Challenge Grant of $450,000 Made to Maine Sea Coast Mission For EdGE Endowment of Centennial Capital Campaign

February 28, 2008

BAR HARBOR – Gary DeLong, Executive Director of the Maine Sea Coast Mission, announced on Monday that a $450,000 challenge grant has been made to its capital campaign to support the EdGE endowment. He stated that an adequately funded endowment is critical to sustaining the EdGE, the award winning after-school, in school, and summer program for children in grades four through eight in six communities in coastal Washington County where there is no Y or Boys & Girls Club to provide enrichment activities for children.

The 21 st Century grant will enable the Maine Sea Coast Mission to expand its EdGE after- school and summer programs from the six communities where it is currently being run (Addison, Cherryfield, Columbia Falls, Harrington, Milbridge, and Steuben) to an additional three communities (Sullivan, Winter Harbor, and Jonesport/Beals). In addition, the EdGE will be expanding its programs in Narraguagus High School.

The The goal of the Mission’s Centennial Capital Campaign, which was launched on July 11, 2005, is $12 million. Almost $10.5 million has been raised to date. Of the $12 million total, an EdGE endowment of $5 million is being created to support the EdGE. A generous anonymous donor has committed to match all new donations for the EdGE endowment up to a total of $450,000. A total of almost $200,000 has already been raised against this match.

Mr. DeLong stated: “We are, of course, very pleased to have received this generous challenge which reflects confidence in the leadership of the program and in its importance to the children in Downeast communities. We encourage anyone who is interested in helping children achieve their full potential in the sixth poorest county in the entire United States to consider making a gift to the EdGE endowment. This is an especially good time to make such a gift as it will effectively be doubled through the generosity of this anonymous donor.”

The EdGE was named the most outstanding after-school program in Maine out of 37 programs receiving any state funding by the Maine After School Alliance in October 2006. On February 11, 2008, Charlie Harrington, Director of the EdGE, was one of three people invited by the Afterschool Alliance to speak at a rural after school Congressional briefing held at the White House. The other speakers were Mark Shriver, Vice President for U.S. programs of Save the Children, and Jim Cunningham, Superintendent of Danville Public Schools in Arkansas. Mr. DeLong observed that: “The EdGE has clearly become a national leader in rural after school programs. Leaders in Washington and elsewhere are looking to the EdGE for answers on how children in poor rural communities can overcome multiple barriers to success.”