MaineBusiness.com

PORTLAND, Maine (October 27, 2009)—For the past nine years, a volunteer organization known as Mainely Character has provided scholarships to Maine high school seniors who have demonstrated character by overcoming adversity or contributing to a better community. The organization’s founder, the late Arnie Bushner, believed there should be a scholarship that recognizes students for their character, not their grades or athletic skills.

Thanks to his vision and the support of corporate donors such as Time Warner Cable and Northeast Bank, Mainely Character each year awards a $5,000 and $2,500 scholarship to a Maine high school senior who plans to attend college.

Conner Drigotas, a graduate of Kennebunk High School, is the 2009 recipient of the Mainely Character-Time Warner Cable Scholarship of $5,000. Kimberly Ouillette, a graduate of Belfast Area High, is the recipient of the $2,500 Arnold Bushner-Mainely Character Scholarship, sponsored by Northeast Bank.

These 2009 recipients were selected from more than 200 applicants from across the state to receive this highly competitive scholarship. They participated in a rigorous process that included an application, essay and personal interview.

Drigotas, the son of Frank and Vickie Drigotas of Kennebunk, has begun his studies as a freshman psychology major at Lafayette College in Easton, PA. The daughter of Christina Kramer and Steve Ouillette of Belfast, Ouillette is attending George Washington University in Washington D.C., where she majors in international relations.

“Thanks to the support of Time Warner Cable and Northeast Bank, we can reward and recognize students for the skills that truly count in life,” said Bob Caswell, president of the Mainely Character Board of Directors.

Drigotas demonstrated a longstanding and effective commitment to drug and alcohol abuse prevention through leadership positions in the Truth Day Development Committee, Peer Helpers and the Captains Club.

Ouillette founded the Liberian Education Fund, which raises scholarship money to help students who do not have the financial means to attend high school in Liberia. Today, the program supports 12 students from five different counties of Liberia. Under her leadership, nearly 50 Belfast students have become involved in the program and a number have pledged to sustain it in the years ahead.

Mainely Character is accepting new sponsors and donations to continue providing Maine scholarships to Maine students. For more information visit www.mainelycharacter.org.
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