Telling Room Annual Report 2010-11

There was something phenomenally moving for me about discovering The Telling Room—a small, steadfast storefront enterprise in Portland, Maine, where young people from all sorts of backgrounds come willingly (eagerly! sometimes even desperately!) to learn how to better tell their stories. I love this place. It’s a little all-access humanities cottage industry, and it fills me with great hope.” – Elizabeth Gilbert “The kids were unflinching in their curiosity. It’s always a pleasure to feel the pulse of younger writers discovering what it is they want to do; I hope it felt as essential for them as it did for me.” – Jonathan Lethem “We just had the BEST time Friday. The activity was perfectly geared for the kids. We’re still telling stories about the day. I’m so glad to have a blast of enthusiasm to carry us through the end of year with our writing. I think some kids will continue the piece you had them start and some may want to try the prompt for your next anthology. Either way, I’m just happy to see them so engaged. Thanks for your program and your dedication and passion.”Kris White, Scarborough Middle School“Telling Room staff and volunteers infused our classroom at Portland High School with an enthusiasm for telling stories, writing, and sharing. Telling Room poets, journalists, filmmakers, a photographer, and others worked closely and fluidly with a diverse group of recent immigrant teenagers. They brought the writing process to life and students revised and edited without hesitation. Students’ stories were validated and celebrated. As a teacher, working with The Telling Room gave me an opportunity to observe professional writers as they shared aspects of their craft with my students. With their energy and expertise, TR members were able to coach my students through activities and products that would have been difficult for me to achieve alone. It was a great experience for all of us.” There was something phenomenally moving for me about discovering The Telling Room—a small, steadfast storefront enterprise in Portland, Maine, where young people from all sorts of backgrounds come willingly (eagerly! sometimes even desper-ately!) to learn how to better tell their stories. I love this place. It’s a little all-access humanities cottage industry, and it fills me with great hope.” – Elizabeth Gilbert “The kids were unflinching in their curiosity. It’s always a pleasure to feel the pulse of younger writers discovering what it is they want to do; I hope it felt as essential for them as it did for me.” – Jonathan Lethem “We just had the BEST time Friday. The activity was perfectly geared for the kids. We’re still telling stories about the day. I’m so glad to have a blast of enthusiasm to carry us through the end of year with our writing. I think some kids will continue the piece you had them start and some may want to try the prompt for your next anthology. Either way, I’m just happy to see them so engaged. Thanks for your program and your dedication and passion.”Kris White, Scarborough Middle School“Telling Room staff and volunteers infused our classroom at Portland High School with an enthusiasm for telling stories, writing, and sharing. Telling Room poets, journalists, filmmakers, a photographer, and others worked closely and fluidly with a diverse group of recent immigrant teenagers. They brought the writing process to life and students revised and edited without hesitation. Students’ stories were validated and celebrated. As a teacher, working with The Telling Room gave me an opportunity to observe professional writers as they shared aspects of their craft with my students. With their energy and expertise, TR members were able to coach my students through activities and products that would have been difficult for me to achieve alone. It was a great experience for all of us.” There was something phenomenally moving for me about discovering The Telling Room—a small, steadfast storefront enterprise in Portland, Maine, where young people from all sorts of backgrounds come willingly (eagerly! sometimes even desperately!) to learn how to better tell their stories. I love this place. It’s a little all-access humanities cottage industry, and it fills me with great hope.” – Elizabeth Gilbert “The kids were unflinching in their curiosity. It’s always a pleasure to feel the pulse of younger writers discovering what it is they want to do; I hope it felt as essential for them as it did for me.” – Jonathan Lethem “We just had the BEST time Friday. The activity was perfectly geared for the kids. We’re still telling stories about the day. I’m so glad to have a blast of enthusiasm to carry us through the end of year with our writing. I think some kids will continue the piece you had them start and some may want to try the prompt for your next anthology. Either way, I’m just happy to see them so engaged. Thanks for your program and your dedication and passion.”Kris White, Scarborough Middle School“Telling Room staff and volunteers infused our classroom at Portland High School with an enthusiasm for telling stories, writing, and sharing. Telling Room poets, journalists, filmmakers, a photographer, and others worked closely and fluidly with a diverse group of recent immigrant teenagers. They brought the writing process to life and students revised and edited without hesitation. Students’ stories were validated and celebrated. As a teacher, working with The Telling Room gave me an opportunity to observe professional writers as they shared aspects of their craft with my students. With their energy and expertise, TR members were able to coach my students through activities and products that would have been difficult for me to achieve alone. It was a great experience for all of us.” There was something phenomenally moving for me about discovering The Telling Room—a small, steadfast storefront enterprise in Portland, Maine, where young people from all sorts of backgrounds come willingly (eagerly! sometimes even desperately!) to learn how to better tell their stories. I love this place. It’s a little all-access humanities cottage industry, and it fills me with great hope.” – Elizabeth Gilbert “The kids were unflinching in their curiosity. It’s always a pleasure to feel the pulse of younger writers discovering what it is they want to do; I hope it felt as essential for them as it did for me.” – Jonathan Lethem “We just had the BEST time Friday. The activity was perfectly geared for the kids. We’re still telling stories about the day. I’m so glad to have a blast of enthusiasm to carry us through the end of year with our writing. I think some kids will continue the piece you had them start and some may want to try the prompt for your next anthology. Either way, I’m just happy to see them so engaged. Thanks for your program and your dedication and passion.”Kris White, Scarborough Middle School“Telling Room staff and volunteers infused our classroom at Portland High School with an enthusiasm for telling stories, writing, and sharing. Telling Room poets, journalists, filmmakers, a photographer, and others worked closely and fluidly with a diverse group of recent immigrant teenagers. They brought the writing process to life and students revised and edited without hesitation. Students’ stories were validated and celebrated. As a teacher, working with The Telling Room gave me an opportunity to observe professional writers as they shared aspects of their craft with my students. With their energy and expertise, TR members were able to coach my students through activities and products that would have been difficult for me to achieve alone. It was a great experience for all of us.” There was something phenomenally moving for me about discovering The Telling Room—a small, steadfast storefront enterprise in Portland, Maine, where young people from all sorts of backgrounds come willingly (eagerly! sometimes even desper-ately!) to learn how to better tell their stories. I love this place. It’s a little all-access humanities cottage industry, and it fills me with great hope.” – Elizabeth Gilbert “The kids were unflinching in their curiosity. It’s always a pleasure to feel the pulse of younger writers discovering what it is they want to do; I hope it felt as essential for them as it did for me.” – Jonathan Lethem “We just had the BEST time Friday. The activity was perfectly geared for the kids. We’re still telling stories about the day. I’m so glad to have a blast of enthusiasm to carry us through the end of year with our writing. I think some kids will continue the piece you had them start and some may want to try the prompt for your next anthology. Either way, I’m just happy to see them so engaged. Thanks for your program and your dedication and passion.”Kris White, Scarborough Middle School“Telling Room staff and volunteers infused our classroom at Portland High School with an enthusiasm for telling stories, writing, and sharing. Telling Room poets, journalists, filmmakers, a photographer, and others worked closely and fluidly with a diverse group of recent immigrant teenagers. They brought the writing process to life and students revised and edited without hesitation.

