AUGUSTA – The Maine Development Foundation has announced that the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce was chosen as a recipient of its first round of REALIZE!Maine Regional Grants.

The $1,000 grant awarded to the Oxford Hills Chamber will fund the organization’s upcoming oh! activities, designed for those ages 20 to 40 living and working in the Oxford Hills community.

An e-mail sent to grant recipients said, “The grant committee received nine applications with requests from all over the state of Maine totaling $32,000, but had only $17,500 in funds available.”

The grants are designed to fund the projects of regional groups, such as oh!, in hope of “empower[ing] young people by connecting them with opportunities to realize their professional and personal aspirations in Maine The REALIZE!Maine initiative was the outcome of Gov. John Baldacci’s Summit on Youth Migration in June 2004. The summit brought together more than 300 young Mainers to discuss ideas, opportunities and solutions for making Maine a viable place for young people to live, work and thrive.”

Kelsey Jewell, chamber executive director, authored the grant request. She said the organization was “very pleased” to receive notice of the winning request.

Jewell said the 2008 chamber budget called for her to find outside funds for the oh! project.

“I would like to thank the entire team at the Maine Development Foundation for their support. The [Oxford Hills] area has a median age of 40 years, and only 6.5 percent of its population is between 18 and 24 years of age.

“Connections among those ages 20 to 40 who have similar career and social goals are tough to identify and achieve. If there were more social and professional opportunity within the Oxford Hills for those ages 20 to 40, not only would more young people be encouraged to move and/or stay in the area, but, also, a younger, more active population would lead to more dollars being invested in the community. The chamber is excited to be supporting projects that encourage young people to be active participants in this community, and we’re proud that we’re being supported in that effort.”

The next oh! event will be held at Jacoby’s Downtown Eatery in late February or early March, and will include live music by Dawson Hill. Additional events are planned in April and June and are to include family-friendly theater outings.

oh! Steering Committee members include Amanda Huotari, Michael Newsom and Becky Mason.

Those age 20 to 40 living and/or working in the Oxford Hills community who are interested in attending oh! events should contact the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce at 743-2281 or e-mail [email protected].