Pictured Sheryl Edgecomb, Bangor Savings Bank; Chris Kuhni, WHRL Executi ve Director; and Rose White, Bangor Savings Bank.

Pictured Sheryl Edgecomb, Bangor Savings Bank; Chris Kuhni, WHRL Executi ve Director; and Rose White, Bangor Savings Bank.

The Women’s Health Resource Library was awarded a $1,000 grant from the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation.
The award was part of the bank’s Community Matters More program. Over 86,000 Mainers cast their votes for the 68 winning non-profit organizations. More
than 2,900 organizations throughout the state vied for the winning votes.

The WHRL, incorporated in 2004, opened its doors in 2005. The mission of the library is to support women and their families in making informed decisions about their health care and become active partners in their care. In addition to providing a wealth of health-related media, the WHRL hosts ongoing wellness programs. These include a weight loss support group, Bone Builders exercise class, Yoga classes, a diabetes support group, and a mom and baby play group. Individual smoking cessation counseling is available from a certifi ed tobacco counselor. A variety of topics are addressed in the monthly health education workshops. So how does such a young organization capture enough votes to compete against other non-profi ts throughout Maine? All the groups that meet in the WHRL were asked to vote and their friends and families were asked for their support. Daily visitors were given a ballot.

The WHRL’s online friends were contacted and asked to vote and they were urged to ask all their contacts to do the same. The support of the local community was evident as the library was allowed to set up a table in the local Bayside Supermarket and gather votes from shoppers. Patients at the Milbridge Medical Center were offered ballots. Wyman’s, a corporate sponsor of the WHRL, encouraged their employees to vote. Staff at Down East Community
Hospital, another corporate sponsor, was also asked for their support. “The success of our organization has always been about collaboration,” said WHRL director Chris Kuhni, “and this was another great example of winning collaborations. We are grateful to Bangor Savings Bank for their dedication to community and to all our supporters who voted for us.”

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