Gift to Island Connections Brings Sum of All Gifts to One Million
MAY 25, 2024
BAR HARBOR—When their dad, David Witham Sr. died, David and Christine Witham knew that they wanted to do something to honor their father’s memory. While some might have put up a plaque or named a building, the siblings wanted to do something that would continue, something that would help out the communities of Mount Desert Island and Hancock County in continuing ways.
Witham Family Hotel Charitable Fund was born.
On Thursday, as the siblings presented a check to Island Connections, the fund officially donated the millionth dollar to a local organization. Since 2017, Island Connections is one of the many organizations that have needed it to continue to do work for community good.
The $2,700 gift is also great publicity for Island Connections’ annual matching grant campaign.
Island Connections is celebrating independence on MDI by launching its Match Challenge fundraiser, which will run through July 4. The campaign aims to raise critical funds to support Island Connections’ mission of enhancing independence through providing free transportation and other essential services to older adults and individuals with disabilities in the MDI community.
The Withams made sure that their donation milestone coincided with Island Connections’ fund drive because they wanted to help the agency as much as possible.
“My parents, as well as my siblings and I, had a very humble upbringing in your typical blue collar mill town. We all learned the importance of community and the need to support each other,” David Witham told the Bar Harbor Story last December. “Over the past 60+ years, our family business has been blessed with a degree of success which affords us the opportunity to give back. My siblings and I are committed to continuing and growing the philanthropic ways our father started here in Bar Harbor. As our company provides shelter and food to visitors of Bar Harbor, our main philanthropic focus is helping those organizations who provide shelter to those in need along with other groups who support folks with food insecurities.”
That’s their main focus, but sometimes they help in other ways.
Whether it’s the Bar Harbor Food Pantry, a playing field in Ellsworth, or an overnight warming center in Ellsworth, a giant Christmas celebration for area families, or H.O.M.E., the fund has been giving to the communities of Hancock County since 2017.
When David Witham Sr. died, his friend Les Brewer told the Ellsworth American, “He’s a man that when he moves into a community it’s for everything.”
“It’s for everything” is a motto that the fund has embodied. It’s for shelter. It’s for food. It’s for kindness. It’s for community.
Christine Witham said Thursday morning as she chatted with staff at Island Connections, where she serves on the board, that the charitable fund has helped large and small organizations and initiatives throughout Hancock County. Things like the MDI Backpack Program, which quietly brings meals to children, have been supported.
Every Friday, through the backpack program, extra food is sent home with kids whose parents are battling job loss or financial hardship. Volunteers sort food in the basement of the Bar Harbor Congregational Church, putting it in bags. The bags are then brought to schools. The schools then disperse the food.
There are needs throughout Hancock County. The fund and Island Connections both work toward helping people with those needs. Founded in 1997, Island Connections transports seniors and people with disabilities. It also provides grocery shopping and other services as well as delivers Meals on Wheels. Each year, it coordinates over 5,500 rides. Volunteers give those rides. Neighbors help neighbors. And donors help keep it going by funding the vital service.
Island Connections Executive Director Carissa Tinker said, “We‘re so excited and so lucky to be an organization sponsored by our community. We’re so lucky to have Chris on the board.”
It’s more than the financial support, Tinker said. It’s also Christine’s wisdom and knowledge.
“We love having her,” she said.
There are plenty of connections between the Witham Family and Island Connections. One of the Witham Family Hotels’ employees volunteers to drive for the nonprofit.
Those connections are heartwarming and important, the women said. They are what makes community work and tie everything together.
The mission statement for the fund reads, “The Mission of the Witham Family Hotel Charitable Fund is to support local organizations and groups who reflect our presence in the community as a hospitality based company. We also believe that we can have the greatest impact with our support when we focus our funding in areas consistent with our experience in hospitality industry. For these reasons, the following areas have been identified for our support.”
A commitment to its own employees, to the local community when there are challenges because of the local housing market, food insecurity, and costs of living has defined the Witham Family Hotels and its charitable fund.
“The Witham Family has been a steadfast supporter of the Bar Harbor Food Pantry for years. When we are facing difficult times, no matter the situation, I can expect a call from Chris or David asking us how they can help,” said Bar Harbor Food Pantry Director Tom Reeve. “Without their compassion and guidance, I can say without a doubt that the Pantry would be unable to meet the rising food security needs in our community.”
Though the fund has already given $1 million in the last few years, David Witham said Thursday morning that he wished they could do even more.
“This is what it’s all about,” he said.
It’s about community. It’s about donations of time and service, and it’s about neighbors helping neighbors. It’s about everything.
MORE ABOUT ISLAND CONNECTIONS MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM
Through the generosity of seed donors, including the Witham Family Charitable Fund, Glenn and Nancy Tucker, Liz Cutler, and Blueberry Hill Development Corp, all donations made to Island Connections between May 16 and July 4, up to $15,000, will be matched dollar-for-dollar. The campaign is scheduled to culminate on Independence Day to underscore the significance of supporting programs that promote autonomy among older adults and individuals with disabilities.
“Mainers are incredibly independent people,” Tinker said, “it can be hard to ask for help, but we believe that seeking the resources that you need to thrive is one of the most independent things a person can do. That’s where we come in.”
Board President Stephanie Clement explained, “Our services not only provide vital support to seniors and people with disabilities today, but also serve as a reminder that mobility challenges can affect anyone at any stage of life. By supporting Island Connections, donors are investing in a resource that will be there for them or their loved ones when needed.”
Contributions to the match challenge will directly benefit Island Connections’ transportation services. To participate in the Match Challenge and double the impact of your donation, visit islconnections.org and click “donate” or mail a check to: 93 Cottage Street, Suite 101, Bar Harbor, ME 04609.
ABOUT WITHAM FAMILY HOTELS CHARITABLE FUND
Witham Family Hotels Charitable Fund was established in 2017 to carry on the philanthropic legacy of hotelier David J. Witham. The Fund is dedicated to supporting local and regional organizations who provide valuable charitable services to our community. Monetary support of the Fund is provided by Witham Family Hotels, a Maine hospitality company based in the Acadia National Park area.
ABOUT ISLAND CONNECTIONS
Island Connections’ mission is to provide free transportation and other services to seniors and people with disabilities from MDI and the surrounding islands to enhance their independence and quality of life by utilizing our core group of dedicated volunteers.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Kebo Street Employee Housing Hosts Its Tiniest Fans
For Hotel Workers, a Time to Create Christmas Magic
ABOUT US AND YOU.
Thanks for reading this article! All our posts are free because we want to make sure that everyone always has access to their local news, so feel free to share it if you want.
If you’d like to donate to help support us, you can, but no pressure! Just click here.
Bar Harbor Story is a mostly reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thank you for being here with us and caring about our community, too!
Bar Harbor Story 