Dear Telling Room Friends and Supporters,

We’ve come so far since our founding in 2004 thanks to your support, and we’d like to take this opportunity to share a few moments with you that illustrate how much The Telling Room and our students have been able to achieve during this past year.

While attending our May 2011 book launch, Lead Teacher Patty Hagge saw in her mind’s eye all 2,000 of the “earnest, sweet faces” we worked with this year and felt complete gratitude that we have the honor to sit next to, in front of, or in a circle with so many students who are brave enough to share some part of their lives or imagination.

Program Director Molly McGrath watched over 400 students gather for our Maine Writers on Memoir symposium and considered the potential for our programs to reach even further into the State of Maine.

Americorps member Molly Haley worked with a young Somali woman born in a Kenyan refugee camp who decided that she was ready to tell a painful and difficult story from her childhood. What resulted was a beautiful story full of wisdom, resilience and forgiveness. The story was awarded multiple prizes and she was able to pay for her college deposit with her winnings.

Communications Coordinator Andrew Griswold realized that we published over 100 students’ stories in professionally bound anthologies and chapbooks this past year and is proud that we take the extra step to hand young writers their story in print. This not only inspires confidence in their writing ability, but lets them know that when they work hard at something, people will take them seriously and celebrate their effort.

Current Executive Director Heather Davis was overwhelmed with gratitude for the hundreds of people who showed up to support The Telling Room on April 7 at Glitterati, our first annual gala. Hundreds of local businesses, restaurants, artists, and more donated their time, services, and goods to make the event a success, and we raised enough money to meet our goals and serve more students with free programs than at any other time in the organization’s history.

We hope that you too have had a moment at The Telling Room that left you or your child inspired, amazed, and more connected to the community we live in. Thank you for being a part of our organization and for investing your time, money, and passion. Our small but mighty staff could not reach thousands of kids each year without you, and we are deeply grateful.

Sincerely,

Heather Davis, Andrew Griswold, Patty Hagge, Molly Haley, and Molly McGrath

2010-2011 Telling Room Staff

annual report

Contact The Telling Room

225 Commercial Street, Suite 201

Portland, ME 04101

(207) 774-6064

[email protected]

www.tellingroom.org

program, students wrote about Dodgeball, baby sisters, and the trials and tribulations of dating. Students in our Young Writers and Leaders program for refugee and immigrant teens wrote about childhood games, sports, and more.

One Young Writers and Leaders student, Fadumo Issack, contributed a true story called ‘Climbing Barefoot’ about growing up in Ifo, the world’s biggest refugee camp in Kenya. In the story, she writes:

“I knew Ifo like a book you memorized, and when I looked down from the top of a tree, the camp looked like a good place. I saw kids playing. When I climbed back down, it was a mess, but up there, I felt like everything was okay. I never thought that something bad could happen up there. But it did.

It was a very hot afternoon. It hadn’t rained for three or four months. I was walking to the markets to get sugar. I was five years old. When I went outside, my neighbor called me over to his house. He was twelve. I had known him my whole life. My neighbor dared me to climb the acacia tree in the yard. It was the tallest tree in Ifo. I had never climbed it before. I wasn’t scared, though.”

Fadumo’s story went on to win a top honor at the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance Maine Literary Awards. She won this year’s Youth Competition in Non-Fiction for her piece, which also won our annual statewide writing contest.

To find out what happened to Fadumo in the tree and read more Telling Room stories, visit us at tellingroom.org

Our 2010-2011 anthology, How to Climb Trees, features 40 Stories and Poems about Play. The writing in this anthology came from a multitude of Telling Room projects linked by the theme of “play.” In one project, a workshop on Mackworth Island, students built fairy houses and wrote the stories of the playful beings that inhabit them. In another, an in-school residency program with Deering High’s Alternative Education

How to Climb Trees

Photo of Author?

