A tip of the hat and congratulations to Michael Dostie who, on Friday, will receive the Community Involvement Award from the Young Professionals of the Lewiston-Auburn Area.
Dostie will receive the award at YPLAA’s annual meeting for his work organizing the monthly art walks this summer in Lewiston-Auburn.
Dostie helped set up two blocks’ worth of art displays, then opened his family-owned jewelry store, not to sell jewelry but to provide a venue for local artists to display and sell their work.
Between May and September, 1,500 people attended those Friday night affairs and bought $6,000 worth of local art.
But the real long-term value in the art walks was in bringing people downtown in a common social activity and to experience night life in Lewiston-Auburn.
The group is already planning next year’s Art Walks.
“This city and its downtown, as well as Auburn’s downtown, are kind of like empty canvases,” Dostie told the Sun Journal. “I just think it takes motivated individuals who are willing to work.”
And Dostie, 29, was leading by example. It took him about 30 hours to prepare for each night’s event. “This was the most stressful thing that I’d ever done,” he told the Sun Journal.
Stressful, indeed, but it is the type of selfless sacrifice that is bringing positive attention to L-A.
Private investment, government support and community participation are the keys to community development.
Other committed people who will be honored Friday include Mary LaFontaine (Mentor Award), Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Co. (Business Champion Award), Julia Sleeper (Tree Street Youth-Entrepreneur Award) and Dustin Carrier (Business Person of the Year Award).
The entire YPLAA organization deserves recognition for members’ creative efforts to promote and develop Lewiston-Auburn.
It’s reassuring to know there is another generation of energetic people working together to rebuild L-A.
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