Houlton groups kick off campaign for votes

HOULTON, Maine — It may be an off-year election in political circles, but the heat is on when it comes to the Bangor Savings Bank’s “Community Matters More” campaign. Up for grabs — $100,000 total in donations. Of the 68 local non-profit organizations vying for the cash, two are from Houlton in the northern category.
    Since the bank was closed Monday for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, the kickoff got into campaign mode yesterday when representatives of the Houlton Humane Society and the Field of Dreams met at the Houlton branch on Court St. with Christine Nickerson, Bangor Bank’s northern area sales manager.
Heather Miller, Houlton Humane Society executive director, said the $5,000 donation is needed for a new van so that staff can ferry animals to the veterinarian, adopt-a-thons and fund-raising events. “Our van is not working very well. We would like to use the money towards that. And, we need extra cages because right now we have two or three cats per cage. So, we could use an extra bank of cages.”
Also on the ballot is the Houlton Little League’s Field of Dreams project. Ben Drew, Little League president said the group “has almost finished two fields and is trying to finish the last two. The funds will go toward actual field construction for chain link fencing, dugouts and other physical assets.”
Nickerson said branch staff nominate candidates for the campaign and once on the ballot, “the community can really pull together through voting and get money to these organizations.” Each of the groups on the ballot will get $1,000. The top vote-getters in each of the eight regions will get $5,000. And, if an organization is not on the ballot, it can still win with enough write-in votes.
Residents and visitors can vote using a ballot at a branch or at a community event where the organization has ballots. And, Nickerson said, voters outside Houlton can vote online at: www.bangor.com. Voting ends March 2.