2010-2011

There was something phenomenally moving for me about discovering The Telling Room—a small, steadfast storefront enterprise in Portland, Maine, where young people from all sorts of backgrounds come willingly (eagerly! sometimes even desperately!) to learn how to better tell their stories. I love this place. It’s a little all-access humanities cottage industry, and it fills me with great hope.” – Elizabeth Gilbert “The kids were unflinching in their curiosity. It’s always a pleasure to feel the pulse of younger writers discovering what it is they want to do; I hope it felt as essential for them as it did for me.” – Jonathan Lethem “We just had the BEST time Friday. The activity was perfectly geared for the kids. We’re still telling stories about the day. I’m so glad to have a blast of enthusiasm to carry us through the end of year with our writing. I think some kids will continue the piece you had them start and some may want to try the prompt for your next anthology. Either way, I’m just happy to see them so engaged. Thanks for your program and your dedication and passion.”Kris White, Scarborough Middle School“Telling Room staff and volunteers infused our classroom at Portland High School with an enthusiasm for telling stories, writing, and sharing. Telling Room poets, journalists, filmmakers, a photographer, and others worked closely and fluidly with a diverse group of recent immigrant teenagers. They brought the writing process to life and students revised and edited without hesitation. Students’ stories were validated and celebrated. As a teacher, working with The Telling Room gave me an opportunity to ob-serve professional writers as they shared aspects of their craft with my students. With their energy and expertise, TR members were able to coach my students through activities and products that would have been difficult for me to achieve alone. It was a great experience for all of us.” There was something phenomenally moving for me about discovering The Telling Room—a small, steadfast storefront enterprise in Portland, Maine, where young people from all sorts of backgrounds come willingly (eagerly! sometimes even desperately!) to learn how to better tell their stories. I love this place. It’s a little all-access humanities cottage industry, and it fills me with great hope.” – Elizabeth Gilbert “The kids were unflinch-ing in their curiosity. It’s always a pleasure to feel the pulse of younger writers discovering what it is they want to o; I hope it felt as essential for them as it did for me.” – Jonathan Lethem “We just had the BEST time Friday. The activity was perfectly geared for the kids. We’re still telling stories about the day. I’m so glad to have a blast of enthusiasm to carry us through the end of year with our writing. I think some kids will continue the piece you had them start and some may want to try the prompt for your next anthology. Either way, I’m just happy to see them so engaged. Thanks for your program and your dedication and passion.”Kris White, Scarborough Middle School“Telling Room staff and volunteers infused our classroom at Portland High School with an enthusiasm for telling stories, writing, and sharing. Telling Room poets, journalists, filmmakers, a photographer, and others worked closely and fluidly with a diverse group of recent immigrant teenagers. They brought the writing process to life and students revised and edited without hesitation. Students’ stories were validated and celebrated. As a teacher, working with The Telling Room gave me an opportunity to observe professional writers as they shared aspects of their craft with my students. With their energy and expertise, TR members were able to coach my students through activities and products that would have been difficult for me to achieve alone. It was a great experience for all of us.” There was something phenomenally moving for me about discovering The Telling Room—a small, steadfast storefront enterprise in Portland, Maine, where young people from all sorts of backgrounds come willingly (eagerly! sometimes evn desperately!) to learn how to better tell their stories. I love this place. It’s a little all-access humanities cottage industry, and it fills me with great hope.” – Elizabeth Gilbert “The kids were unflinching in their curiosity. It’s always a pleasure to feel the pulse of younger writers discovering what it is they want to do; I hope it felt as essential for them as it did for me.” – Jonathan Lethem “We just had the BEST time Friday. The activity was perfectly geared for the kids. We’re still telling stories about the day. I’m so