McKeen Center Celebrates Bowdoin's Good Samaritans

Francisco Adame Perez has uniquely contributed to the McKeen Center for the Common Good as a thought leader for the Student Community Action Network (SCAN) program, which started in his sophomore year. The incredible growth of SCAN over the past three years is a testament to Francisco's passion and advocacy for the program. He has been an integral part in the decision-making process for each change that has been made through its evolution into the robust and engaging program that it is today, including the cohort development, the weekly speaker series, and the partner selection process overhaul. Francisco is a leader who prioritizes relationship building and puts people first. He has a natural way of creating community and intentionally works very hard to sustain that community and make sure everyone feels as though they belong within it. Francisco cares deeply about his peers and their personal development through the program, carefully considering how they will be best represented in curriculum and supported in their partner placement. In addition to his work in SCAN, Francisco has also been a Community Immersion Orientation Trip leader twice, an Alternative Spring Break participant, and the McKeen Center’s Bowdoin Student Government representative. His insight, strategic vision, and care have been an invaluable asset to the McKeen Center.

The Lydia Bell Award for Initiative in Public Service is traditionally given to a Bowdoin senior who creates new programs and opportunities for students to effect change through the McKeen Center. However, coming out of the pandemic, we recognize the outstanding work of Sammy Braverman in resurrecting, reinventing, and improving our America Reads and America Counts (ARAC) tutoring program in local schools. Over the last two years, Sammy took a program that halted completely amidst the pandemic, brought it back to life, and grew it up to over thirty tutors working with teachers in K-8 classrooms in 5 local schools this year. Week after week, Sammy has brought hard work, dedication to the importance of student engagement in local schools, and earnest caring for both our tutors and teachers to an incredibly complicated role. She has thoughtfully reinvented this program, our hiring process, and our training, and has always done it with a smile on her face. ARAC’s successes and the amazing feedback we’ ve heard from our teachers and principals are a credit to Sammy's hard work and dedication. Of course, only recognizing Sammy for her work with ARAC would shortchange the many other areas of Bowdoin and the McKeen Center that have benefited from Sammy’s involvement. She brought this curiosity, reliability, independence, and comfort in both leadership and cohort roles to Community Immersion Orientation Trips, to Bowdoin Public Service, and to meaningfully connecting as many students as possible to the McKeen Center, a place Sammy doesn’t hesitateto call her home on campus.

Energy, enthusiasm, and commitment are three attributes that describe Ereny Morcos, but may not actually be strong enough to properly articulate her passion. She has participated in numerous McKeen Center programs, such as Winter Break Community Engagement and Bowdoin Public Service, while taking on leadership in Oasis Free Clinics Volunteers, Community Immersion Orientation Trips, Alternative Spring Break, and she has been our Antiracism Programming Assistant for two years. Ereny believes the pursuit of the common good can be built into how one lives out their life in their daily actions and she strives to provide opportunities for anyone to take those actions. Beyond traditional leadership roles, Ereny has made it her mission to make the McKeen Center programs as accessible and open to students as possible, always considering how to ensure students are welcomed in our space and feel a true sense of belonging. The capstone to her McKeen Center leadership was her creation of Late Night with Team McKeen, an informal opportunity for students to interact with student and professional staff of the Center. This connection point has raised the McKeen Center's profile, provided easy entry points to students, and brought Team McKeen closer together, all because of Ereny's passion for making us stronger. She has often commented that she considers our office her home on campus, the place that she feels most aligns with her values and where she can live out her commitment to the common good. Ereny simply doesn ’t believe in doing things halfway and she has left an indelible impact on the McKeen Center, Bowdoin, and the Brunswick community. We have no doubt that she will leave such a mark wherever she goes.

