones.

“I joined Spectrum for the opportunity to return to my home state and be involved in the communities and athletics that provided the foundation for my interest in musculoskeletal injuries and medicine itself. I look forward both to working with local sports teams and patients - young and old, athletes and non-athletes,” Lonegan said. “It’s a moving experience to be able to practice as an orthopaedic physician and treat patients in the communities where I grew up actively training and participating in sports. I love Maine and I love Mainers. I simply can't think of a place I'd rather practice.”

The core team at Windham now includes six board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic physicians who bring a broad range of subspecialty care to the community. Collectively, Spectrum Orthopaedics’ comprehensive service offerings provide improved access and convenience to patients.

Their services include:

• Assessment and treatment of all musculoskeletal conditions in children and adults.

• A full range of surgical and nonsurgical treatment options.

• Injury and fracture care to help get patients back to functioning as soon as possible.

• Newly expanded Physical Therapy and Hand Therapy clinics on site.

• OrthoAccess: a walk-in clinic for acute orthopaedic care (no appointment needed).

• Musculoskeletal diagnostics including X-ray, ultrasound, injections, and U/S-based procedures.

Lonegan’s arrival is among many other changes at the Windham practice site. Spectrum Orthopaedics-Windham recently unveiled an expanded physical therapy space and opened OrthoAccess, an orthopaedic walk-in clinic. These new additions will provide greater access to cost-effective orthopaedic care to the Lakes Region area.

The recently enhanced space at 4A Commons Ave. in Windham will better serve patients. The new physical therapy center has state-of-the-art equipment and offers patients more room for exercise and functional movement. For patients that need same-day care, OrthoAccess, an orthopaedic walk-in clinic is onsite and offers immediate assessment and treatment of sprains, strains, minor fractures, dislocations, and other sports and activity-related injuries. No appointment is needed.

All providers in the Windham office are accepting new patients. The office is conveniently located off of Route 302 and can be reached at 207-893-1738 or fax 207-892-2113. The practice site is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. OrthoAccess is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Physical Therapy Center is open Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 6 a.m. to  4:30 p.m. For more information, please visit OrthoSpectrum.com.

Spectrum is the largest multispecialty, physician-owned group practice serving the state of Maine. The organization consists of 200 physicians practicing in the areas of anesthesiology, orthopaedics, vascular and interventional radiology, pathology, radiology and radiation oncology.

Spectrum Orthopaedics, a division of Spectrum Healthcare Partners, includes Maine Orthopaedics Center and OA Centers for Orthopaedics. Together, the practice offers enhanced accessibility to services, provide more convenience to their patients, and offer subspecialty expert care to all communities. To learn more, visit spectrumhcp.com/ortho. <

 

IIA’s Academic Elders act as patients so nursing students can learn real-life clinical assessment skills

The Academic Elder volunteers brought out the
life experiences, frailty and struggles of the
characters portrayed in the scenarios so
students could learn to see the person and
not just the illness or disease. As a result
of the volunteers, there was improvement
in students' verbal and non-verbal
communication, fostering a positive and
effective nurse-client relationship.
COURTESY PHOTO

By Lorraine Glowczak

Officially established a little over one year ago, the Institute for Integrative Aging (IIA) at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine (SJCME) seeks to address loneliness and isolation experienced by many older adults by offering a variety of intergenerational activities. Programs such as Silver Sneakers®, online Coffee and Conversations, a hiking program, a book club and much more have been and continue to be successful. The recent launch of the Academic Elder Volunteer Program was implemented for the first time this fall with nursing students and also proved to be a success.

“We had four amazing Academic Elder volunteers who virtually joined Professor Nancy Bonard’s Nursing Fundamentals Course, acting as ‘standardized patients’ IIA Director Heather DiYenno said. “This opportunity allowed the nursing students to practice their clinical assessment skills along with general communication and interviewing techniques in a simulated environment.”

DiYenno and Bonard have been collaborating on several projects that support both the nursing program at SJCME and IIA. Due to the restrictions from the COVID pandemic, the Academic Elder Volunteer Program filled a gap in hands-on learning.    

“The nursing program’s clinical sites for long-term care have been part of the curriculum, working directly with patients at long-term care facilities,” Bonard said. “However, this semester, the nursing students were not able to visit the facilities due to the risk of coronavirus transmission.”

Learning how to communicate effectively with the patient and create a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship would not have been fulfilled if not for the help of the Academic Elders.

“While there are ample opportunities for practicing skills on mannequins [such as bathing and transferring clients], there was a need for students to be able to practice therapeutic communication skills,” Bonard said. “The discussions included many important themes for nursing care, such as caregiving, the unique needs of older adults, transitions of care, and holistic care of clients.”

“At the conclusion of the four-week period, both volunteers and faculty noted that there was improvement in students’ verbal and non-verbal therapeutic communication, fostering a positive and
effective nurse-client relationship,” DiYenno said.

Although the students were not available for an interview, they expressed to both DiYenno and Bonard that they were grateful to talk with a real person, being able to ask better questions that included feedback as a result. This included proper and effective ways of communication – knowing what to say and what not to say to a patient. They also said this portion of the experience was one of the favorite parts of their clinicals.

The Academic Elder volunteers, who had heard about this opportunity through email communications with IIA, share some of their own experiences. Lyman and Darnell Stuart were two of those volunteers.

“Meeting with Nancy and Heather was all that it took to see what a wonderful experience this would be for their students,” Lyman Stuart said. “I love helping anyone further their education in whatever they may be learning, and I found this to be unique.”

Darnell Stuart, who is very engaged in theater, was looking for ways to be involved now that theaters are closed. Having had many years of work experience in senior health care, Darnell believed she was able to contribute to the students’ learning. But she also learned something as a volunteer.

“I was reminded of the term, ‘youth is wasted on the young.’ This is not so true - it is not wasted. It is they who keep us young if we allow them to grow.”

A third volunteer, Donna Leitner decided to be an Academic Elder because she had many positive mentors throughout her educational and professional career and thought this would be an opportunity to “pay it forward."

“I’m hoping my involvement afforded students a ‘live elder’ (albeit by videoconference) to practice
communication and assessment skills,” Leitner said. “Most importantly, I feel I brought out the life experiences, frailty and struggles of the characters portrayed in the scenarios so students could learn to see the person and not just the illness or disease.” 

“Watching their growth caused me to ‘up my game’ in portraying the character as realistically as possible,” she said. “In some instances, I had to do research on the character’s illness or the formal medical assessment scales/tools that might be utilized in their questioning.”

There may be more opportunities for both older adults and students next semester.

“Nancy’s class will continue with a different curriculum and there is a possibility to work with them again this spring,” DiYenno said. “Due to limitations of clinical placement, these students would have otherwise lost a whole year of clinicals without the help of the volunteers.”

IIA is also having discussions with other departments at the college including Social Work and Communications about other Academic Elder opportunities. And it seems from the positive feedback from the first set of volunteers, IIA and the professors will not have to look far for more Academic Elders.

“Their enthusiasm is infectious,” Lyman Stuart said. “I am already looking forward to the spring
semester when we can do this again.”

For other older adults who may be thinking about volunteering their time as an Academic Elder, Darnell Stuart has this to say:

“I do hope more people get involved. The students deserve what each of us can give them and we deserve the joy of helping them grow.”

For more information on the Academic Elder Volunteer program, contact Heather DiYenno at the Institute of Integrative Aging by email at [email protected] or by phone at 207-893-7641.<