glad to have a blast of enthusiasm to carry us through the end of year with our writing. I think some kids will continue the piece you had them start and some may want to try the prompt for your next anthology. Either way, I’m just happy to see them so engaged. Thanks for your program and your dedi-cation and passion.”Kris White, Scarborough Middle School“Telling Room staff and volunteers infused our classroom at Portland High School with an enthusiasm for telling stories, writing, and sharing. Telling Room poets, journalists, filmmakers, a photographer, and others worked closely and fluidly with a diverse group of recent immigrant teenagers. They brought the writing process to life and students revised and edited without hesitation. Students’ stories were validated and celebrated. As a teacher, working with The Telling Room gave me an opportunity to observe professional writers as they shared aspects of their craft with my students. With their energy and expertise, TR members were able to coach my students through activities and products that would have been difficult for me to achieve alone. It was a great experience for all of us.” There was something phenomenally moving for me about discovering The Telling Room—a small, steadfast storefront enterprise in Portland, Maine, where young people from all sorts of backgrounds come willingly (eagerly! sometimes even desperately!) to learn how to better tell their stories. I love this place. It’s a little all-access humanities cottage industry, and it fills me with great hope.” – Elizabeth Gil-bert “The kids were unflinching in their curiosity. It’s always a pleasure to feel the pulse of younger writers discovering what it is they want to do; I hope it felt as essential for them as it did for me.” – Jonathan Lethem “We just had the BEST time Friday. The activity was perfectly geared for the kids. We’re still telling stories about the day. I’m so glad to have a blast of enthusiasm to carry us through the end of year with our writing. I think some kids will continue the piece you had them start and some may want to try the prompt for your next anthology. Either way, I’m just happy to see them so engaged. Thanks for your program and your dedication and passion.”Kris White, Scarborough Middle School“Telling Room staff and volunteers infused our classroom at Portland High School with an enthusiasm for telling stories, writing, and sharing. Telling Room poets, journalists, filmmakers, a photogra-pher, and others worked closely and fluidly with a diverse group of recent immigrant teenagers. They brought the writing process to life and students revised and edited without hesitation. Students’ stories were validated and celebrated. As a teacher, working with The Telling Room gave me an opportunity to observe professional writers as they shared aspects of their craft with my students. With their energy and expertise, TR members were able to coach my students through activities and products that would have been difficult for me to achieve alone. It was a great experience for all of us.” There was something phenomenally moving for me about discovering The Telling Room—a small, steadfast storefront enterprise in Portland, Maine, where young people from all sorts of backgrounds come willingly (eagerly! sometimes even desperately!) to learn how to better tell their stories. I love this place. It’s a little all-access humanities cottage industry, and it fills me with great hope.” – Elizabeth Gilbert “The kids were unflinching in their cu-riosity. It’s always a pleasure to feel the pulse of younger writers discovering what it is they want to do; I hope it felt as essential for them as it did for me.” – Jonathan Lethem “We just had the BEST time Friday. The activity was perfectly geared for the kids. We’re still telling stories about the day. I’m so glad to have a blast of enthusiasm to carry us through the end of year with our writing. I think some kids will continue the piece you had them start and some may want to try the prompt for your next anthology. Either way, I’m just happy to see them so engaged. Thanks for your program and your dedication and passion.”Kris White, Scarborough Middle School“Telling Room staff and volunteers infused our classroom at Portland High School with an enthusiasm for telling stories, writing, and sharing. Telling Room poets, journalists, filmmakers, a photographer, and others worked closely and fluidly with a diverse group of recent immigrant teenagers. They brought the writing process to life and students revised and edited without hesitation. Students’ stories were validated

