Our "150 Project"

In 2012, Verrill Dana celebrated 150 years of client service.  To honor this milestone, we launched "The 150 Project." Throughout the year, Verrill Dana facilitated and recognized the donation of time, money or property — in increments of 150 — by attorneys and staff. Teams from our offices around New England created their own “150” initiatives to benefit a range of causes, from fighting hunger to improving the environment.

The slideshow below highlights some of our initiatives.
  • Bowl for Kids' Sake
    From L to R: Madison Stedl, Doug Currier, Jeff Selser, Missy Rose

    When Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine put the call out for bowlers for their annual Bowl For Kids' Sake fundraiser, more than 30 Verrill Dana attorneys and staff donned their bowling shirts and raised $6042 for the organization (exceeding our goal of $150 per bowler).

    "Big Brothers Big Sisters helps children achieve success in school, helps them avoid risky behaviors such as getting into fights and trying drugs and alcohol, and helps them improve their self-confidence."
  • Baxter Woods- 150 Trees
    On April 30, staff and attorneys from Verrill Dana partnered with students from Lincoln Middle School to plant 150 trees in Baxter Woods.  The removal of invasive species and reintroduction of native white pines is a priority for the City of Portland's arborist, who oversaw the efforts.  See a full gallery of photos on our Facebook page, or learn more about our tree planting event here.
  • Preble Street Resource Center
    Preble Street's mission may be straightforward, but it is not simple. They are in constant need of donations; among their most needed items are ketchup and new socks.  Our in-house donation drive collected more than 150 bottles of ketchup and pairs of socks, which our team delivered to Preble Street in May.

    “Like so many social service agencies, Preble Street is facing a dire lack of resources at the same time that we're serving an unprecedented number of people. Generous donations such as these make us strong. They send a message of hope and compassion to those who are most in need.” - Matt Brown, Resource Assistant, Preble Street 
  • MSSPA Horse Rescue
    Seth Jirikowic, Walgreens Store Manager; Tim Keller, Pharmacy Supervisor; Anne Reiman and Lisa LaMarche from Verrill Dana's 150 Project team; rescued horse KokoPuff and Marilyn Goodreau, the heart and soul of the MSSPA.

    Verrill Dana and Walgreens partnered in a campaign to help the  Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (MSSPA) in their treatment of rescued horses. According to the MSSPA, “…horses rescued from abuse or neglect situations are about 50% more likely to experience an episode of colic than horses in the general population. Colic is the #1 killer of horses, and it is clear that rescued horses who have experienced one episode of colic are more predisposed to recurrence." Over-the-counter simethicone (sold under the brand name Gas-X) is a life-saver and a critical piece of colic treatment strategy. Through an in-house drive and a generous donation by our friends at Walgreens, we collected more than 150 boxes of the extra strength, chewable tablets.
  • Clothing Drive
    In July, we completed a drive to collect 150 bags of donated items for the St. Elizabeth's Essentials Pantry in Portland.  The Essentials Pantry is a welcoming, no-barrier program of distribution of non-food essentials to the most needy among us, regardless of religious affiliation. They serve as many as 350 adults every week, many of whom are immigrants or refugees for whom English is not their primary language.

    Our drive collected toys, clothing for all ages, and household staples such as diapers, soap, toilet paper, paper towels, feminine products, shampoo, laundry detergent, deodorant, and cleaning supplies that are not covered by the federal food stamp program.
  • Compass Project Boat Build
    Gregg Ginn, Ben Ford and Seth Coburn, members of the Verrill Dana team

    On July 13-15, The Compass Project held its Annual Boat Building Festival in Portland.  Over the course of the weekend, a team of Verrill Dana staff, attorneys and family members built an eight-foot rowing skiff under the guidance of Compass Project Coordinator Shane Hall. "In addition to working hard and rocking out on the boat, your team (whether you knew it or not) was also serving as positive role models to the young people around you, " Shane said. "Creating a positive environment, in which at-risk youths can prosper and thrive is what the Compass Project is all about."  Verrill Dana’s team successfully launched their completed boat from East End Beach in Portland on Sunday afternoon along with the other teams that participated in the event. 
     
    A firmwide silent auction for the skiff raised $235, which was donated to the Compass Project.

