Newsletters

‘We’re Able to Shine Again’

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After two years of pandemic pivots, the Boys & Girls Club of Bangor hopes a return to normal programming this summer will give students a much-needed boost heading into the school year. In particular, two Foundation-funded initiatives target the Club’s youngest and oldest members – a Kindergarten Boot Camp and Work-Based Learning Program for teens.

2022 Fellowship Summer Update

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The latest John T. Gorman Fellows are in the homestretch of the Fellowship’s intensive seminars. They have set long-term goals for their work, developed strategies to accomplish them, and have identified indicators they will use to mark their progress in the months and years ahead. Several Fellows have offered their reflections on the impacts the Fellowship has already had on their work and organizations.

DSGP Grantee Profile: Rural Community Action Ministry

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Founded 52 years ago, Rural Community Action Ministry is not only addressing immediate needs for the people it serves, but is helping them open doors to greater economic stability. Its comprehensive approach – as well as the outsized impact this small organization has in an underserved region of Western Maine – is a major reason RCAM has been a longtime Direct Services Grantee for the John T. Gorman Foundation.

Roof Over Their Head, Partners by Their Side

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Youth exiting foster care face daunting challenges as they transition to adulthood – including high rates of homelessness – not only because of trauma they have faced in the past, but also limited support systems available to them in their young adulthoods. With Foundation funding, Portland Housing Authority has paired federal housing vouchers and intensive supports to put these youth in a much better position to thrive as adults – and parents.

‘As soon as the kids were here, they were very joyful’

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In April, the John T. Gorman Foundation awarded the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maine a grant to provide afterschool and summer programming for 240 children living temporarily in two hotels in South Portland. The goals of the program are not only to offer a positive space and academic support to students, but also to relieve stress for their entire families, who are coping with past trauma and difficult circumstances as refugees, asylees, and asylum seekers. We recently spoke with Baba Ly, Senior Program Director at the Club, to learn more about the trauma-informed approach they are using to serve them.

RELEASE: Foundation Supports Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine in Providing Afterschool Services for Unhoused Youth in South Portland

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With the support of the John T. Gorman Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine (BGCSM) is launching a new program to provide services to families in temporary living situations at hotels in South Portland. Starting April 11, BGCSM will begin providing transportation to 240 youth (ages 6-18) from the Quality Inn and Howard Johnson Hotel in South Portland to the Boys & Girls Clubs in Portland and South Portland. Kids will participate in traditional BGCSM enrichment programs, including homework help, art, music, STEM, and leadership programs.

The Forecaster: Moms in recovery get a hand with college prep, career planning

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The Forecaster published a story about a partnership supported by the John T. Gorman Foundation to open educational pathways for mothers in substance use recovery at McAuley Residence. The Foundation admires the two-generation approach McAuley Residence to work with both parents and their children simultaneously. “There’s a focus on both parents and children, supporting them … Read more