During the 2010-11 school year, The Telling Room reached 2,000 students from 34 schools and partner organizations across the state. Over 100 volunteers provided over 1,000 hours of service to the community through our programs. We continued to offer our core programs 100% free for students and their families. And, we were recognized as an Imagination Intensive Community by the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Arts Commission, and the Maine Alliance for Arts Education.

Young Writers and LeadersLast year, after much planning, dreaming, and scheming, The Telling Room launched its first ever school year-round program for young writers. With the support of the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities, United Way, and the Portland Public Library, we were able to serve 12 teenaged refugee and immigrant English Language Learners from Portland High school with an intensive, afterschool literary arts program. The program, which is now in its second year, runs for nine months each year, engaging students in weekly afterschool sessions that provide: One-on-one literacy tutoring and college prep assistance; Creative writing and arts programming; and job skills and leadership training. Every student in the program became a published writer and presented original poetry, music, and writing to packed crowds at the Library and the St. Lawrence Arts Center. And, all of our seniors in the program were accepted into the college of their choice.

Field TripsWith the support of the Donald Graves family, The Telling Room was able to dramatically expand its Field Trip program for Maine youth last year. In honor of Don Graves, a pioneer in the field of teaching writing to young people, we were able to offer free half-day literary excursions to our Writing Center in the Old Port to nearly 200 students from Title I schools serving predominantly low-income families. Hundreds of students from all over southern Maine participated in these unique literacy programs that incorporate discussion, visual art, one-on-one mentoring, and more. Field Trips are a catalyst that launch a lifelong love of learning and engagement in literacy, and students and teachers alike leave feeling refreshed, inspired, and eager to write.

