A $100,000 gift from TD Banknorth made through the TD Banknorth Charitable Foundation to Northern Maine Community College will provide for increased access to healthcare education for residents of northernmost Maine. 
Photo courtesy of NMCC
Officials with TD Banknorth announced a $100,000 gift to Northern Maine Community College’s Campaign for the County’s College, which will support expansion of NMCC’s allied health programs in the St. John Valley. Participating in the presentation from the bank are, from left: from the Presque Isle branch, Michael Kelley, Jr., vice president; and Michael Kelley, Sr., executive vice president; as well as Larry Wold, president of TD Banknorth in Maine. On hand to accept the gift are, from left: Timothy Crowley, NMCC president; Brian Hamel and Kris Doody, campaign tri-chairs; and Raynold Gauvin, chair of the NMCC Foundation.
The announcement of the gift to NMCC’s Campaign for the County’s College was made by Larry Wold, president of TD Banknorth in Maine, at a luncheon on the Presque Isle college campus. The donation is part of a $200,000 TD Banknorth gift to support rural initiatives being undertaken by the Maine Community College System.
Wold joined NMCC President Timothy Crowley to announce that the funds will be used to expand NMCC allied health offerings, most immediately the associate degree in nursing program, to the St. John Valley.
“Through this initiative, Northern Maine Community College is working to fill two vital needs in northern Aroostook County – access to both healthcare and health education opportunities for people in the region,” said Wold. “We are very pleased to be able to assist with this effort, which will make a real difference in the lives of countless people.”
The funding will bring NMCC’s nursing program to the St. John Valley with related courses being offered as early as the coming semester beginning this week.
“Our efforts to provide access to higher education and to meet a critical workforce development need that will allow for area residents to fill local jobs has received a tremendous boost today. The impact of this generous gift will be felt for years to come,” said Crowley. “The TD Banknorth gift will allow NMCC to expand the work it is doing to respond to the critical need for nurses in Aroostook County. The collaboration amongst the healthcare community, business and education will provide for access to education that will lead to rewarding careers.”
Results of a survey conducted in the summer of 2007 by the St. John Valley Adult and Community Education Collaborative amongst healthcare organizations in the Valley showed a high need for associate degree-level nursing and other allied health program offerings in the northern region.
The survey responses were confirmed, on a larger scale, during a statewide listening tour of rural Maine conducted by Maine Community College System President John Fitzsimmons between July and November of 2007. The findings of the listening tour and a related $6.2 million investment in programs and services to rural Maine by the Community College System were announced last month.
TD Banknorth is among the first organizations supporting the MCCS Rural Initiative which will fund efforts to increase access to higher education in rural parts of the state. The expansion of allied health education program offerings in the St. John Valley by NMCC is the first project to be funded through the bank’s donation.
TD Banknorth Inc. is a leading banking and financial services company, headquartered in Portland, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of TD Bank Financial Group headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
The TD Banknorth Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Banknorth Inc.The Foundation’s mission is to serve the individuals, families and businesses in all the communities where TD Banknorth operates, having made over $22 million in charitable donations since its inception in 2002. The efforts of the Foundation are focused on the areas of economic empowerment, youth development and community support.
