Senate President Kevin Raye Honors Maine Nonprofits at 9th Annual Nonprofit Day at the State House
Senate President Kevin Raye and Mano en Mano Executive Director Ian Yaffe discuss nonprofits and Washington County. Photo by Arthur Fink.
Augusta, ME – The Maine Association of Nonprofits hosted the 9th Annual Maine Nonprofit Day at the State House on February 2nd, inviting legislators to assert their commitment to working with the nonprofit sector in order to creatively, efficiently and effectively serve the people of Maine. Mano en Mano | Hand in Hand was one of the featured exhibitors at the event.
Senate President Kevin Raye of Perry visited the exhibiting nonprofits in the Hall of Flags and later met with Ian Yaffe, Executive Director of Mano en Mano to learn more about the organization’s work and talk about the future of Washington County.
Executive Director Ian Yaffe prepares for his meeting with the Senate President. Photo by Arthur Fink.
“The Senate President was very interested to hear more about our mission and the work we do every day in communities across Washington County,” said Yaffe. “I enjoyed speaking with him about ways we can continue to increase the effectiveness of our resources and help more people find the tools and skills they need to thrive.” One of those ways is the New Market Tax Credit, a new program that will help small businesses and entrepreneurs from underprivileged areas in Maine gain access to capital to grow their companies. President Raye was the prime sponsor of the bill which created this credit and will help bring more jobs to Washington County.
The theme of Nonprofit Day was “Partners in Prosperity”. Beyond providing critical safety net programs and improving our quality of life through education, art and environmental protections, nonprofits are also the economic backbone of rural communities in Maine, rarely straying from the communities they were created to serve. In Washington County, nonprofits employ more than 18% of the workforce and expend more than $100 million annually into the local economy through wages paid, retail and wholesale sales, and professional services contracted. These factors make the nonprofit sector a larger economic engine than the manufacturing and construction industries combined.
Dozens of legislators from both political parties visited with the exhibiting nonprofits during the five-hour event:
- Alice James Poetry Cooperative, Inc. (Alice James Books), Farmington
- Cobscook Community Learning Center, Trescott
- Community Counseling Center, Portland
- Consumers for Affordable Health Care, Augusta
- Frannie Peabody Center, Portland
- Friends of Seguin Island Light Station, Bath
- Maine Robotics, Orono
- Natural Resources Council of Maine, Augusta
- Operation Breaking Stereotypes, Orono
- Spurwink, Portland
- Trekkers, Tenants Harbor
- Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP), Portland
Nonprofit Day takes place at the beginning of the legislative session each year. For more information, visit www.nonprofitmaine.org/nonprofitday.