NSB Presents Maine Veterans’ Home with $10,000 “Patricia Weigel Pay It Forward Award”

SOUTH PARIS—Norway Savings Bank is pleased to announce the recipient of the  annual “Patricia Weigel Pay It Forward Award” is Maine Veterans’ Home (MVH) in South Paris. MVH offers an unparalleled care environment for veterans and their families, including rehabilitative and therapy services, long-term care, dementia care, short-term skilled nursing care, and more. MVH’s team of healthcare professionals works together with veterans to develop a personalized, specialized plan based on each patient’s needs, delivering compassionate support and peace of mind in the process.

As part of the award, MVH receives $10,000, a gift that was shared, along with true gratitude for the organization’s work, during a special visit by Norway Savings Bank representatives to the home located at 477 High Street on February 6 (pictures below).

The “Patricia Weigel Pay It Forward Award” was created in December 2021 to honor then-CEO, Pat Weigel, who was dedicated to making a positive community impact during her long career in banking. 

“The tour was amazing. I’m just so impressed with what is being offered right here in South Paris,” said Weigel. “When I was informed, I was incredibly excited that the award was going to such a wonderful community asset. The military runs deep in my family as my dad served in the Navy, my brother is a graduate of West Point, and my son-in-law is a retired Marine Corps. Officer. I’m so happy that the funds are going to the people who protect our freedoms and democracy, that they’re being so well cared for, and that we’re supporting them.”

Through a voting process, NSB’s team members chose MVH in South Paris as the winner from over 80 organizations receiving volunteer support from employees.

“I love that the employees are such a big part of the award,” said Weigel. “It’s very humbling since the bank set this up at my retirement a few years ago. It’s really very meaningful to know these dollars will be going to help such incredible places around the state like Maine Veterans’ Home.”

Similarly, it will also be up to the residents of MVH to decide how to spend the new contribution.

“It will be residents’ choice as 100% of this donation will go to our residents to enrich their activities and their lives,” said Amanda Dumont, Temporary Administrator of MVH in South Paris. “We have outings, go to music festivals, and host entertainment here. We have a very robust activities department and this will certainly help that. We’re honored and thankful for this support.”

Janel Danforth, Retail Strategies Analyst VP at Norway Savings, volunteers on Sundays for Maine Veterans’ Home which made the organization eligible to win the award.

“The pleasure and honor are mine,” she said. “My fiancé has been volunteering for a number of years, and it’s the most rewarding thing. I look forward to it every week. I have formed a lot of connections with the residents which has brought a lot of happiness. I get a lot more out of it than them. MVH is always looking for volunteers. If anyone is looking for an uplifting experience, this is certainly a great place where they can have that.”

In addition to South Paris, Maine Veterans’ Homes are also located in Scarborough, Machias, Caribou, Bangor, and Augusta. To learn more about lending a helping hand to the organization, visit www.mainevets.org, call 1-800-278-9494, or email [email protected].

The three previous winners of the annual “Patricia Weigel Pay It Forward Award” were the Cancer Resource Center of Western Maine, Safe Voices, and the Maine Children’s Cancer Program at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital.