"Patriot Cares, Patriot Shares"
Patriot Acura believes that the spirit of giving is a year-round effort. Our Mission is "To Serve", and to help foster a stronger and vibrant community. Every month, we team up with our sister store, Patriot Subaru, and select a grass roots 501c3 organization that works to support Mainers in all kinds of forms. Together we make a donation based on a percentage of sales during the first full week of the month. It can range from specific needs such as food cupboards, shelters, heating assistance, and handicap needs, to community support for arts, bike paths and walking trails, music, green projects and pet programs.
August 2025:
SailMaine
"Patriot Cares, Patriot Shares" and we're on
board with SailMaine, a community-based non-profit that offers
affordable
access to the water through unique programs and education. We first met with
Exec.
Director Michael McAllister who gave us insight into their goals and
capabilities, and after hearing the scope, opted to name SailMaine as
our
August partner for Cares/Shares. From this, we generated $2250 between our two Patriot stores, and went down to the sailing center on the East End, Portland. What a spectacular day to be on the water! SailMaine offers programs for Junior to
Adult
Learn-To-Sail, High School Racing, Adaptive Sailing for those with
disabilities, the City Sailor program for underserved youth and a Summer
Camp.
Program scholarships are made available through donations from
individuals,
grants, and corporations. Both Patriot Subaru and Patriot Acura are
passionate
about life-changing programs that take advantage of Maine's natural
resources. www.sailmaine.org On the dock, Jill Napijalo, Hannah Hodgdon, Erin Quigley, Dan Walker, Breeana Mawhinney, Michael McAllister, and Kody Burns. Anchors Away!
July 2025: Maine Academy of Modern Music
For July, "Patriot Cares, Patriot Shares" is rockin' with the Maine Academy of Modern Music! With locations in Portland, Augusta, Bangor and school partnerships on the midcoast, MAMM is committed to offering a wide range of music classes and opportunities for all ages.The power of music inspires, it creates collaboration, and it builds a community. It is a healthy, positive, and fun outlet for creative expression and an environment to practice important life skills. We love it! Our team met with Founder/Exec Dir. Jeff Shaw and Kerstin Gilg, Development Mgr, and presented a combined donation of $2100 from Patriot Acura and Patriot Subaru earned during the week of July 7-12. The summer camp was in session, and it was great to hear these young musicians shaking the building's brick foundation. Maybe there is an American Idol in there, or a gold record band forming right now, but most important is seeing these kids excited and engaged in a skill that can last a lifetime. Our associates from Patriot Acura and Patriot Subaru will be listening! L-R Jeff Shaw, Patriot's Megan Cogswell, Ethan Payne, Maddie Randall, Dustin Kimball, Greg Simpson, with Kerstin Gilg. Rock On! MAMM Website
June 2025: The Center For Entrepreneurial Studies
Our June "12 Weeks of Giving" program took Patriot Acura to
Farmington, to the The
Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and the dynamic Bonita Tompkins, Founder
and CEO. The key word is "Changemakers", and the CES is dedicated to "building
a foundation for lifelong achievement." Driven by Bonita's vision, young
students are empowered to develop their entrepreneurial and leadership skills.
Bonita developed a retail space and makerspace in downtown Farmington that is
now the CES Gift Shop. Youth produce their own goods to sell alongside
traditional gift shop items that are purchased wholesale. Other students
develop ourside service-based businesses, such as landscaping. They gain
hands-on experience in every aspect of entrepreneurship; design, production,
marketing, bookkeeping, and accounting. The store is both a learning lab and a
launchpad. It would take us 10 pages to relate all we learned about this
amazing program, as well as to describe the plans underway to build a new
facility, literally a new campus to expand the program. If you personally or
your business is interested in giving rural youth in Maine a path to success,
reach out to the CES. Patriot Acura's team raised $750 between June 2-7 that we
presented to Bonita, and while that is a small step towards bigger goals, we
hope that our message helps raise awareness of their great work. Look them up!
L-R Claire Dupre/CES, Jill Napijalo/Patriot Acura, Laura Burden and Bonita
Tompkins/CSE, with Ethan Payne/Patriot in the back!
May 2025: LifeFlight of Maine
Our May program took us to Sanford to meet with the crew of LifeFlight Maine to learn more about this critical life-saving organization, and to present a donation to help support their efforts. In a state as large as Maine,
with spread out medical services, the most effective way to deliver critical
care is to put the ICU in a helicopter.
Since 1998, LifeFlight
has brought ICU-level medical attention and transportation to more than 40,000
individuals in need of immediate critical care. With five helicopters, an airplane, and specialized ground ambulances operating
out of Sanford, Lewiston, and Bangor, these trained pilots and medical teams
are ready to serve night and day, 365 days a year. LifeFlight of Maine is a
non-profit, supported by the LifeFlight Foundation, a separate nonprofit that
raises funds and public awareness of the mission. When precision performance
really counts, LifeFlight delivers. Patriot raised $625 during the week, and though that only buys about 20 minutes of travel time in a helicopter, the wonderful LifeFlight team appreciated our efforts. We thanked them for a wonderful tour and presentation of their facility and equipment, and watched a helicopter land right in front of us. Awesome!
