Portland, Maine (July 12, 2012) Students participating in Waynflete School's Community Service Activity (CSA) have donated seventeen pieces of original artwork to McAuley Residence, a transitional housing facility in Portland serving women and women with children who need a helping hand due to addiction, abuse, mental illness, or other trauma. CSA is student-run service and outreach group that has been in existence at Waynflete’s Upper School since 2001.
Breda White is CSA’s faculty advisor. She says that Waynflete’s students “were moved by the mission of McAuley Residence and how the women were working to transform their lives for themselves and their children.”
Hilary Niles and Katherine Whitaker, both Waynflete seniors, recently delivered the CSA’s donation to McAuley Residence. There, they were greeted by Melissa Skahan, the Executive Director of McAuley Residence. Skahan said “The Waynflete students clearly understood the importance of their gift of art work to our women and children. It brings beauty to the walls of McAuley Residence and reminds them that the broader community cares for them.”
Of the seventeen pieces that were presented, one was an oil on canvas work completed by a parent, and the remaining pieces were painted by Waynflete high school students. Each was delivered ready to hang, and all are now proudly on display within McAuley Residence.
“There was a tremendous response and follow through from the students, who were motivated by the salubrious effect art can have in people’s lives,” stated White. “We will be continuing the project. The students are truly delighted to be involved in a multi-year, local, mother and child based project.”
About McAuley Residence
The story of McAuley Residence is one of hope. In 1988, the Sisters of Mercy founded this one of a kind transitional housing program to serve women with or without children whom were desperately in need of a helping hand. Whether it is addiction, abuse, mental illness, or other trauma, the women who enter this program are given the help they need to heal and to thrive. The Residence has seven furnished apartments, which can house one adult and up to two children. McAuley Residence offers an array of services—life skills, counseling, medical support, parenting coaching, and mentoring, all of which are focused on healing the body, mind, and spirit. The average stay for most women is 15 months to two years.
About Mercy Health System of Maine
Mercy Health System of Maine is a growing community of health care providers who provide clinically excellent, compassionate care. A recognized leader in quality, safety, innovation and patient experience, Mercy operates campuses throughout southern Maine, offering a broad range of medical and surgical services, as well as primary and specialty care. The story of Mercy includes Mercy Hospital, Gary’s House, McAuley Residence, Mercy Recovery Center, and VNA Home Health Hospice. For more information, please call (207) 879-3486 or visit www.mercyhospital.org.
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