Our work in 2015. And Online Donations!

It has been another good year for the Fund. Since our beginnings, we have distributed almost $25,000 to date to various organizations and charitable events. This, of course, would be impossible without the good will and generosity of all of you. So thank you.

Here is what we have been able to do in 2015:

• Donated $207.50 to the Fairfield School Literacy Program in Saco. Fairfield Elementary was where Elle attended kindergarten.
  
• Donated $250.00 to the CK Burns PTO for Performing Arts.
  
• Gave out $1,200.00 in scholarships for college-bound students at the Steppin Out Dance Center in Saco. We have given out these scholarships every year since we started. Steppin Out was where Elle took dance classes and it was her favorite activity.
  
• Donated $150.00 to Saco Little League.
  
• Sponsored the Elle Dash at the Hugs From Haley 5K. We have worked closely with Hugs from Haley for years and they were amazingly supportive of Elle during her illness. You can learn more about them at hugsfromhayley.com/. They are a wonderful charity and deserving of any support you can give them.
  
• Donated $1,000.00 to the Maine Children's Cancer Program.
  
• Donated $1,000.00 to the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital.

Again, that brings our total to almost $25,000 in total distributions since we began. And now it is even easier to help the Fund continue it's work.

We have (finally!) activated online donations. If you go to powerofelle.org you will see our brand-new Donate button at the top of the page. It can be a one-time donation or a recurring monthly donation if you so choose.

If you are looking to donate to a charity this holiday season, please consider the Power of Elle. All the money you send us goes right back out into the community.

Have a wonderful holiday season and we look forward to doing even more in 2016!

MCCP Donation / Frozen Fundraiser

At the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015, two events took place that encapsulate what the Fund tries to accomplish and how it is able to do so.

At the end of December in 2014, the Fund made it's annual donation to the Maine Children's Cancer Program. This is where Elle received her treatment. Their hard work and dedication is why Elle was able to do the things she wanted to do and have a full life while fighting cancer. It is one of our two annual donations at this time (the other goes to the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital in Portland). What made this donation special is that it marked the Fund passing $20,000 in total donations back to the community since our founding. This is a big milestone for us. Whether it is the annual donations to MCCP and BBCH, funding the construction of a new playground or giving out scholarships, the goal of this Fund has always been to keep Elle's memory alive and benefit the children in the surrounding community as best we can.

The reason we are able to do what we do is because of the generosity and unflagging dedication of the people in our community. On January 10, 2015, we held an event called Ellie's Frozen Birthday Party. Elle would have been celebrating her 10th birthday on that day. And she undoubtedly would have wanted a Frozen theme so it fit together perfectly. Thanks to the efforts of so many people, led by Jen Skinsacos and Sandy Mekonis, it was an amazing success and raised over $1700 for the Fund.

That $1700 will all go back into the community in one form or another. That one day alone will fund our donation to BBCH. It will allow us to give out scholarships, or fund a school program. Those events are what makes what we do possible. And we can never be grateful enough for the love this community shows for Elle every single day.

You can also see a report on the Frozen party by Channel 8 here as well as pictures from the event.

We are very excited as we move into 2015 (and hopefully warmer weather) and look forward helping our community even more.

Latest Updates

The Fund once again handed out Bright Light Scholarships to college-bound students attending the Steppin' Out Dance Studio in Saco, ME. This is the dance school Elle attended for 3+ years and it is the fourth year of the scholarship program.

The recipients this year were:

• Danica Lamontagne
• Shania Evangelista
• Tara Levy
• Sabryna Deshaies
• Kayla Tremblay
• Lauren Whitney
• Kelsey Gamage

Congratulations to all the recipients. We look forward to our fifth year in 2015!

On September 4, Jennifer Skinsacos held her fourth annual fundraiser for the Power of Elle at Ken's Place Seafood Restaurant in Scarborough. Jennifer takes all her tips from that evening along with any donations from patrons and generously gives that money to the Fund.

This year, thanks to Jen, the generosity of her customers and the great support she gets from the owner of Ken's place, she was able to raise over $1400 for the Fund. This helps to pay for Fund donations like the Bright Light scholarships and the annual donations to MCCP and the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. We cannot thank Jen and Ken's Place enough for this very generous annual donation.

It is this kindness that always reminds us that Elle's spirit lives on and continues to make a difference in our community.

