CMP donation buys award winning book for Maine libraries

AUGUSTA, Maine - Central Maine Power has put another award-winning children's book in hundreds of public libraries and Maine schools for the 17th consecutive year. The company recently donated copies of Finding Winnie to more than 600 public, private, and parochial schools and public libraries in its service territory. The Association of Library Service to Children designated Finding Winnie, written by Lindsay Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall, winner of the Caldecott Medal in 2016.

"We're happy to donate this wonderful book to the libraries and schools we serve," said Sara Burns, president and CEO of Central Maine Power. "We hope Finding Winnie will spark a love for reading and creativity that lasts a lifetime."

CMP's donation comes as part of the utility's charitable giving to community initiatives that help Maine families and communities engage children in the lifelong rewards of reading, learning, and educational success.

Finding Winnie recalls the characters and events that inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh collection of stories. Winnipeg veterinarian Harry Colebourn rescued a baby bear while on his journey to tend horses during World War I. Named for his home town, Winnie accompanies Harry through the fields of Canada and across the Atlantic Ocean to an army base in England. Knowing the battlefields were no place for a friendly young bear, Colebourn finds a new home for Winnie at the London Zoo. Soon after her arrival there, Winnie makes a new friend - a real-life boy named Christopher Robin.

The book donation is among several community-service initiatives at CMP designed to raise children's aspirations and help to prepare them to lead full, productive lives. The Company also has provided scholarships to students enrolled in engineering and technology programs at the University of Maine and Kennebec Valley Community College.

"CMP's commitment to the communities we serve goes well beyond providing safe, reliable power delivery," said Burns. "The support we provide to educational programs helps put our young people on the path to becoming productive adults that can help local business and communities prosper."