FARMINGTON — The United Way of the Tri-Valley Area held its 29th annual meeting and campaign celebration on Jan. 28, in the G.H. Bass Room at Franklin Memorial Hospital.

Three new board members were voted in: Jef Howell, Verso Paper Corp.’s Androscoggin Mill; Sandy Goodwin, Bangor Savings Bank; and Bob Yorks, Maine Retirement Annuities.

The membership also thanked three outgoing board members for their many years of service: Rick Dorey, retired International Paper; Tom Taylor, retired educator; and Margaret Gould Wescott, retired educator.

New officers elected were: Peggy Willihan, Carrabassett Valley resident, president; Andrew Sturtevant, Franklin Savings Bank, vice president; Gordie Flint, Androscoggin Bank, treasurer; and Janis Walker, Healthy Community Coalition, secretary.

The following awards were bestowed to selected individuals and
businesses that helped make this year’s campaign a success:

Visionary Awards, first time workplace campaigns and existing workplace campaigns with a new local partnership: area landlords, Aramark/UMF Higher Education, Barclays, Poland Spring – Kingfield Bottling Plant, Ranor Inc., Sandy River Center/Genesis Health Care, Stratton Lumber Inc., Webber Energy Fuels; new or re-established charitable contributions: Susan and Thomas Withrow Charitable Fund, Maine Commission for Community Service and Maine Community Foundation.

You Raise Me Up Awards, workplace campaigns or corporate contributions that increased: Androscoggin Bank, employees; Barclays, employees; Bangor Savings Bank, employees; Central Maine Power Co., corporate; University of Maine at Farmington, employees; Community Dental, employees; Downeast Energy, employees; Franklin Community Health Network, employees.

Also, Franklin County Children’s Task Force, employees; Franklin Savings Bank, employees; Hannaford Charitable Foundation, corporate; Hannaford – Farmington, employees; HealthReach Community Health Centers, employees; MRSU 36, Livermore Falls, Livermore, employees; Mt. Blue RSD, employees; Sexual Assault Victims Emergency Services, employees.

Also, Town of Jay, employees; United Way of the Tri-Valley Area, employees; Verso Paper Corp., corporate; Village Realty Inc., corporate; Webber Energy Fuels, employees; Western Maine Community Action, employees; non-workplace campaigns that increased included small business contributions and individual leadership contributions.

Outstanding Achievement Awards, workplace campaigns recognized for their innovation, participation and collaboration: Hannaford – Farmington, University of Maine at Farmington, Downeast Energy

Workplace Champion Awards, workplace employee campaign managers recognized for their dedication, enthusiasm, creativity and exemplary leadership: Verso Paper Corp.’s Androscoggin Mill Campaign Team, Peggy Willihan, chairwoman; Dennis Coombs; Nancy Coombs; David Griswold; Jef Howell; Libby Keoskie; Tom Saviello; Jodi Spiller; Ralph Turner.

Also, Franklin Community Health Network, Larry Stewart, Janis Walker; and Webber Energy Fuels, Matt Wotton

The second annual Community Impact Award went to Crystal Cook, operations manager for the United Methodist Economic
Ministry in Salem and to Barclays in Wilton. The award acknowledges those who went above and beyond to improve the lives of Greater Franklin County residents in 2009.