LEWISTON – Jeff Gosselin, vice president, commercial loan officer, Peoples Heritage Bank, presented a $100,000 gift to the Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice house capital campaign. Present from Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice were Rebecca Conrad, board chairwoman, Kim Wettlaufer, capital campaign chairman, and David McDaniel, president/CEO.

The gift, awarded through the Banknorth Charitable Foundation, was one of the three benefactor level gifts that launched the agency’s campaign last year to build Maine’s first hospice house serving residents of central and western Maine.

The agency held a public celebration in June marking the campaign’s success in raising $1.2 million of the $1.5 million campaign goal and plans for a late summer construction start.

The 14-patient suite hospice house on Stetson Road in Auburn is expected to open in the summer of 2005. The facility is designed to meet the end-of-life care needs of hospice patients and their families in a home-like setting.

“This is great organization that serves the people of central and western Maine,” said Mike McNamara, president of Peoples Heritage Bank. “We hope we can make a difference with this check, to help the AHCH build a new hospice house and achieve their goals.”

Peoples Heritage Bank is Maine-based, with more than 60 branches throughout the state, four of which operate as Oxford Bank and Trust, a subsidiary. For additional information, visit www.peoplesheritage.com.

Androscoggin Home Care is a nonprofit Medicare-certified agency that annually provides comprehensive hospice care to more that 500 residents of central and western Maine through its offices in Lewiston, Bridgton, Dixfield, Oxford and Wilton.For more information, visit www.ahch.org.