ProsperityME Community Block Party 2023

Congratulations Claude and ProsperityME

2023 MEMIC Award for Excellence in Workforce Partnership

Michael Bourque, President and CEO of MEMIC (L) and Claude Rwaganje, Founder and Executive Director of ProsperityME (R)

About Tonight’s Entertainment:

Bondeko is the unlikely musical collaboration of an Albanian crooner and folklorist, a traditional Guinean drummer and a French singersongwriter.

With only a few words of common language, their sound cannot exactly be described as world music as it belongs nowhere outside of the immigrant community of Portland, Maine. Their live shows are celebrations of the joy of sharing space with people from very different cultures.

Bondeko is proudly from Portland, Maine, proudly international, and proudly multigenerational!

Welcome

from the Executive Director:

15 years have come and gone. It seems like yesterday when we started Community Financial Literacy which became ProsperityME. We have had great years, tough years due to COVID, and start-up years when no one knew us as an organization.

We have much to celebrate. I recall working on the first brochure in the basement of an apartment where we used to live on Forest Avenue, spending some time under the tree in the back yard of the University of New England drafting our bylaws, and then going to Portland Housing Authority to ask for free office space and they gave it to us.Thanks to Avesta Housing, we later moved into a space in downtown for over 6 years pro bono. Together we have grown this organization and served more than 10,000 individuals and families over the many years of our services. We started offering a single class and are now delivering multiple courses, projects, and programs.

The last 3 years were tough due to COVID, but our organization served more people than it did in the first decade. The housing crisis has initiated partnerships with organizations like Maine Housing, Immigrant Resource Center of Maine, and Opportunity Alliance.

Here are some recent accomplishments and recognition:

• Received several awards including 2023 Memic Awards for workforce

partnership, 2023 Maine Black Excellence Awards, A light on the point Presidents Award by SMCC, 2022, Mike Handell Award by Avesta Housing, 2017 Public Sector Leadership award by the regional chamber.

• We raised $2.2 million for the PROSPER Scholarship for Asylum Seekers.

• Supported about 2,000 families and individuals with more than $8 million in rental assistance.

ProsperityME is a unique, small, nonprofit organization with a multicultural staff, volunteers, and the support of many local businesses, individuals, and foundations. We work extremely hard to provide immigrants with the essential tools and understanding of the American financial system. We are very proud of our programs and the success that our clients have achieved.

Our vision from day we opened our door remains the same even now, “That all of Maine’s refugees, immigrants, and their families and communities reach financial stability and improve their quality of life.”

Fifteen years have come and gone in a flash, and we continue to impact the lives of New Mainers. On behalf of ProsperityME and the communities we serve, we thank you for your support as funders, partners, sponsors, donors, staff, board members and friends.

Claude Rwaganje

Meet Tonight’s Panelists:

Ninette Irabaruta, MA: Director, Public Policy and Advocacy, United Way

A native of Burundi in Central-East Africa, Ninette moved to the United States in 2012 to pursue her college education, where she first attended a Basic Money Management class. Ninette holds a B.A degree in political science from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine and M.A. degree in Sustainable International Development.

Ninette currently works at United Way of Southern Maine as the Senior Director of Community Engagement & Outreach. Ninette is also contracted with the Maine Community Foundation, where she coordinates the “Investing in Leaders of Color” program that focuses on building the field of people and organizations working to promote and increase racial equity in Maine.

Andy Birenzi: Senior Director of Enterprise Systems, Bowdoin College

Andy Birenzi is a naturalized US Citizen, originally from DR Congo, who immigrated to the US through a refugee resettlement program in 2016. With a Software Engineering degree from Burundi, Andy relied on ProsperityME’s network and services to build his resume and return to his field. He became a software engineer at Bowdoin College where he pursued an MBA and MS in Information technology. He is now the Senior Director of IT Services at Bowdoin. Andy is a part-time consultant for to small organizations in Maine, including ProsperityME. Andy was recently selected as a 2023 Next leaders Fellowship Fellow.

Ninette Irabaruta

Andy Birenzi

Graduate Nursing Student

Julie embarked on a journey of resilience and determination when she immigrated to the United States in 2012 from Rwanda. Fueled by a burning desire to make a positive impact in the field of healthcare, Julie pursued her education with unwavering dedication. After attaining an Associate Degree in Health Science from SMCC, she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Biochemistry from USM with help from the PROSPER Scholarship program.

Julie is currently enrolled in an accelerated nursing program to become a Nurse Midwife and support new mothers through transformative birthing experiences with science and compassion.

Julie Kambali:

Tonight’s Moderator is Bright Musumba: Program Coordinator, ProsperityME

Julie Kambali

2023 Award Recipients:

Commitment to Service: Bull Moose Group

Bull Moose Group is a boutique firm dedicated to guiding small and mediumsized nonprofits in their quest to maximize fundraising success and organizational strength. We choose to work with clients who have a principled goal: improve the world in some specialized way. Together, we affirm that a financially sound and vibrant entity enriches our lives and our communities.