We honor the contributions of Sophia Li, who demonstrates her commitment to the common good through her actions and words. Sophia’ s dedication to Maine communities throughout her time at Bowdoin College as a participant and leader of the Common Good Grant Program. She participated on the committee during her sophomore year and has been the leader of the committee in her junior and senior years. These years have been marked by the need for COVID and post-COVID innovation to a long-standing, important program within the portfolio of office programs and Sophia has risen to the occasion. She leads by example, sharing her thoughtful perspectives and strong organizational skills with others. Sophia is the type of leader who keeps everyone on track in a meeting, always prepared with interesting questions for guest speakers and with a checklist for committee members. She is a firm advocate for the community partners that we collaborate with and keenly challenges her peers to consider how they can best support community identified needs. She is a deep listener and works to ensure everyone ’s voice is heard and valued, which can be tough in the sometimes heated decision day meetings that occur in the program! Sophia fosters opportunities for her peers to build their own meaning and connections to service, demonstrating by example what it means to align her passions and strengths with working towards wholeheartedly supporting each community she is a part of.

In honoring Aidan Reid with the Bowdoin Spirit of Service award, we recognize how his dedication to fostering positive change resonates at every level. Aidan was a member of the Bowdoin Public Service in Washington cohort in his sophomore year, and by his senior year his co-leadership of the program has inspired and supported a new generation of students to explore a range of professions that serve the common good. His contributions at the McKeen Center extend beyond the Bowdoin Public Service program, as evidenced by his work on the Common Good Grant Committee, his contributions to leadership gatherings, and his dedicated volunteering with Bowdoin Votes. His multifaceted approach to service reflects an understanding of the interconnectedness between academia and real-world operations, inspiring others to bridge theory with practice for the betterment of society. Beyond the campus, Aidan's dedication to public service also shines through his summer fellowships at Portland City Hall and the Century Foundation, where he immersed himself in learning and contributed to shaping policies that address societal challenges.In every endeavor, Aidan exemplifies the spirit of service, demonstrating that true leadership is defined by the impact one makes in the lives of others. It is with gratitude and admiration that we honor Aidan for his outstanding contributions to the Bowdoin community and his unwavering commitment to the common good.

Liliana Lines has served as a College House Eco Rep for the Sustainability Office, been a mentor through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and this past fall helped to organize Bowdoin’s first ever Solutions Exhibition. Of her many experiences under the umbrella of the common good, however, the experience she highlighted in her Dunlap essay occurred in the summer of 2022, which she spent as a Maine Community Fellow working with Merrymeeting Gleaners through MidCoast Hunger Prevention Program (MCHPP). Liliana describes a conversation with Hazel Onsrud, a Brunswick librarian, about the Sharing Tables program which places gleaned produce in local libraries for community members to take for free. “They often felt a pang of guilt, ” Liliana wrote, “a fear of taking from those deemed more deserving. Coming from a bustling city, this someone-else-needs-it-more mentality was foreign to me.” This shift challenged her to reimagine the Sharing Tables program, and, more broadly, to recognize the barriers associated with stigma and dig into the root causes in search of solutions. What she came away with was simple: “MCHPP instilled in me the profound truth that community is the antidote to the paralyzing shame of scarcity and the guilt of abundance, ” she wrote. “When we see ourselves as part of a larger tapestry, when we contribute and receive help in ways that resonate with us, the entire community thrives. My summer as a gleaner wasn’t just about collecting vegetables; it was about gathering a deeper understanding of the intricate web of connections that bind us all.”

Paul Wang’s Dunlap essay recognizes the power of narrative in building community and driving change. “Leadership,” he wrote, “is about harnessing the energy derived from personal challenges and channeling it into initiatives that resonate with the heartbeat of the community. Using himself as an example, he makes the case that “personal struggles can be transformed into catalysts for community action,” outlining the significance that outdoor recreation held for his family and his resulting drive to extend those experiences to those traditionally denied access in his roles with the Outing Club and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. He also reflects on the lessons he’s received from his own mentors: that genuine care, thoughtful appreciation, and empowerment of others all work towards the most successful, meaningful, and enduring experiences of community engagement. Paul is leaving Bowdoin with no shortage of achievements. As he embarks on his Fulbright and finds his place in new communities, his own philosophy will serve him well: “True engagement with the community is not a top-down endeavor but a reciprocal dialogue. It’s a commitment that thrives on authenticity and is sustained by the drive to enact change that outlasts our own tenure. The work can be solitary, taxing, and sometimes thankless, but the relationships formed along the way and the knowledge that you are part of laying the foundation for enduring change carry a profound sense of purpose.”

