A prominent non-profit organization recently recognized Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Rand Maker for his “selfless” work as a volunteer director of Camp POSTCARD.
Volunteers of America Northern New England presented Maker and fellow director Christine Buchanan with the Maud and Ballington Booth Lifetime Service Award Sept. 9 in Portland.
According to the organization’s press release, “Rand and Chris are selfless in their volunteer support of [Camp POSTCARD] and serve as role models throughout their year-round commitment to these young people.”
Maker, 43, of Bristol, said his involvement with the camp began in its infancy, about 15 years ago.
Camp POSTCARD stands for Police Officers Striving To Create And Reinforce Dreams, Maker explained.
A partnership between the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, the Maine D.A.R.E. Officers Association, the Maine Sheriffs’ Association and Volunteers of America, the unique camp takes place one week every year at Agassiz Village in Poland, Maine.
The partnership offers the camp experience at no cost to the 150-175 5-6 graders, including, on average, 17-25 Lincoln County students, who make up its yearly clientele.
Camp POSTCARD, in most respects, is like any other camp – campers enjoy arts and crafts, athletics, fishing, swimming – except for one important distinction. The counselors at Camp POSTCARD are corrections officers, police officers and social workers.
“The staff is what makes it different,” Maker said.
Despite the expertise of the staff, the camp doesn’t cater specifically to “at risk” children – students struggling with academics or behavior or those who have had negative interactions with law enforcement.
Instead, “it’s a gauntlet” of children from various backgrounds. “I leave a lot of decision-making to local schools,” Maker said. While some schools choose to send students facing serious challenges, others opt to reward their most successful scholars.
The camp always returns a handful of eager alumni and makes room for children otherwise unable to attend summer camp for economic reasons.
“If a kid wants to go to camp, they should be able to go to camp,” Maker said.
Maker, in addition to his full-time job at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and a part-time position as an EMT for Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service (he works one day a week – the same shift for 10 years), coaches the Lincoln Academy Eagles junior varsity boys’ basketball team.
Maker’s dedication to volunteerism, and to youth in particular, stems from his own childhood. Although he didn’t fully appreciate it at the time, many adults “gave up a lot of time to support activities I was involved in,” he said, whether academics, athletics, music or some other extracurricular pursuit.
Maker views his volunteer efforts as a way to “give back,” he said.
“I love kids,” Maker said. “Kids are our future.”
The veteran officer also gains optimism from his campers and basketball players. “You can become a little jaded” as a law enforcement officer, he said, constantly dealing with children on the wrong side of the law.
It’s refreshing to “see kids that are positive” and, hopefully, to make a difference for struggling children.
Maker credits Sheriff Todd Brackett for offering flexibility and support for himself and other officers to serve the community out of uniform.
He also credits Buchanan, his fellow director, for her dedication, calling the Topsham resident an “outstanding lady.”
The Mad and Ballington Booth Lifetime Service Award bears the names of the founders of Volunteers of America, “social reformers who envisioned a movement dedicated to ‘reaching and uplifting’ the American people,” according to the organization’s press release.
The award “recognizes individuals who have exemplified this commitment to helping others time and again through a lifetime of service.”
“As volunteer directors of Camp POSTCARD, Chris and Rand have made a difference in the lives of thousands of Maine youth,” the press release states.
