Maine Volunteer of the Year: Anne Behnke

Recognizes an individual who has committed significant time and effort to improving the life of individuals or the community through volunteer service. Over the years, this person consistently stepped up and pitched in whenever help was needed.

For 40 years, Anne Behnke has been a steady and deeply compassionate presence in hospice care through Andwell Health Partners, exemplifying the very best of Maine’s volunteer spirit. Contributing approximately 300 hours of service each year, Anne’s dedication is both extraordinary in its longevity and deeply meaningful in its impact on patients, families, and fellow volunteers.

Over time, Anne’s service has spanned every essential area of hospice care. She tirelessly provides patient companionship at the bedside, offering a calm and reassuring presence so that no one faces the end of life alone. At the Andwell Hospice House, she greets families with warmth and kindness, helping to ease anxiety during some of life’s most difficult moments. She also offers bereavement support, walking alongside families as they navigate grief and loss.

In addition to her direct service, Anne enthusiastically and skillfully plays a vital role as a mentor to new volunteers. She shares her empathy, professionalism, and resilience, helping others feel prepared and confident in their roles. Many volunteers credit Anne’s guidance as foundational to their ability to serve, making her influence felt far beyond her own hours of service.

Consistently, Anne is known among staff as someone who “steps in before anyone even asks.” Whether sitting vigil, supporting a grieving family, or assisting with the daily needs of the hospice house, she consistently brings compassion, reliability, and quiet strength to every task. Her willingness to take on deeply challenging assignments and her ability to provide comfort in moments of profound vulnerability clearly set her apart.

Abundant testimonials included in the nomination highlight the depth of her impact. She is described as a “sacred presence” at the bedside and a source of strength and stability in a field that can be emotionally demanding. Her positivity and energy uplift those around her, strengthening both the volunteer program and the broader community of care. Anne Behnke’s forty years of service represent thousands of moments of dignity, connection, and compassion. She is more than a volunteer—she is a cornerstone of Andwell Health Partners and a true embodiment of selfless service.

Young Maine Volunteer of the Year: Nellie Young

Recognizes a person 20 years old or younger who, through volunteer service, has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving the life of individuals or the community and, by example, shows the meaning of "active citizenship."

For nine years, Nellie Young has exemplified the qualities of this award: ambition, compassion, and an unwavering dedication to service that inspires all who encounter her. She demonstrates the power of youth volunteerism through tireless dedication to her school, community, and international service projects. Contributing a range of 120–160 hours annually, Nellie consistently combines leadership, creativity, and compassion to make meaningful change both locally and abroad.

Her remarkable volunteer journey began in third grade with the Rotary Club of Kittery, where she braved freezing December weather handing out hot chocolate and pastries. Today, as President of the Interact Club at Marshwood High School, she innovates, organizes, and executes initiatives that benefit hundreds of people in her community. She has fundraised over $1,500 for club projects, led a “trick-or-treat-for-cans” drive collecting more than 250 food items, coordinated a purple-pinky week fundraiser, prepared 40 sandwich bags each month for a homeless shelter in Portsmouth, and maintains a community closet stocked with snacks and clothing for students and staff.

Nellie’s leadership extends beyond her school in Eliot. At the age of 14, she spearheaded her first international service project in Curva Zapata, Peru, raising $18,000 to support a nursery for 3- to 7-year-olds. Then, at 16, she launched a second project for a culinary school serving 30 students in Santa Barbara, Peru, raising $8,500 and helping ensure the school’s long-term sustainability. She presented these projects to more than 25 Rotary and Lions Clubs across three states, demonstrating remarkable initiative, poise, and communication skills.

Locally, Nellie remains committed to transforming her community by leading a team of 10 students in refurbishing an unused greenhouse at Marshwood High School, growing food for the cafeteria and flowers for local retirement homes. Her work touches both immediate needs and long-term community enrichment, blending creativity with service.

Clearly, Nellie’s dedication, energy, and ambition are matched by her achievements in academics, athletics, and personal pursuits. She has balanced advanced coursework—including multiple AP and college-level courses—while serving as president of three student organizations, captaining varsity volleyball and tennis teams, running her own business, and working part-time. In recognition of her extraordinary service, she was inducted into the Kittery Rotary Club, received the Paul Harris Fellow Award in 2024, and earned numerous academic and athletic honors. Through her sustained commitment, leadership, and generosity, Nellie Young has made a profound difference in her community and the lives of those around her.

Outstanding Volunteer Team: "The Regulars"

This award recognizes a team of volunteers (family, employees, friends, club or association members) who committed significant time and effort to improving the life of individuals or the community through volunteer service. Fundraising is not considered a volunteer activity for the purpose of this award.

For over 20 years, a dedicated group of six volunteers known as “The Regulars” has quietly transformed lives across Lincoln County through their twice-weekly, year-round commitment to helping neighbors remain safe, warm, and dry in their homes. With a steady commitment to consistency, skill, and compassion, they provide essential home repairs for low-income residents in a county with aging housing stock, who would otherwise go without.

Since partnering with CHIP, Inc. in 2017, The Regulars have completed projects for more than 150 households, contributing an average of 50 hours per home. Their work includes building ramps and stairs, securing railings, replacing doors and windows, and restoring floors damaged by water and wear. They often take on challenging repairs in older or mobile homes—projects many contractors are unwilling to do—approaching each job with creativity, persistence, and care.

The impact of their work is deeply felt by those they serve. One Waldoboro resident, a 70-year-old man with severe arthritis, reached out when his handicap ramp became unsafe due to deterioration and instability. Within days, The Regulars assessed the situation and returned as a team, completing the repairs in just a few hours despite summer heat and difficult conditions. Reflecting on the experience, he shared that their generosity required no qualification or expectation – “just the love thy neighbor rule” – and left a lasting impression of kindness and community spirit.

