February 13 Meeting Minutes
PRESENT: Alleyne Aular-Torres (remote), Betsy Sawyer-Manter, Kelsey Preecs (remote), Luke Shorty (remote), Riana Segerson (remote), Kelly Day, Diane Lebson (remote), Scott Adams, Janet May, Pamela Proulx-Curry, Mary Krebs (remote), Chelsey Fortin-Trimble, Ninette Irabaruta (remote), Michael Williams (remote), Ruben Torres (remote)
STAFF AND GUESTS: Lucy Martin, Maureen Kendzierski, Jamie McFaul, Brittany Gleixner-Hayat, Esayas Gebre
PUBLIC COMMENT: No public present for public comment
CALL TO ORDER
Pamela Proulx-Curry called the meeting to order at 10:06 AM. After the introductions of Commissioners, staff, and guests. The protocols for a hybrid business meeting were covered after Public Comment opened. The chair did remind members that conflicts of interest should be declared as agenda items come up.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Welcome Esayas Gebre the new Management Analyst for Volunteer Maine
Jamie McFaul is going to be moving on from Volunteer Maine
Consultant from ASC is going to start on Monday to assist with grant management and engagement but not grant making
APPRECIATIONS:
Brittany Gleixner-Hayat wants to give an appreciation to Lucy Martin for the Annual Report
Happy birthday to Lucy Martin
Appreciation for Esayas Gebres quickly getting accustomed to the position
Jamie McFaul turned the NOFO into an RFA in less than 36 hours and developed a schedule to get that done
Diane Lebson appreciates Celeste for her efforts with the Maine Volunteer Foundation
CONSENT AGENDA:
MOVED by Betsy Sawyer-Manter to approve the consent agenda. SECONDED by Chelsey Fortin-Trimble
Vote on the motion (roll call): in favor – Adams, Aular-Torres, Day, Fortin-Trimble, Irabaruta, Krebs, Lebson, May, Preecs, Sawyer-Manter, Torres Opposed – none. Motion passed.
Under the motion, the following minutes were approved and reports accepted: Commission business meeting minutes of January 16, 2025.
PLANNING AND FUTURE INITIATIVES
Update on federal issues.
The NOFO was released and Jamie McFaul turned it into an RFA
The deadline will be tight but Maine will be able to submit to the federal agency
2026 Federal Budget Update
AmeriCorps is being funded at the same level as last year
Climate Corps Awarded $40,000 from Betterment Fund
$25k for the first year and $15k for the second year
This money will be combined with funds from the Maine Volunteer Foundation to provide grants and technical support to climate-related organizations and programming throughout the state of Maine
Vicki Rusbult from the Maine Volunteer Foundation was integral in providing support for this grant application
Maine Legislature AFA Committee – Preparations for hearings
Ask if the Commissioners would be willing to provide public comment at these hearings
Engagement with the Council on Aging & Caucus on Aging
Brittany Gleixner-Hayat was asked to speak with the caucus who was very interested in collaborating with Volunteer Maine with a Maine Service Fellows approach
Betsy Sawyer-Manter will be representing the Commission at the Caucus
Annual ASC Meeting in DC
Pamela Proulx-Curry discussed how valuable it is to participate in this event in being able to connect with other Commissions from around the country
Chelsey Fortin-Trimble will be there in her capacity as a board member for ASC
FOCUS ON MISSION RESPONSIBILITIES
April 1st – Save the Date for the National Service Recognition Day at the Hall of Flags
Brittany Gleixner-Hayat invites all of the Commissioners to attend as there will be AmeriCorps programs from across the state attending and tabling
Chelsey Fortin-Trimble had a great Ending Hunger Corps member present at a meeting the other day and confirmed with Brittany Gleixner-Hayat that Ending Hunger Corps would be invited to table at the event
BUSINESS REPORTS
Public Policy & Communications Task Force.
Ruben Torres discussed how they are still in the process of reaching out to key individuals and the importance of the Hall of Flags event
Ruben Torres asked for recommendations for champions on the Legislature
Kelly Day and Brittany Gleixner-Hayat offered to connect Ruben with Drew Gattine
Grant Selection and Performance Task Force.
The Grants Review Task Force will be meeting at the beginning of March to move forward with choosing grantees for the NOFO
Applications to the federal government are due at the end of March
Executive Committee Task Force.
No further updates outside of the report.
Governor’s Awards for Service and Volunteerism
If Commissioners have anybody that would be interested in sponsoring please reach out to Lucy Martin, Diane Lebson, or Luke Shorty
Service Programs Task Force.
Maine Volunteer Leadership Conference will be establishing their planning committee soon
Clarified the Maine Service Fellows PTO policy for the site supervisors and the fellows
Service Programs Task Force will be reviewing the Governor’s Awards nominations
Assisting in the public roll out of ServeMaine asking for Commissioners to reach out if they are interested in assisting in promoting the website and encouraging sign ups
Institutional Effectiveness and Accountability.
Looking for financial support for a Dawnland showing
Financial Task Force.
Brittany Gleixner-Hayat updated the Commission with financial reports prior to this Commission Board Meeting
There is a surplus of funding due to staffing changes and vacancies and a spend plan will be developed by the Task Force
The Task Force will also be developing the next fiscal year budget.
Luke Shorty noted that the restrictions on funding affect the ability of Volunteer Maine to redistribute funds
State Service Strategy Task Force.
Going to extend the timeline an additional three months so that the Service Strategy is available by the next legislative session in 2027
Internal Stocktaking Session – 90 min facilitated conversation
Discussion around third spaces and how they can be incorporated into promoting service among youth.
Identified a potential gap in engaging with churches and faith spaces as third spaces and resources for promoting volunteerism.
Chelsey Fortin-Trimble wants to make sure we are engaging organizations of all faiths in the conversation
Janet May brought up the Maine Council of Churches.
We want to encourage the development of civic spaces that are open to all and can we identify areas of the state where these spaces are particularly necessary
Betsy recommended setting a goal for funding diversification metrics from philanthropy
BUSINESS WRAP UP
Pamela checked in on the hybrid meeting experience and all members that were online reported that the visual was good and the audio was excellent.
Next scheduled business meeting is March 20, 2026
Motion was made to adjourn the meeting
Chelsey Fortin-Trimble MOVED and SECONDED by Janet May and accepted unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 12:34 pm.