Since her first year at Bowdoin, Sara has demonstrated exceptional commitment to community engagement. Despite the COVID restrictions of her first year, she actively sought opportunities to engage deeply with the community in any way possible. Over the last four years she has participated in the McKeen Center’s Common Good Grant, Alternative Breaks, and Winter Break Community Engagement Programs. Her mark will be left most deeply, though, on the Bowdoin Volunteer Corps. In her sophomore year, Sara became the co-leader of the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program volunteer group, where she faced the significant challenge of helping our campus reconnect with MCHPP, an important community partner, after a year of nearly no Bowdoin volunteers due to the pandemic. She approached this role with enthusiasm and a desire to not only recruit volunteers, but also challenge her peers to examine the root causes of food insecurity. As she has continued as the group leader throughout her time at Bowdoin, she has built systems to provide a reliable stream of both individual and group volunteers for the organization, and has helped other groups do the same during her time as the Program Assistant for the Bowdoin Volunteer Corps over the last two years. She is consistent, driven, ambitious, and idealistic, a quiet figure who always comes prepared and with infectious energy. Sara embodies the Heart and Soul Award's spirit—a student who learns from the community, inspires others, and leaves a lasting impact.

Since joining the Athletics Department in 2015, Kevin Loney has become a fixture of the Bowdoin community. On campus, he is well known among students and colleagues alike as a friendly face who genuinely cares about making each person he encounters feel seen and heard. His commitment to his communities off campus knows no bounds as well. Kevin is a board member and treasurer for The Third Place, a cross-sector network that connects Maine’s Black professionals, students, and entrepreneurs to social, professional, and economic opportunities. He also serves as a volunteer for a number of organizations, including Fourth Fridays, which provides a monthly networking space for people of color in the LGBTQ+ community, Make a Difference Football camps and clinics, the Maine Chapter of the National Football Foundation, Dickinson College Alumni Volunteer Network, and Be the Match. Ashmead White Director of Athletics Tim Ryan, who nominated Kevin for this award, shared, “Kevin never hesitates to raise his hand to offer his support for initiatives within and outside of our campus community. His commitment to helping people across a wide range of communities has a tremendous impact within the Mid Coast region and inspires his peers to follow his lead.” Indeed, Kevin’s instinct to jump in wherever needed and not wait to be asked provides a true example of an intrinsic commitment to the common good.

In a remarkable demonstration of unity and purpose, the Brunswick New Mainers Initiative stands out as a beacon of hope and collaboration. Over the past year, this alliance of more than thirty diverse organizations has rallied to embrace and support our ‘New Mainers’ as they begin to call Brunswick, Maine, home. The Brunswick New Mainers Initiative has shown us the strength that lies in collective action. These organizations, though numerous and varied, have united under a common banner of empathy and assistance. With every act of kindness—whether it be securing housing, teaching English, imparting essential work skills, or aiding in adjusting to life in Maine—the Brunswick New Mainers Initiative has embodied the very essence of what it means to be a community: to uplift, to empower, to welcome. Today, we are not just recognizing a group of organizations; we are celebrating the spirit of humanity that thrives within this community. The Brunswick New Mainers Initiative has proven that when we come together, the impact is profound and has the power to transform the lives of our new neighbors. For Bowdoin College and the McKeen Center for the Common Good, it is an honor to be a part of supporting and recognizing the mission of the Brunswick New Mainers Initiative.

Organizations involved iin the Brunswick New Mainers Initiative: Bath Area and Landing YMCA, Bowdoin College, Brunswick Rotary Club, Brunswick School Department, Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), Curtis Memorial Library, Developers Collaborative, Family Focus, Goodwill Industries of Northern New England, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Immigrant Resource Center of Maine, MaineHealth Access to Care, Merrymeeting Adult Education, Midcoast Literacy, Mid Coast New Mainers Group, Mid Coast-Parkview Health, Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, Midcoast Maine Community Action Program Head Start, Oasis Free Clinics, People Plus, Representative Poppy Artford, Southern Midcoast CareerCenter, Spurwink, Tedford Housing, The Emergency Action Network (TEAN), Town of Brunswick, Town of Brunswick Fire Department, Town of Brunswick Human, Services/General Assistance Office, Town of Brunswick Parks and
Recreation, Town of Brunswick Police Department, United Way of Mid Coast Maine, Western Maine Transportation (Brunswick Link)