Community Services/Non-Profits near Old Orchard Beach, ME

“We attended the Easter sunrise service at the Salvation Army Worship Center and had such a wonderful experience. The sermon was uplifting and meaningful, perfectly capturing the spirit of the day. The band was absolutely amazing, the music added so much joy and energy to the service.

What really stood out was how friendly and welcoming everyone was. From the moment we arrived, we felt comfortable and included. It’s clear this is a community that truly cares.

We would definitely go back and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a warm and inspiring place to worship.”

“I wish we could give ten stars. You don’t expect to need a place to stay for weeks or months at a time when you suddenly have a family member in the hospital. Our son was born prematurely and we had no clue what we would do or how we could afford a hotel for the predicted month that he would have to stay in the NICU. All family was at least an hour away, and as a mother you don’t want to be that far away from your baby, especially in the condition he was in at the time. We will never, ever be able to repay the kindness and provisions we were given while staying at the Ronald McDonald house there in Portland. The people there were so, so kind and understanding. There is nothing like an open door when you have nowhere to turn, or a clean dry bed when you’ve spent long days in the hospital with baby, or a home cooked meal when you’ve hardly even remembered to drink water all day. Thank you, thank you.”

“My company Hager Photography had the absolute pleasure of photographing a wedding reception here at The Cumberland Club this summer and it was AMAZING. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a fun, classy wedding experience. Coolidge is such a unique venue! It's a great space with a lot of history! You can't go wrong booking your wedding here.”

“What an incredible experience for my 4 year old! We sent her for winter vacation camp, and as a shy kid - she went running into the program on the second day with all the excitement in the world. The facility is beautiful, and the staff are so friendly and engaging with the kiddos. They kept her busy outside and she couldn’t wait to go back the following day. I am so thankful a place like this exists for kiddos!”

“APEX is a great organization, the teenagers that I’ve worked with through APEX are engaged, thoughtful, responsible and on their way to contributing in important ways. – Professor Thomas Klak, University of New England”

“My daughter goes to this daycare, she absolutely loves it! I was so nervous about sending her anywhere as she had been with just me since birth, and the staff had made the transition fabulous, her teachers are wonderful and I get updates on each activities, feedings, and photos of walks through each day! I am truly grateful for this nursery!”

“Really enjoy the program so far. I'm teaching abroad in Spain. It has been a great experience. Challenging of course, but Ciee really sets you up for success.”

“I danced with this friendly contradance group on a vacation trip to Maine. Everything about it was great: the dance floor, the music, the dancers, the caller. I hope to dance with them again on another trip up the Maine coast.”

“I just came back from fishing down at Portland Fish Exchange. The city of Portland owns the pier it's open for the public to fish. When the boats come in to unload their fish, or when they have the fishing nets out to repair and put the Nets back on the fishing boats they need to use a crane. They do ask you not to fish there. It is not because they are being mean to the public ! It's for the person fishing safety. They can get heard even get Killed. I see one person down there that insisted on fishing when they asked him not to. It was none of my business but I talk to the person fishing and told him he could get hurt really bad and even die. I also see one time when they was loading the Nets on the boat one of the big rollers fell. All the fisherman and people working on the boats and fixing the Nets are all really polite. Portland Fish Exchange Pier is the only one I go every day to go Fishing. I always ask if it's okay to fish today and is there any fishing boats coming in. If so, just out of respect for the fisherman and workers and for my own safety. I do have pictures of them working”

“A couple years ago, I was told the Portland YMCA does not accept members from other locations, but now I've gone twice and was told they accept all nationwide members.
The workout area is small but decent. The larger, boys/all-age male locker room downstairs is closer to the pool; The smaller, adult men's locker room upstairs has a sauna and iis closer to the basketball gym. NO steam room nor hot tub.”

“I honestly can say from the bottom of my heart, this place helped me save my life. I went there believe it or not, three times in a month. The last time I finally got it. It wasn’t easy. I had 7 years sober as of summer of 2022. I lost two girlfriends from drugs causing cardiac arrest to both of them. My girlfriend Jona that just passed, is my angel and sent me back to Milestone. Today I am almost 4 months sober. Feel great. This place totally rocks. Oh and if you meet Ashley, she has the best collection of Nike air max. ?”

“Currently Working with Career Advisor Allie Webber and shes supper responsive and works quickly and super helpful. She was able to find multiple scholarships for my education program and help do the applications. I love it when someone is serious about their job.”

“A fun, clean place for young adults with mental disabilities to get together. Inside are games, music, computers, TV's, comfortable seating, and more. The staff is friendly and attentive.”

“The GMRI is a fascinating place and a decidedly wonderful addition to the Portland waterfront. The programming they offer to local middle school students is exceptional and their new interactive learning lab, complete with a large observation tank, is state of the art. I found myself wishing that there was programming available to the general public. Every year, the GMRI holds a seafood celebration. I was lucky enough to attend this year. There were three floors of local chefs sharing their best seafood creations. Holding this event on all three floors, naturally walked guests through their facility, which I have to say, is extremely impressive. Their building itself, sits right on the working waterfront, with wonderful views and big tall windows to let in all the light. On the ground floor is the learning lab. Sitting inside the lab, with the tank on your left and the wall sized screen playing a video on local aquatic life, you could imagine yourself on a learning vessel, working and learning alongside marine biologists. The fare at the seafood celebration was pretty epic. There were haddock sliders, fish tacos and the most incredible scallop crudo. There were also bowls set out on communal tables of home made potato chips and onion dip, which had nothing to do with seafood, but were stand outs as well. Overall, this is a fascinating place that does great work and the GMRI seafood celebration is one of the rare times, the public is invited in for a view and some delicious apps. Well worth scoring a ticket or two next year!”

“Truck driver here. Called ahead and I was able to dump half a pallet of lettuce that was refused at a delivery somewhere else. Thank you very much. Edit: lots of space for an 18 wheeler to get in and out.”

“6-2025
Helpful staff, nice swimming pool

Overall this Y is worn around the edges. However, if you are looking for a comfortable place to swim laps or go to family swim, this place is great.

The pool area has lots of light and a (Cedar?) wood ceiling that makes it smell like a pleasant forest instead of chlorine.

I thoroughly enjoyed my lap swim and will return next time we are in Biddeford.

Recommended.”