All across Portland, businesses are stepping up to make a difference. Between volunteering and supporting young talent, these local professionals are not only expressing their values but also fostering collaboration and empowering future leaders. Here’s how they’re giving back.
Portland Trust Company
The Locker Project is a local nonprofit that partners with preschools, schools and neighborhoods throughout Cumberland County to provide food staples, rescued fresh produce, and donated baked goods to children and their families. Portland Trust Company employees enjoy volunteering on the assembly line, putting together bags of food for students to take home. “We’re very collaborative in everything we do as a company,” says Amelia Dow, CEO of Portland Trust. “We were built to serve the Maine community, and it’s important that everyone does their part to help their neighbors. Volunteering with the Locker Project is a great team building activity that allows us to make a difference, too.”
Centerline Design + Build
Yarmouth-based firm Centerline Design + Build is the presenting sponsor for this year’s annual POP event, a celebration of Portland's art, food, and culture that raises funds to support Portland Ovations' diverse arts programming including School-Time Performances for young learners. “Centerline Design + Build chose to support Ovations and the POP fundraiser because of their support of our future musicians, singers, actors, artists, and designers,” says Jeanne Rapone, principal designer at Centerline. “To quote MaryAnn F Kohl, ‘Art is a place for children to learn, to trust their ideas, themselves, and to explore what is possible.’”
Chris Davis
Chris Davis, team lead at Places in Maine Real Estate Group, was recently introduced to a high school student interested in real estate; after their first meeting, he decided to mentor her in the industry. “I feel a huge responsibility to show the world that real estate is not all the glitz and glamour that Netflix makes it out to be,” he says. “My passion to share comes from never learning about money until my mid-30s, and wishing there were more resources for young people to understand what money is, where it comes from, and how quickly it can disappear.”