Recipients of their kind acts consistently note not only the quality of the repairs, but the warmth and respect the team brings into their homes. One homeowner described the volunteers as “beyond nice, respectful, efficient, and knowledgeable,” while another recalled how their laughter and camaraderie helped ease the anxiety of accepting help.

Now with an average age of over 80, The Regulars continue to show up with remarkable dedication and energy. Their decades of experience, reliability, and generosity have made them an irreplaceable asset to CHIP and the broader community. Through their hands-on service and genuine care for others, The Regulars embody the spirit of volunteerism and serve as an inspiration across Maine.

Outstanding Non-profit Volunteer Program: "Finding Our Smiles" 

Recognizes a volunteer program operated by a non-profit organization (501(c)3), school, municipality, or other unit of government, which has made significant changes and improvements in challenges or problems faced by the community.

Finding Our Smiles is a volunteer program of Finding Our Voices that provides comprehensive life changing dental care to domestic abuse survivors, substantively supporting each client’s transition from surviving to thriving. Through a network of approximately 40 volunteers - including 38 dental providers across 10 Maine counties - the program delivers dignified, high-quality care to low-income Maine women whose oral health has been impacted by abuse.

Since 2022, volunteer dentists and specialists have restored, or are in the process of restoring, the smiles, confidence, and overall health of 55 survivors, contributing an estimated $370,000 in donated care. Finding Our Smiles is the only program of its kind in the United States that provides pro-bono dental treatment exclusively to domestic abuse survivors, addressing both physical damage and the often-overlooked effects of emotional abuse. Patients receive the same gold-standard care as paying clients, with treatment plans that may include full-mouth restoration, implants, veneers, and orthodontics, often coordinated across multiple dental specialties.

Although the program contributes approximately 450 volunteer hours annually and serves a small number of participants at a time, its impact is profound. Survivors report being able to return to work, advance in their education and careers, restore their health, and re-engage fully in their lives and families. For many, the care eliminates chronic pain, prevents serious infections, and removes daily reminders of past abuse.

Testimonials included in the nomination highlight the transformative nature of this work. One participant shared, “This is the first time I have seen myself smile back at me in a mirror since 2012.” Another described the experience as “a phenomenal blessing…signifying validation, worthiness, closure, and hope.” A community college student noted that after years of hiding her smile due to damage caused by abuse, she can now pursue her education and career with confidence, saying, “Now I can focus on raising my son, finish college, and launch my career… I can smile again.”

Through the dedication and compassion of its volunteer providers, Finding Our Smiles demonstrates how specialized volunteer service can restore not only oral health, but dignity, confidence, and a renewed sense of possibility.

Outstanding Business Volunteer Program: Androscoggin Bank

Recognizes an employer that maintains a formal workplace volunteer program and a corporate culture that inspires and equips employees to volunteer and make an impact in their communities. Charitable donations and fundraising are not considered a volunteer activity for the purpose of this award.

As one of only a few Certified B Corp banks in the United States, Androscoggin Bank has built a culture where volunteerism is central to its mission and commitment of creating lasting community impact. By providing employees with 24 hours of paid volunteer time annually and organizing initiatives like Greater Giving Days, the bank empowers its staff to serve in meaningful, hands-on ways across Maine.

Moreover, this commitment has led to significant growth in impact, with employees contributing 5,824 volunteer hours in 2025 and supporting an estimated 40,000 individuals through partnerships with 179 nonprofit organizations. From food security efforts to workforce support, employees regularly volunteer on the front lines—serving meals, stocking pantries, assisting with job applications—while also offering professional expertise in areas like HR, IT, and marketing.

Consistently over time, partner organizations highlight the depth of this support. A Lewiston community center describes the bank as essential to sustaining services such as the soup kitchen, food pantry, diaper bank, and immigrant integration programs, noting both the hands-on volunteerism and behind-the-scenes expertise provided by staff. Similarly, Safe Voices, serving survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking across Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford Counties, emphasizes that Androscoggin Bank’s support helps ensure access to critical services and advocacy for those on a path toward safety and healing.

Beyond volunteer hours, the bank’s employees serve as engaged leaders—contributing on nonprofit boards and committees, strengthening organizational capacity, and deepening community connections. In recognition of this extraordinary partnership, Androscoggin Bank was named Corporate Partner of the Year by one partner organization in 2024.

Through sustained service, leadership, and compassion, Androscoggin Bank’s volunteer team exemplifies the power of business to build safer, stronger, and more connected communities.

Special Recognition Outstanding Service Enterprise: Maine Audubon

Recognizes a Maine public or non-profit organization that transformed its culture and operation into a certified Service Enterprise and now strategically engages volunteers in leadership and other skilled volunteer roles so there is greater organizational efficiency and expanded ability to achieve the mission.

This year, Maine Audubon achieved Service Enterprise Certification, a national recognition awarded to organizations that strategically leverage the skills and talent of volunteers at all levels of their work. This designation places Maine Audubon among the top-performing nonprofits in the country - organizations that don’t just use volunteers, but operate with a culture of volunteerism deeply woven into their strategic planning, operations, and mission delivery.

Their work includes expanding systems for accurate volunteer data tracking and reporting; strengthening communication with and about volunteers; and creating clearer pathways for training, feedback, and ongoing recognition. Maine Audubon has also invested in new ways to engage volunteers - from long-standing conservation initiatives like the Annual Loon Count and Piping Plover monitoring, to community science projects, expanded education programs, and outreach partnerships with schools, cultural organizations, and workforce development groups. Their commitment to collaboration, continuous improvement, and truly integrating volunteers into their mission has positioned the organization as a leader in effective volunteer engagement.