Also, please go read about the Hugs From Hayley Race for Maine Children's Cancer. This is an annual event in Saco that raises a lot of money for MCCP, where Elle received such excellent care. The Fund sponsors the kids 1K Fun Run, which they have named the Elle Dash. It's a worthy cause run by wonderful people, so please check it out and help make this year's race the best one yet.

Donation to BBCH and a New Fundraiser

Recently, Elle's parents went to Maine Medical Center to present a check for $1,000 to the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. This marks the second year the Fund has made this donation and we are to make it an annual event.

The wagon Elle's father is holding is the wagon Elle used to move from class to class at Fairfield Elementary School. After her passing, the school donated it - with a plaque remembering Elle - to BBCH for other children to use.

In other news Heather Corbeil-Vire, a friend of the family, has set up a fundraiser with Tupperware.com. If you visit the link provided, 40% of any purchases you make at the site will go to The Power of Elle. So if you need more Tupperware to store your food in the fridge, click here to get it and help a great cause in the process.

2013 A Successful Year for The Eleanor Clare Paye Charitable Fund

Thanks to your generosity, the Fund was able to distribute over $6,000 in 2013 to various causes in and around Saco, ME. These included, but were not limited to:

• $300 to sponsor the 1km kids fun run for the Hugs From Hayley Race for Maine Children's Cancer. It is known as "The Elle Dash".
• $407 to the Saco Parks and Recreation Department to help buy two bikes for their Saco Bikes for Kids program.
• $1,000 to the Maine Children's Cancer Program
• $1,000 for two iPads for classroom learning at Fairfield Elementary School in Saco, ME.
• $1,700 in Bright Light Scholarships for dancers at the Steppin Out Dance Studio in Saco, ME. This is where Elle took dance for 3+ years

2014 has already seen us donate money to Fairfield School and to a fundraiser to help a young girl in Saco get a service dog. Her name is Delia Binette. She has experienced major health issues in her young life and continues to be a ray of sunshine. A service dog would improve her life in numerous ways. You can read about Delia and her need for a service dog here. This is a very, very worthy cause and we encourage all of you to help in the drive to get Delia this dog.

We will also be making a $1,000 donation to the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital in the next couple of days. This is where Elle received the majority of her treatments and their level of care was simply amazing. We were fortunate to have a place like BBCH for Elle.

We are looking forward to making 2014 even more successful than 2013. Please join us in making that happen!

Another Successful Fundraiser for Power of Elle / More Funding From Power of Elle

It has been a busy summer/early fall for the Fund.

First, some very good news. The Tea for Two Dolly & Me Tea Party held on September 15 raised $1650.62 for the Fund, an increase of almost $200 over last year's event. Sandy Mekonis has our everlasting thanks and gratitude for organizing this event.

And it is because of events like these and donations from so many generous people that we are able to give back.

We recently once again sponsored the 1km fun run called "The Elle Dash" with a $300 donation at the Hugs From Hayley Race for Maine Children's Cancer. Hugs from Hayley is another wonderful organization worthy of your support. You can learn more about them here. We consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to work with them every year.

The Fund donated $100 to the Fairfield School in Saco (where Elle attended kindergarten) for their Walk-a-Thon.

And the Fund gave $407 to the Saco Parks and Recreation Department to help buy two bikes for their Saco Bikes for Kids program. These bikes will be used by children in the town's park and rec program.

Again, it is because of the generosity and kindness from all of you that the Fund is able to give this money to so many different and worthy causes. And we cannot thank you enough for it.

Two Fundraisers for The Power of Elle

On Thursday, September 5, Jennifer Skinsacos held her third annual fundraiser for the Power of Elle at Ken's Place Seafood Restaurant in Scarborough. Jennifer takes all her tips from that evening along with any donations from patrons and generously gives that money to the Fund. This year, Jennifer was able to raise $1,142 over $1,300 for the Fund and we couldn't be more delighted. It is events like these that allow the Fund to do things like donating to the Maine Children's Cancer Program, or to buy books for the Fairfield School library. Thank you to Jennifer and Ken's Place for their continued generosity and support!

And tomorrow, September 15, there will be the second annual Tea for Two Dolly & Me Tea Party, held at the North Dam Mill in Biddeford. This wonderful event is run by Sandy Mekonis. Her daughter Laina and Elle were best friends, meeting at age 2 when they first starting dancing at the same dance school. You can read more about it on the Facebook Event page. Everybody raved about the Tea last year and it is sure to be a success again.

As always, the Fund is extremely grateful for the generosity and kindness we receive from so many members of the community. It reminds us that Elle's spirit is still alive and she is still making a difference.