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SUMMERS ON
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One family's exploration
of the coast by boat
A new generation of sailors
48 HOURS
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August 2014
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WELLNESS
by Dr. Lisa Belisle Photographs by Greta Rybus
Pop the Cause
and Pop for Change:
CELLARDOOR WINERY CELEBRATES THOSE WHO CARE
“Back in 2007, I learned that 38 percent of
kids in Knox County needed aid every day
in order to eat,” explains Bettina Doulton.
A former portfolio manager who worked at
Fidelity Investments in Boston for 21 years,
Doulton had moved to Maine after purchasing
Cellardoor Winery in Lincolnville. A harddriving businesswoman, she had survived breast
cancer and was ready for a change. Visiting the
midcoast in December 2006, Doulton became
intrigued by the 68-acre farm. She vividly
remembers her decision to take a chance with
this new venture, “I decided to throw everything
up against the wall and see what stuck.”
August 2014 57
WELLNESS
POP THE CAUSE
“We’ve seen this in Maine before—there
is usually someone willing to help if you
connect the need and the giver.”
Four hundred tickets for Pop the Cause went
on sale November 1, 2013, at $125 apiece.
The event sold out in less than two hours.
Doulton was thrilled. Wondering how
she could capitalize on the community’s
enthusiasm, she arranged to interview leaders from the charities. She asked what the
priorities should be. “They told us: ‘We need
to get our message out. We need more people
engaged. We need the next generation of
volunteers and donors to hear our stories,’”
recounts Doulton.
01
Soon after she acquired Cellardoor, the
Rotary Club invited Doulton to give a presentation at the local YMCA. Doulton agreed,
and was surprised by what she learned in the
subsequent discussion about her new home
state. “I realized that there is one degree of
separation between doing OK, and being part
of the 38 percent of children who aren’t eating properly. Hearing that statistic motivated
me to figure out how I could help in my own
tiny way.”
Partnering with Lani Stiles from Megunticook Market in Camden, Doulton hosted the
first “Pop the Cork” in 2008. A grand celebration of food and wine, with entertainment
provided by national acts such as Foreigner,
Huey Lewis and the News, and Boyz II Men,
the Rockport event became a yearly affair,
raising money and awareness for organizations as diverse as Midcoast Habitat for
Humanity, the Farnsworth Art Museum,
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and the Penobscot Bay YMCA. Over time,
the size of the party began to detract from its
original purpose. “Despite our good intentions,” says Doulton, “the bigness of the event
started to matter more than the fact that
we were fundraising, and trying to grow the
communities of the nonprofits.”
Doulton decided to downsize, transitioning “Pop the Cork,” to “Pop the Cause” in
2014. She hoped to use the clamor for Pop
tickets as a means of motivating people to
participate in civic activities and become
more deeply involved in their communities.
This year’s June 26th event, featuring music
by the Sultans and the Pointer Sisters, put
the emphasis back on area charities. Each
of three organizations—United Mid-Coast
Charities, Coastal Opportunities, and Hospitality house—received $20,000. One organization, Meals on Wheels, received $100,000
as a result of an online voting contest.
Doulton and her Cellardoor team understand the importance of stories. Located on
a 200-year-old farm, Cellardoor has become
known for its doormark—a symbol carved
onto the barn door by a “hopeful traveler”
from the early twentieth century as an
invitation to others to discover what he had
found there: “Acceptance, cheer, purpose,
belonging, welcome.” This mark resonated
with Doulton and has influenced the mission and vision of Cellardoor. Through wine
pairings, cooking classes, and special events,
Cellardoor visitors routinely experience
unique hospitality. Says Doulton, “Cellardoor is a place of safety and hope—and
slowing down a little bit to hear somebody’s
story.”
The midcoast charitable community has offered safety and hope to its less fortunate citizens for decades. Founded in 1972, United
Mid-Coast Charities distributes funds to
more than 50 local organizations, including
the Wayfinder Schools, Literacy Volunteers, Tanglewood 4-H Camp, and the Red
Cross. According to president Rusty Brace,
a veteran of the communications field who
has held his current position at UMCC for
17 years, the organization raises $1 million
every 30 months, and “one hundred percent
of the proceeds go to charities making a difference in Knox and Waldo counties.”
With 33 percent of the region’s inhabitants
on welfare, Brace says, “There is a great need
here.”
Opening Spread:
Bettina Doulton at Cellardoor, with
the winery’s doormark symbol
superimposed on the window
above. The doormark has become an
important symbol for Doulton and
those who work at Cellardoor.
01 Dorothy “Dot” Jameson receives
a MCH Meals on Wheels delivery in
her kitchen in Rockland.
02 Kahdejah and Khaliel have found
hope in the services offered by
Hospitality House.
