Tamika Donahue, the branch manager at Academy Mortgage in South Portland, has always believed in the power of giving back. “I was raised in a family that, regardless of what we had, my parents believed in giving to other people,” she says. “I’ve met a lot of people who, no matter the gesture—big or small—it impacts their life. Just having a little bit to pay it forward in any way that I can means a lot.”
Donahue shares her charitable spirit with the rest of the Academy Mortgage team, who all work together on a variety of community projects throughout the year. Their biggest project, the Maine Suitcase Party, benefits Camp Sunshine at Sebago Lake, a year round retreat retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. “I was introduced to Camp Sunshine about 13 years ago,” Donahue explains. “Since my involvement with the annual event, not including this year, we’ve raised over a million dollars.” With the Maine Suitcase Party now being held every other year, a new event—Camp Sunshine’s Night at the Farm—debuted this fall in the state-of-the-art barn at Shaw Cherry Hill Farm in Gorham. As the lead planner for the fundraising event, Donahue spearheaded the silent auction, ran the live auction, and worked with her branch to facilitate the evening. Despite the poor weather, nearly 1,100 guests attended the old-fashioned barn party for a night of line-dancing, food and drinks, fundraising opportunities, and live music. “Half my team volunteered alongside me on the night of the event as bartenders,” Donahue laughs. “It’s a lot of work—it’s about nine months of planning for one event!”
In November, Donahue and her team organize another annual event where they provide full Thanksgiving meals to veterans. “For the last three years, we’ve fed over 200 families with donations solely collected by our office along with gift cards donated by others,” she explains.
“We provide a fresh turkey and all of the fixings, and then we add a $20 Hannaford gift card.” Last year, Donahue and her team served up their Thanksgiving feast at the new veterans facility in Portland, offering a convenient location for veterans to pick up their meals.
“When you work on anything charitable, at least for me and the people I work with, it brings us joy to help someone else,” says Donahue of volunteering alongside her Academy Mortgage team. “When you’re involved in a community with the people that you work with, it’s extra special,” she adds. Of course, she acknowledges that there’s always more to be done: “If only we could get everyone to do something, it would be a lot more powerful,” she says. “Someday when I can retire, it’s all I’m going to do.”