    The Compass Project, now in its 10th year, is an organization that uses boat building to provide positive direction to youth by encouraging the development of personal responsibility and community and environmental engagement.
  • Verrill Dana's Beach to Beacon Team
    Verrill Dana’s Beach to Beacon team - Left to right: Gretchen Johnson, Nathaniel Hull, Charles Bacall, Byron Verrill (did not actually run), Timothy Shannon, Rachel Wertheimer, Robert Ruesch, Lisa LaMarche and Jennifer Harrell. Not pictured: Eric Altholz, Robert Brooks, Sally Caras, Roger Clement, John Giffune, Ken Ginder and Alistair Raymond.

    Verrill Dana is proud to have raised nearly $1500 as part of the world-class TD Beach to Beacon 10K on August 4, 2012. The firm recruited 15 runners (to run a combined 150 kilometers) to raise money for this year’s race beneficiary, the Center for Grieving Children. 

    The Center’s mission is to provide loving support that encourages the safe expression of grief and loss and fosters each individual’s resilience and emotional well-being. Services are provided for free, for as long as people need them, by staff and trained volunteers.
  • Literacy Kits for Kindergarteners
    Pictured, L to R: Kevin Brewster, Lead Teacher at the Reiche School; Blanche Labbe, Verrill Dana; Casey Smith, United Way of Greater Portland; Marilee Pandiscio and Gretchen Johnson, Verrill Dana, and Sylvie Montello, Community Coordinator for the Reiche School.

    In September, 150 local kindergarteners received brand-new L.L. Bean backpacks, stuffed with literacy kits to help prepare them for reading.  Verrill Dana held an in-house book and supply drive to complete 150 kits, which included pencils, pads, magnetic letters, safety scissors and early-reading books.  L.L. Bean donated the backpacks and Longfellow Books in Portland donated copies of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom for the project.  With the help of the United Way of Greater Portland, the packs and kits were delivered to several local elementary schools in Portland and Westbrook.

    VIDEO: The backpack delivery at Longfellow Elementary, covered by WGME News 13.
  • Towel Donation for Florence House
    Pictured, L to R: Matt Brown, Resource Assistant for Preble Street Resource Center, Blanche Labbe and Mindy Russell, both from Verrill Dana.

    Throughout the year, a team of Verrill Dana staff members collected all returnable bottles and cans from the firm's Portland office and saved the redemption money they received for returning them. By early October, the group had enough money to purchase 150 bath towels and 150 hand towels to deliver to the Preble Street Resource Center to support Florence House, a residence home that provides permanent housing to chronically homeless women in Portland.

    Verrill Dana Staffers Donate to Shelters, Portland Daily Sun, 10/10/2012
  • Maine Potato Donation for Spurwink's Area Group Homes
    A Verrill Dana staff member coordinated the donation of 150 lbs. of Maine potatoes from Webb Farms in Aroostook County, one of the last that still harvests potatoes by hand, and delivered them to Spurwink Services. The potatoes were distributed to group homes from Somerset to York counties.

    In a note of thanks to the firm, Spurwink President Dawn Stiles wrote, "On behalf of the staff and clients at Spurwink Services, thank you for your generous in-kind donation to Spurwing Services. We are very pleased to be part of Verrill Dana's 150th anniversary celebration."
  • Halloween Candy for the Troops

    To support Operation Gratitude, an organization that sends care packages to members of the U.S. military and their children, Verrill Dana staff and attorneys collected enough Halloween candy to keep at least 150 servicemen and women and their families smiling. And to keep their smiles looking their best, they also collected toothpaste and toothbrushes, dental floss, travel-size mouthwash, and lip balm.

  • Walk for Hope
    Members of Verrill Dana's Augusta office along with family and friends prepare to participate in the Walk for Hope.

    Verrill Dana entered a team of walkers in the 9th Annual Walk for Hope in Augusta. The team easily surpassed its goal of raising at least $150 to support programs that provide education and support to breast cancer patients, survivors and caregivers.
  • Dunkin Donuts Gift Card Donation
    Collection cups placed next to the coffee stations in the firm quickly filled with donations to support the efforts of Pastor Mair Honan from Grace Street Ministry, who each fall/winter distributes $5 Dunkin Donuts gift cards to area homeless people to allow them to sit and warm themselves with a cup of coffee. With the money raised in the collection cups, Verrill Dana was able to purchase 30 such gift cards worth a total of $150.

