PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — With a $20,000 donation from Katahdin Trust Company, the Aroostook Agency on Aging is on its way toward meeting fundraising goals for its new Aging and Disability Resource Center.
The Aroostook Agency on Aging is settling into its new headquarters at 260 Main Street and welcomed a $20,000 donation from Katahdin Trust Company Monday supporting the new center’s lobby resource area that provides print and digital information, as well as staff assistance.
“As Katahdin Trust enters its 101st year in community banking, I can’t think of a better way to kick off a new year than by supporting a great project,” said Diane Green, retail services officer and Presque Isle branch manager with Katahdin Trust.
“The resource center is going to provide improved access to resources, critical services and programs. We have an aging population and the services are much needed,” Green said.
“Our bank has many customers who are supported by the Aroostook Agency on Aging.”
The aging and disability nonprofit recently moved into its new 7,700 square foot headquarters and program space on Main Street, and is planning an open house for March when all of the renovations are complete, said executive director Joy Barresi Saucier.
“We hope people will come in and tell us about what their needs are,” Barresi Saucier said. “We know that when we age in our own communities, our communities are stronger for it. We keep people engaged.”
The total cost for renovations, equipment and new technology for additional programming will be approximately $221,000, and the Agency on Aging has been working to fundraise for about $161,000 of those costs. The organization also has applied for a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development to cover some of the costs of purchasing new videoconferencing technology.
Barresi Saucier said that the Agency on Aging has about $100,000 left to secure through fundraising. Various small and in-kind donations have been received and at least one other major donation is in the pipeline, she said.