Standard Baking CompanyStephen and Tabitha King

FoundationTeachers’ Publishing GroupThe Cheese Iron The Old Port Wine

MerchantsThe Skerryvore FoundationThe Thompson Family Fund

of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

The Wicklow Fund of the Saint Paul Foundation

Toddy Brook Golf CourseUnumUndapassawona FundVerbenaViaWCLZ 98.9Whaddapita!Whole Foods MarketWinky Lewis PhotographyW.R. Berkley Corporation

Charitable Foundation

Individual Donors 2010-11

Aimee and Mark BessireAlan McIlhenny, Jr and

Elizabeth AckersonAlex Krieckhaus and

Elizabeth MitchellAlexander and Sissy BuckAlexandra Anderson-Spivy

and Jock Spivy Alice and Richard SpencerAmy BarnesAmy and Jed HarrisAndrea HansonAndrew J. SternAndrew Michaelson and

Kate SullivanAnja Hanson and Derek

PierceAnn and Bernard McGowanAnne BairdAnne Ball and Dennis WelshAnne and Keith FlemingAnne O. GilbertAnne RiesenbergAnnie Leahy and Mike CareyAnonymousArlene CliffordArline Saturdayborn and

James WhelanBarbara C. ReedBess Weldon and David

HiltonBethany and Samuel

MateosianBeverly Stearns Blythe and Peter KiefferBradford MacCachran and

Barb GinleyBree LaCasseBrett Pierce and Kerry

Michaels

Brock and Lane ClarkeBruce C. St. Thomas Bryan LabelleCarlos Gomez and Melissa

McStayCarole and Jim FallonCatharine MacLaren and Eric

BaldwinCatherine F. FieldCatherine Fisher and Steve

LuttrellCatherine GentileCatherine Graves Catherine GustaitisCeline and Chris KhunKip MooreChelsea and Noah DeLormeChris Corbett and Manny

MorganChristine NedelmanClement and Georgia Sledge Lily King and Tyler ClementsColin and Kate Snyder Cordie SouthallCorinne GreenePatty and Cyrus HaggeDale and Priscilla DoucetteDana and Jo An StreetDaniel Kolbert and Laura

CianchetteDaniel and Jennifer LentzDave and Linda CorbettDavid Hilton and Bess

WeldonDavid LittlefieldDawn GirschDean and Janet FisherDeborah and Crombie GarrettDeborah and Robert RudeDebra RothenbergDebra Spark Denise Sucher-WinklerDevon Isherwood Diane Bennekamper and

Lorraine MartinDiane Casey PhotographyDick and Marianne PaternitiDonald Medd and Rachel

SimonsDonald Sussman Doris LuneauDouglas Welch and Caitlin

GutheilE. Allen and Joanne BrooksEdward HemingwayEliot and Barbara ColemanEliot and Melanie CutlerElizabeth GilbertElizabeth MoserEmilia Dahlin and Aaron

FrederickEmma Wilson and Thomas

HattanEugene and Ruth StoryEvan Griswold and Emily

FisherEverett Fisher

Gary Gagne Gayle LevinsonGenevieve and Tom MorganGeorge and Joan GravesGibson and Renee Fay-

LeBlancGloria and George ClarkeHallie Flint Gilman and

Andrew FlintHarding Lee SmithHolly M ManoogianJames E. KnowlesJames RichardsonJamie and Amy KuhnJane Nisbet Jean HoffmanJennifer DupreeJennifer Goff Jennifer and Sean MahoneyJill McGowan and David

HembreJim and Marie HayesJoanna Smiley Joanne Turnbull Jody and Steven ThaxtonCarol and Joe WishcamperJohn and Patricia DunnJohn and Stephanie

Hatzenbuehler John Kelly John Lowy DJohn McGintee John OsbornJohn B. PepperJohn Driscoll and Jean

Bennett DriscollJohn Paterniti and Kelly

GrossiJon Hinck and Juliet BrowneJonas and Lois KleinJoseph P. Davock Joshua and Elizabeth CutlerJudie HillerPhil and Judith BushJudy and Robbin BabcockJudy and Timothy

McCormallyJulia AdamsKai and Tom McGinteeKate MannKate SquireKatharine Davies SamwayKathi O’GradyKathleen Sullivan and Robert

StevensKathryn Bacastow and E.