MCH Meals on Wheels and Coastal Opportunities each receive funds from UMCC.
Run by the Methodist Conference, MCH
Meals on Wheels distributes more than 125
meals each week to homebound individuals. Executive director Lee Karker says their
organization offers more than a simple meal
delivery: “Through stopping by and saying
hello on a regular basis, people get to know
one another. They become like family.”
02
Coastal Opportunities provides care to more
than 100 developmentally disabled individuals at 11 sites. Their offerings include housing and vocational and therapeutic services
for people of all ages. In 1975, Congress
passed the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, giving children with disabilities access to a “free appropriate public
education.” At the same time that these
children were being mainstreamed into
public schools, adults with disabilities were
being moved from institutional settings back
into their communities. Says Coastal Opportunities executive director Joseph Curll,
“Initially there was a lot of fear about having
our clients as neighbors, but it has been a
good transition. People open up and take our
folks as friends and participants in the community. They have a lot of value to add.”
A program of the Knox County Housing
Coalition, the Hospitality House has also
worked diligently to help others understand
the value of every human being—and to provide shelter as people get back on their feet.
“We are home, help, and hope for our population,” explains Hospitality House executive
director Stephanie Primm. “We have a new
model of breaking the cycle of homelessness.
We wrap the clients in the full and customized program they need to get them out of
their situation.” The Hospitality House can
provide shelter for up to 21 people—including families with children. Clients also work
with case workers, and receive counseling in
areas such as employment and interpersonal
skills. Housing Coalition chairwoman Anne
(Pinny) Beebe-Center acknowledges that
this is an important aspect of their work:
“We are building a community within the
shelter.” She continues, “Volunteers are surprised at the happy, inviting environment of
the house. Everyone feels like they belong.”
Stories like these became the mainstay of
Cellardoor’s second volunteer-centered
June celebration, created after Pop the
Cause tickets sold out. With the help of Cellardoor event coordinator Devon Salisbury,
Doulton put out a call to action, drawing
upon the words of anthropologist Margaret
Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful committed citizens can change
the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that
ever has.” Individuals were asked to give
four hours of work to the charity of their
choice. Once completed, volunteers would
be eligible to attend “Pop for Change,” a June
28th event featuring Belinda Carlisle and DJ
Marc Thrasher.
More than 500 individuals answered Doulton’s call. People delivered meals, painted
walls, detailed transport vans, and sorted
used clothes. UMCC president Brace was
August 2014 59
WELLNESS
POP THE CAUSE
stunned by his experience of the effort,
“This spring we had an envelope-stuffing
operation in Waldo county—7,000 pieces
of mail tackled by 50 volunteers.” Volunteers routinely stuff envelopes for UMCC
as a way of communicating with potential
donors and supporters. It was unusual for
UMCC to have so many people available
to complete this task. Says Brace, “They
completed the job in four-and-a-half
hours: a new world record!”
“It has been incredibly rewarding to see
people offer up their unique talents,”
says Salisbury. “Working on Pop for
Change made me aware of how much
need we have in our area, and that the
organizations are there to meet the need.
A lot of people just didn’t know how to
help.” Small donations of time and effort enabled organizations to complete
tasks that might have otherwise seemed
out of reach. They also helped raise
awareness. Two members of the Maine
magazine staff assisted in clearing trails
for the upcoming summer season at the
Tanglewood 4-H Camp in Lincolnville.
Says one of the volunteers, “It was fun to
spend time helping out an organization I
wouldn’t have known about otherwise.”
As the world evolves,
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01
Doulton has been pleased with the awareness raised by Pop for Change. On the
night of that event, she presented Coastal
Opportunities and the Midcoast Habitat
for Humanity with an additional $20,000
apiece for providing exceptional volunteer experiences. She says, “It is pretty
good if you can get a community trying
something new this quickly. We've seen
this in Maine before—there is usually
someone willing to help if you connect
the need and the giver.” Doulton remains
modest about the results of her innovative efforts. She recognizes that a party
that can only be accessed through volunteering is unique, but she believes that
her work pales in comparison to the work
being done by the charities themselves.
Doulton, who threw her life against the
wall eight years ago, continues to be
motivated by the stories of individuals
who are taking chances in their own
way, and helping others as they do. She
recalls a text she received from a young
woman who had just dropped off food for
those who might not otherwise have any.
The woman wrote, “Just left Hospitality
House. I get it. This matters.”
01 Scott Acorn clears brush at
Tanglewood 4-H Camp in Lincolnville.
02 Lucy Stackpole, a MCH Meals on
Wheels volunteer, delivers meals to
Harriet and Warren Williams.
“We’ve become the mushiest walking
Hallmark card you’ve ever seen,” Doulton
smiles.
Hear more about Pop for Change from Bettina Doulton
on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour + Podcast. doctorlisa.org
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