Outstanding Community Partner: cPort Credit Union

cPort Credit Union is grateful for the opportunity to serve Maine’s immigrant community at its five branches in Portland, Augusta, and Scarborough. Through collaboration with ProsperityME and other community partners, cPort has developed products and programs designed to meet financial needs of immigrants such as our citizenship loans, microfinance loans, welcome accounts, and financial education workshops.

Volunteer of the Year: Kevin Carley

Kevin Carley lives in Portland with his wife Ellen Grant. He was formerly the Executive Director of Maine Audubon, a Peace Corps Country Director and a shareholder of RM Davis Inc. He has worked closely as an advisor, coach and friend to Claude Rwaganje and ProsperityME for over ten years.

Ronnie Weston and Evan Weston

Kevin Carley

Acknowledgments:

We are always grateful for the commitment of our staff, board, and volunteers. Thank you for another successful year.

Board Members

• Tara Jenkins, Founder, Conscious Revolution, Chair of the Board, Chair of the Executive Committee, Scarborough

• Brian Zenda, Corporate Tax Wex Inc., Vice Chair of the Board, Member of the Finance Committee, Portland

• Eileen Fongemie, CPA, Vice President, CFO for the MEMIC Group, Member of the Executive Committee, Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair, Scarborough

• Colette Twigg-Rowse, Portfolio and Credit Manager, Bath Saving Bank, Member of the Executive Committee, Secretary of the Board and Member of Finance Committee, Falmouth

• Michelle Allen, Member of the Program Committee and MIPN Committee, Durham

• Helen Andreoli, CFP, Founding Partner & CFO Great Diamond Partners, Chair of the Program Committee, Portland

• Mary Axelsen, Founder & CEO WeMaax Consulting, Member of the Program Committee

• Martha Fox, Of Counsel at Preti Flaherty, Beliveau & Pachios, LLP

• Christen Graham, Founder of Giving Strong, Chair of the Development & Marketing Committee and Member of the Executive Committee, North Yarmouth

• Quincy Hentzel, CEO of the Portland Chamber of Commerce, Member of the Development & Marketing Committee, Cape Elizabeth

• E’nkul Kanakan, Director at Granite Bay Care, Member of Program Committee

ProsperityME Senior Staff

• Claude Rwaganje, Executive Director

• Dieudonne Nzeyimana, Director of Housing

• Ellen Billie, Deputy Director

• Heather Cameron, Program Director

Event Committee

• Matteson Nadeau, ProsperityME, Chair

• Sally Newhall, SeaGlass Events, Co-Chair

• Orion Breen, Global Partners LLP

In-Kind Donations

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• Lora Burns, Diversified Communications

• Jenna Jeffries, Clark Insurance

• Lesley Ridge, University Credit Union

• Melissa Runstrom, Emburse

• Emmanuel Rutaganda, ERA Administration Manager •

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Tonight’s Catering:

Asmara: Eritrean Restaurant

Our dishes are served communal style on a large piece of flat bread called injera. Made from unleavened "teff" flour, injera is moist, spongy, and a little sour. The TSEBHI is the traditional dish (peas, lentils and red pepper) served vegetarian style or with a selection of chicken, beef or lamb. Rich sauces and aromatic spices characterize the dishes. A common ingredient is a spicy red pepper paste called berbere; cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, thyme and cloves are also frequently used.

Taj of Maine

India's varied cuisine is as diverse as its culture, languages and regions. Every region in India brings its own unique dishes and subtle variations to popular dishes by its inspired use of wonderful spices and herbs, including coriander, cumin, cilantro, paprika, saffron, and cinnamon. Every dish is created from a unique blend of flavorings, spices with the purity of mother nature. The cuisine of Taj is known for its flavor, savory sauces enriched by nuts, cream and fruits.

Platinum

• Safe Residential Care

Diamond

• Atlantic Federal Credit Union

• Gorham Savings Bank

• J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

• Maine Credit Union League

• MEMIC

• Norway Savings Bank

• Planson International

Gold

• Clark Insurance

• cPort Credit Union

• Great Diamond Partners

• Mascoma Bank

• Skowhegan Savings Bank

• Unum

Silver

• AVESTA Housing

• BerryDunn

• Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare

• L.L. Bean

• Maine Health

• Martin’s Point Health Care

• University of New England

Bronze

• Androscoggin Bank

• Bath Savings Institution

• Casco FCU

• CEI

• Giving Strong

• Global Partners

• Legend Residential Care

• Maine Community Foundation

• Preti Flaherty

• Revision Energy

• Texas Instruments

• Town and Country FCU

• University Credit Union

Copper

• Broadreach Public Relations

• Community Credit Union

• Verrill Law

LEAD SPONSOR

Hannaford Supermarkets

Make a difference with a donation to ProsperityME: Support the Mission ProsperityME empowers, through education and counseling, members of refugee and immigrant communities to invest in themselves to build financial stability, careers, businesses and wealth.