Peter BearorKatie and Chip HarrisKen Kunin and Beth StickneyKent HemingwayKristen and Bob FarnhamLaura and David HesselinkLaura Kittle and Jeremy

MoserLeah Coplon and Jake

McNallyLee Ann and David Wood

Leticia Plate and Roy GermonCC and Lewis RobinsonLibby Marcus and Davis

RobinsonLinda and George RiefLinda Shary Lisa Page and Matthew

BamptonLisa SinickiJanet LohmannLois BridgesLouise KiefferMaggie and Christopher

RobinsonMargaret WestonMari Jones and Robert

WolterstorffMarjorie StockfordMartha Leggat and Stephen

BarrMartha Williams Mary Bonauto and Jennifer

WrigginsMary E PlouffeMatthew and Anne

AndersonMeeghan McClain and Joel

AntoliniMelissa and Mike BourqueMelissa Coleman and Eric

WallaceMercedes GrandinMichael and Barbara

StoddardMike Duffy and Monica

LlorenteMike Paterniti and Sara

CorbettMoira Driscoll and David

Pence, Jr.Moira Simonds and Mark

NordensonMolly and Toby McGrathMonica Wood and Daniel

AbbottMorgan SurkinMyron and Gladys HagerN.L Payson Nancy AndersonNancy Brain and John

WatsonNancy Fox and Jon EdwardsNancy NelsonNat MayNicole d’EntremontNina Houghton and Kent

GeorgeNoel and Jack WhiteO. Kelley and Brenda

AndersonOlive CaféOlivier Te Boekhorst and

Jennfier Lee ReckPamela GrowPamela Richards and Thomas

ConnollyPatty HowellsPaul Friedland and Paige

Corporate and Foundation Donors 2010-11 AkariAllen Avenue Unitarian

Universalist ChurchAltarum InstituteAngela Smith Consultancy

LLCAurora ProvisionsAuto EuropeThe Beim FoundationBrowne Trading CompanyBernstein ShurThe Captain Planet

FoundationC is for CupcakeCeltic PrideCenter for Teaching and

LearningChebeague Island InnClements Family Charitable

TrustCoastal Fly AnglerCole HaanCoffee By DesignColor Me MineCondom SenseDelaney DesignDiane Casey PhotographyDuckfatEast Brown Cow

Management, Inc.El Rayo TaqueriaElizabeth NailsElliot R. and Jean C. Barker

FundFore Street Foundry LaneGannett FoundationGreater Portland LandmarksGreenlight StudioHarbor Fish MarketHelene M.Hi Bombay!Horny Toad ActivewearHug’s Italian Restaurant

IBMInn by the SeaIsle au Haut Boat ServicesJill McGowan, Inc.KamasouptraKathleen Hamel, LMTKatie Made BakeryKey Bank Kirby Family FoundationLocal 188Longfellow BooksLovely Things MacLean Charitable

FoundationMaine Alliance for Arts

EducationMaine Art Glass StudioMaine Arts CommissionMaine MagazineMargaritas Mexican

RestaurantMarika Alisha Skin CareMarket Street EatsMojo Health BarPandora LaCasse Design, LLCOld Port Sea GrillOlive CafeOtto PizzaPatty Howells CookingPonomoPortia Clark Freshwater

PearlsPortland Harbor HotelPortland Museum of ArtPortland Press HeraldPrentice Hospitality GroupRippleffectRonald McDonald House

