Welcome To Housing Bi-Weekly Blog
October 30, 2026
10/27/2026
Well, we’re still up-in-the-air about the remote of virtual participation in the “Count Our Blessings Camp-In.” One thing is for certain; it needs to be extended well past November 20th. Probably past the first of the year. We had everything in place, except for warm bodies coming to the Old Town-Orono YMCA.
The other thing I think that made it hard to sell was the whole “overnight” aspect in the same paragraph as it being “family friendly.” I believe the big, financially successful annual “Slumber Party” that’s held in Westbrook for the Furniture Friends program is more aimed at adults.
Either way, it was worth a shot. It also demonstrated what I have been saying, is that to do a special event fundraiser, you need MORE than a couple of months to plan it and you need a group of volunteers to serve on a committee that does the organization of the event and it’s not something a small Board of Trustees should take on, let alone be asked to do.
What I am looking forward to this evening for the October Board of Trustees meeting is discussing the long list of volunteers whose names we gathered at the Heart of Maine United Way Volunteer Fair.
October 30, 2026
The board meeting went well. I was told by one attendee that some folks said they couldn’t get a hold of me. I was abrupt and honest as I waved my smartphone in the air and said the only time I DON’T have it, is when I’m taking a shower.
We’re setting up a 2-hour gathering in November at the Rock Church in Old Town. It will be an in-person opportunity to talk about goals, where we’ve been and where we’re going in terms of growth. It will also be a nice time to acknowledge volunteers.
Melony Stockley already typed up the list of volunteers who visited our room at the United Way Volunteer Fair.
Craig Saunders also booked us a date in December, on a Saturday, to have a table and designated machine at Damon’s Beverages in Bangor. They’re now located up at the same spot where Kmart used to be. The idea was given to me by one of the co-owners of Damon’s. I can’t remember the gentleman I spoke with but the other owner, Paul Hammond, is someone I have known for many years. He used to work for the American Heart Association.
I still have a photo of Paul and me when I was the director of the Bangor Historical Society and Museum. The museum has a ship’s figurehead (Minerva) and the two of us are standing on either side of it. Paul is a really upbeat, happy soul. I’m looking forward to the event as people come in, we can give them information and ask them to donate their bottles and cans, and they put them into the machine that’s designated for Welcome To Housing.
I am enjoying sitting in my home (and only) office watching Leave It To Beaver. For me it’s therapeutic as it’s a break from the vitriol of politics as I am a news junkie.
The first Saturday in November, members of Sigma Phi Epsilon or “SigEp” will be coming by at Noon and bringing a massive amount of what can only be described as “cultch” that was hoarded in the upstairs of our building by a former volunteer. The dumpster cost is being reimbursed by the fraternity which will be so nice for us.
Financially we’ve managed to compartmentalize funds. The Agnes M. Lindsay Trust money is specifically for adaptive equipment and is already being used for that. The money from the Maine Justice Foundation will help us pull together a LOT of Good Start Kits. It’s amazing how far we can stretch our funds because after starting and overseeing this organization, I have become very cognizant of every dollar we receive and every dollar we spend. I still wince when I write checks for insurance. One policy we have had for years is covering liability. It’s something that’s a must for a nonprofit. When we acquired the building at 333 Main Street in Old Town, we took on the need to cover utilities and a policy for the building and grounds.
I take comfort though, that unlike many nonprofits, we own 333 Main Street free and clear and purchased it for $25,000, using half the grant we received from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.
I am going to see about rebranding the Camp-In event with “Moment of Appreciation.” Instead of asking people to commit to an overnight event as a fundraiser, we’re going to leave it up to them for the amount of time they want for their gathering.
We missed the boat with the Count Our Blessings Camp-In by not having a formal “registration form” online and on our website. It’s the first event I have ever worked on where there were no participants.
Years ago, when I worked for the Maine State Chapter of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, we had two theaters at the Bangor Mall Cinemas. They were donated and we had Beetlejuice and the newer version of Little Shop of Horrors.
The turnout was less than stellar, but I took comfort in the fact that we had solicited a LOT of prize donations and everyone that attended won a prize or two.
The Hannaford Supermarkets office sent us a check for $127 this past week. It was the money from the “Community Bags” program at the Hogan Road store. Vic Wood, a long-time friend and volunteer, set it up. Vic used to drive the mini van behind the last walkers in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica event in Bangor.
He’s also setting up another fundraiser for us in December with the sale of little plants. In addition to the funds raised, it also raises awareness and gets the Welcome To Housing name out there even more.
The work with the One Circle Agency from the New England School of Communications at Husson University is going well. It’s a student run advertising agency. We even received a nice letter from Husson itself thanking us for working with the agency and more specifically the students we’re working with.
My wife and I had a great Halloween and about 75 Trick or Treaters came to our door. We’re just two streets away from Maple Street where they have neighbors banding together to take on a couple of thousand kids. Like the gravitational pull of Jupiter, a lot of space debris hits there instead of Earth, the Maple Street group helps keep our visitors down to a normal amount.
For the Moment of Appreciation program, the rebranded Camp-In, we have tickets to the Penobscot Theatre, the Collins Center for the Arts, the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and a massage gift certificate. We also still have well over 150 canvas totes with the logos of all the sponsors of the Camp-In.
Well, you can stick a fork in me, as I am done for a couple of weeks.
Have a great couple of weeks and enjoy the crisp autumn air and feel free to join me in cursing the obscenely short days.
Sincerely yours,
Christopher Olsen
Founder and Board of Trustees President