    Verrill Dana is proud to support the humanitarian efforts of Pastor Mair Honan, who offered the following words of thanks, "Thank you for the wonderful gift of Dunkin Donuts cards and for remembering those who often feel invisible. We can all bring a bit of light into this world - but you already know that!"
  • Ronald McDonald House Donation
    Pictured, L to R: Roger Clement, Partner at Verrill Dana, Gabrielle Little, House Manager at Ronald McDonald House of Portland, Maine, Marilee Pandiscio, Legal Assistant at Verrill Dana and Ronald McDonald House volunteer for more than 12 years, Karen Kimball Hartford, Partner at Verrill Dana, Gretchen Johnson, Director of Marketing at Verrill Dana.

    Late in November, Verrill Dana completed a donation drive to support Ronald McDonald House of Portland, Maine. Through the support of the community, the Ronald McDonald House is able to provide home away from home for many families whose children are receiving vital medical care from area hospitals.The firm collected items from Ronald McDonald House's "Wish List" of their most needed supplies and sought to donate at least 150 of those items, but by the end of the donation drive had in fact tripled that amount. Verrill Dana hopes that its donation brings some cheer and comfort to the families utilizing the Ronald McDonald House.

    In a letter to Verrill Dana, Ronald McDonald House of Greater Portland Executive Director Robin Chibroski expressed her gratitude, "This support for the Ronald McDonald House with this incredibly generous donation of 150 much-needed wish list items collected in honor of Verrill Dana's 150th Anniversary is the reason we can continue to provide a home away from home for families when they need us the most. Heartfelt thanks to everyone for your tremendous generosity and support!"
  • Horizons for Homeless Children Donation
    Pictured: L to R: Scott Keay, Developmental Coordinator, Horizons; Gina Briguglio, Christine Patch, Gail Pennington and Janice Donnellan, all from Verrill Dana; Katherine Carroll Day, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, Horizons.

    Horizons for Homeless Children has been helping families struggling with homelessness since 1994. By providing a nurturing environment for children to learn and develop, and providing job training and college courses for parents, Horizons seeks to break the cycle of homelessness. Attorneys and staff in Verrill Dana's Boston office heard about the important work being done at this organization and coordinated a firm-wide effort to assist. Members of the Boston office were able to collect more than 150 items including: paint and paintbrushes, craft supplies, Play-Doh, other assorted art supplies, and a variety of children's books to donate to the Horizons to support their work with children. Through this donation, Verrill Dana hopes that many children living in shelters are given the opportunity to play, learn and to just be kids.
  • Animal Refuge League Volunteers
    Pictured, L to R: Front, Misti Munster, Kate and Mike Aucoin, Samantha Flaherty. Back, Marcel Ouellette, Chris Caseiro, Peg Flaherty.

    On Saturday, December 1, a team of Verrill Dana attorneys, staff and family members each donated 150 minutes of their time to volunteer at the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, in Westbrook. The group worked to clean and clear brush from dog-walking trails. Despite the cold weather, the Verrill Dana team enjoyed the opportunity to help the Animal Refuge League provide a happy and healthy environment for stray, abandoned and relinquished animals.
  • Preble Street Resource Center Donation
    Jill Roberts, Paralegal/Legal Assistant

    As the cold weather approached, a group of Verrill Dana staff organized a donation drive to collect at least 150 hats, scarves, gloves and hand warmers to donate to the Preble Street Resource Center. A few days before Christmas, having met and exceeded their goal, the group was proud to present all of the cold weather outerwear to Preble Street Resource Center, where they will provide some warmth and comfort to those who need it the most.
  • Verrill Dana Pet Photo Contest
    L to R: Apollo and Rocky

    To raise money to support Maine Greyhound Placement Service, an organization dedicated to finding loving homes for retired greyhounds that can no longer compete on the racetrack, a group of Verrill Dana attorneys and staff organized an in-house pet photo contest. In exchange for a contribution, participants were able to submit their favorite photographs of their pets. Over the course of the one-month contest more than 150 photos were submitted to be judged in 6 different categories. Contributions to the Maine Greyhound Placement Service as a result of the contest easily surpassed the initial goal of $150.

    Many thanks to Fitzgerald Photography, 2 Jacks Snacks, HappyME and Falmouth Animal Hospital for donating prizes to the contest.

    View contest submissions on the Verrill Dana Facebook page.