April 2025: Scarborough Land Trust
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When plans for the building of Patriot Acura were underway, we learned a lot about the town of Scarborough and how much they value the beauty of their natural areas, from marshes, woods, to open areas. With this, we were very glad to be able to name the Scarborough Land Trust as our April recipient of our "12 Weeks of Giving" program. Our team went a short hop up the Payne Road to the trail head of Warren Woods, one of the properties managed by the trust. We met up with Exec Dir. Andrew Mackie, Development Director Lisa Detweiller, and Board Member Lin Higgins, and presented a donation of $575 to the Trust. The donation came to $575 in addition to spotlight it on our website and social. We spoke with Lisa Detweiler, Andrew Mackie, and Lin Higgins who shared that the trust began in 1977, and to date has conserved over 1800 acres of land in Scarborough. There are 7 properties that are cared for that benefit the people and wildlife in perpetuity that have public access, parking, and trails. The strategic plan is to grow and protect more areas, including the ongoing conservation, protection, and restoration of the Scarborough Marsh. The Trust program has a busy schedule of events that engage the public, from educational and recreational programs to hands on-help on clean up and restoration projects. Patriot Acura believes in green, and worked closely with the town of Scarborough in the development of our 22 acre parcel. We have great appreciation for the work of the Trust, and happy to share their good work with everyone!
March 2025: Maine Veterans Homes, Scarborough
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Patriot Acura chose the Maine Veterans' Homes as our March
recipient of our "12 Weeks of Giving" program, and earned $550 from our first
week of the month sales program. We went a short hop down the road to the MVH
in Scarborough, and met with Patty Nutting, Administrator and Katie Berthiaume,
Director of Occupational Therapy, who provided both a wonderful overview of the
facility and goals, and then a tour through the building. Much larger than it
looks! They impressed upon us the wide variety of compassionate care provided
to veterans, spouses, and families, recognizing the time and sacrifices each
has made in service to our country. It is a 24-7 commitment to rehabilitative
and therapy care served by a dedicated team that understands the challenges. Patriot
associates on the tour - Jill  Napijalo,
Dominic Young, Ethan Payne, Matt Cormier(Veteran), Eric Rubino, and Tom
Talbott. Thank you Maine Veterans Homes for sharing what you do with us, we appreciate
all that you do! #Veterans #SupportOurVeterans #Scarborough.
February 2025: Southern Maine Agency on Aging
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News flash. We're all getting older. Fortunately, organizations like the Southern Maine Agency on Aging can make things a bit easier by providing "resources, services and information to empower older adults, adults with disabilities, and their caregivers to live to their fullest potential." Patriot Acura wanted to recognize the important work offered by SMAA and named them the recipient of our February "12 Weeks of Giving" program.  Taking a percentage of sales during the first week of the month, we donated $675, and more importantly we're hoping to share the good word on their helpfulness to many families. Friendship and companionship are very much at the heart of the SMAA mission. It is truly a community. Patriot associates met with SMAA's Community Resource Manager, Ashley Perrone, for a guided tour of this wonderful facility in Biddeford. A wide range of daily adult activities include exercise, art, music, baking, and "brain games". Nutritional guidance, Medicare counseling, financial organization, as well as numerous community resources from fuel assistance, guidance on housing and assisted living, in-home care, transportation, legal assistance and much more is part of the curriculum. Older Mainers, from all walks of life, all deserve the comfort of knowing that they do not have to face life's challenges alone. Pictured:  Megan Cogswell, Ethan Payne, Ashley, Glen Reed, Brooklyn Burns and Josh Williamson. Patriot Acura thanks SMAA for their effective, transparent, and practical commitment to helping our seniors and their families navigate these challenges.
January 2025: South Portland Food
Pantry
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Patriot Acura kicked off our 2025 "12 Weeks of Giving" program with a visit to the South Portland Food Cupboard. During the first week of every month we'll take percentage of sales and connect with a local grassroots charitable organization, and help spread the word about their good work. We were greeted warmly by Executive Director Dwayne Hopkins, which was great since the overnight temp hit an incredible -9 below. Inside the warehouse was bustling with volunteers, getting ready for the following day distribution. Joining Dwayne was Warehouse Mgr, Peter McNamara and Communications leader Lauren Smith Kennedy. Together they provided a cook's tour and detailed the extent of the work. In addition to providing a choice of foods to some 700 area families, the SPFC extends the resources to 10+ sober houses, 4 other food pantries, 2 soup kitchens, and asylum seekers. On the wall - the words of founding Director Sybil Riemensnider - "Respect the Food, Respect the Recipients, Respect Each Other". We were happy to present a check for $675 and learned that with the efficiencies of the volunteer organization and the donations from vendors like Hannaford, other businesses, and individuals, $675 can provide some 33 people with a week's supply of staple food. Patriot Acura salutes the excellent work of the Cupboard and their effective food assistance program. Thank you to the team!
December 2024: Project G.R.A.C.E Home Heating Assistance
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Patriot Acura was introduced to Scarborough based Project G.R.A.C.E. this past summer while we were still in fact building this store, when our sister Patriot store in Saco provided support for their ongoing senior living program. Now that Patriot Acura has opened, and being aware of Project G.R.A.C.E.'s winter time home heating assistance programs, we immediately reached out. And, how convenient that we just so happened to have Santa in the house when Alberta Follansbee, Board President came in when we presented the check for $550! "Bert" explained that Project GRACE has a dedicated fuel fund that donors can contribute to year-round (https://fuelrally.weebly.com/about.html) as well as a Fuel Rally event in February at the Scarborough Public Library that involves many community groups and members. Overall this program is the group's greatest expenditure. We're glad to help, and let others know how important this program is. You can never have too much GRACE (Granting Resources and Assistance the Community Effort)