Officials with the Maine Commission for Community Service have announced that Jason Parent of Caribou and Virginia Joles of Presque Isle have been appointed to the statewide Commission for Community Service Board.
Contributed photo
Jason Parent of Caribou, left, and Virginia Joles of Presque Isle, center were recently appointed by Governor Baldacci to serve on the Maine Commission for Community Service. Congratulating Parent and Joles is CarolAnne Dube, incoming commission chair. Dube, who recently relocated from Fort Kent to Bangor, is the director of development at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bangor.
“Jason and Virginia were chosen for their extensive experience with the non-profit sector and their ongoing relationship with Maine’s northern communities and citizens, said Maryalice Crofton, executive director of the Maine Commission for Community Service.
“With their knowledge and expertise, their assistance in designing and implementing effective vehicles for growing and sustaining Maine’s community service ethic will be an invaluable contribution to the commission,” Crofton said.
Parent, a St. John Valley native, is director of development and college relations at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle.
His civic and volunteer work has included serving on the board of directors for the United Way of Aroostook, including a two-year term as President.
He works on the popular Aroostook Idol Project for the United Way and has served as president of the Maine Acadian Heritage Council, a federally funded non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the unique Franco-American and Acadian culture of Maine’s St. John Valley.
Parent is a member of the Presque Isle Rotary Club, and serves on the Board of Directors of Leaders Encouraging Aroostook Development and the Wintergreen Arts Center.
He has been honored as a former Madawaska Area Citizen of the Year, State of Maine Young Careerist by the Maine State Business and Professional Women’s Organization, and he was named Outstanding Younger Alumni by his alma mater the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Parent and his wife Kimberlee live in Caribou with their 5-year-old son Christopher and 2-year-old daughter Kallee.
“I have always valued the important work of volunteers and have been involved with a number of non-profit groups in northern and central Aroostook where volunteers have made a profound difference in the ability of the organization to fulfill its mission. Serving as a director on the Maine Commission for Community Service will allow me to bring that experience and voice to a group of people who are concerned with volunteerism across Maine,” said Parent.
Joles is the director of communications, board relations and economic development at the Maine Public Service Company. She is also the director and founding organizer of the Aroostook Partnership for Progress and the director of Leaders Encouraging Aroostook Development.
Joles is involved in many community based organizations including the Presque Isle Congregational Church, Presque Isle Downtown Revitalization Committee, Northern Maine Community College Foundation, Patriot Guard Riders, Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary Club and Rotary International.
In addition she has held the following titles serving as director and past president of The James School, Director of the United Way of Aroostook, and director and founding organizer of the Wintergreen Arts Center.
“I support the commission’s vision, service strategies, and value propositions, and I look forward to working with the board to expand existing community opportunities that help enhance growth and profitability to businesses in Northern Maine,” Joles said.
The Commission for Community Service consists of 26 board members are charged with fostering community service and volunteer initiatives for the State of Maine.
It is the state liaison for the Federal Corporation for National and Community Service, administering AmeriCorps grants and overseeing Maine’s national service programs including AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve and Senior Corps programs throughout the state.
The commission also provides training and technical assistance to volunteer managers statewide, and maintains Maine’s statewide online volunteer database located at www.VolunteerMaine.org.
To learn more about the Maine Commission for Community Service visit www.maineservicecommission.gov or contact the Maine Commission for Community Service at 287-8933 or service.commission@maine.gov.