CharitiesSail MaineSalt ExchangeSam L. Cohen FoundationSanctuary Holistic Health

CenterSea BagsSkillins GreenhousesSpiral JourneysSpannocchia Foundation

HerrlingerPaul HaiderPaul and Marnie KalksteinPaul Lewandowski and Mary

ZwolinskiPaul and Dodo StevensPeter MillikenPhyllis A. FendersonLiz and Pierre MeahlR.M. and C.C. EastonRaymond Lewis Rich and Susanna DuboisRichard Deeran and Catherine

StiversRichard and Doris LeBlancRichard and Anne SimmonsRobert Farnsworth and

Georgia NigroRobert and Virginia InfantinoRosa Scarcelli and Thom

RhoadsSara CrispSara and Ronald BancroftSara and Joe NeedlemanSarah Boudreau Sarah Cecil Sarah Compton Sarah HelmingSarah KiefferSarah Lathrop Sarah Maloney Sarah MeachamSarah Shmitt Sharon LeClair Stacy Smith and Matt

ArrantsStephanie Harvey Stephen Hill Stephenie Kay and Richard

F. CookSu and Dave LangdonSue FitzgeraldSusan BrownSusan Conley and Tony

KiefferSusan Dunker-Bendigo Susan PyeSusan Stiker Terrie and Andre CasavantTim Prince and Lisa Thomas

PrinceTom Hanson and Beta KubrikValerie Libby and John

WipflerWendy and Pete BrockelmanWendy and Michael TaylorWilliam and Elizabeth Field Winky Lewis and Alex

Millspaugh

Schools and Partner Organizations2010-11

Biddeford Middle School

Brunswick Jr. HighCalais High SchoolCape Elizabeth High SchoolCasco Bay High SchoolCenter for Grieving ChildrenDeering High SchoolEast End Elementary SchoolEdward Little High SchoolFalmouth High SchoolFalmouth Middle SchoolFreeport High SchoolHall Elementary SchoolHarrison Middle SchoolKennebunk High SchoolKing Middle SchoolKing Middle SchoolLakes Region High SchoolLincoln Middle SchoolLongfellow ElementaryLyman Moore Middle SchoolLyseth ElementaryMahoney Middle SchoolMemorial Middle SchoolMultilingual Multicultural

CenterNathan Clifford Elementary

SchoolOcean Avenue ElementaryPoetry Out LoudPond Cove Elementary Portland High SchoolPortland Public LibraryPortland Stage CompanyReiche Elementary SchoolRippleffectRiverton Elementary SchoolScarborough High SchoolScarborough Middle SchoolSmall Elementary SchoolWaynflete High SchoolWestbrook Middle SchoolWindham Middle SchoolWinter KidsYarmouth Elementary SchoolYarmouth High School

The Financial TaleThe overall financial picture at The Telling Room continues to be strong. Our expenses for the 2010-2011 school year grew by only 3% even though we doubled the number of students we serve on an annual basis. Our income grew by 27%, and we leveraged over $40,000 in in-kind goods and services to keep costs down and maximize the amount of money we spend directly on teaching and program delivery.

Other notable steps in our financial growth include increased funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, who tripled the amount of their support, and the successful launch of an annual fundraising event that brought in over $20,000 for The Telling Room. We have also grown our Board of Directors’ finance committee and are strengthening internal controls to ensure the longterm financial health and sustainability of the organization.

Income Sep‘10-Aug‘11 n Foundation Grants 27% $76,095 n Government Grants 8% $24,000 n Corporate & Business Grants 3% $8,347 n Individual Contributions 29% $82,670 n Program Income & Book Sales 11% $31,751 n Volunteer & In-kind Contributions 14% $41,411 n Events Income 8% $23,068

TOTALINCOME&IN-KIND $287,342

Expenses Sep‘10-Aug‘11 n Teaching & Program Delivery (including in-kind) 68% $156360 n Administration & Fundraising 16% $36,660 n Program Supplies, Printing, Books, & Technology 8% $17,462 n Telling Room space 6% $14,014 n Readings & Event Production 2% $5,287

TOTALEXPENSE $229,783

68%16%

8%6% 2%

29% 8%

11%

27%

8%

3%14%