For Immediate Release Please
Date:September 15, 2017
Contact: Shoshona Smith, Healthy r 667-7171
Non-Profit Donations in Lieu of Wedding Gifts? Newlyweds Celebrate Healthy Acadia!
John Melick and Eveleigh Wagner, seasonal visitors with family connections in Downeast Maine, decided that they wanted to do something special and unusual for their August 2017 Mount Desert Island wedding. Rather than traditional wedding gifts, John and Eveleigh requested that friends and family donate to support community health programming through Healthy Acadia, a non-profit community health organization whose mission and work they believe in strongly.
Healthy Acadia’s mission “to empower people and organizations to build healthy communities” reflects Eveleigh and John’s values and professional interests. John is currently completing his Divinity degree at Vanderbilt University. He is also the Director of contemporary Music and the Youth Minister at Calvary Methodist Church in Nashville. Eveleigh is a third-year Psychiatric Resident at the Vanderbilt University Hospital. They are both very invested in improving the lives of individuals and families in concrete ways.
While they reside in Tennessee, they visit Maine as often as they can. Eveleigh’s mother is a part time resident of Mount Desert and introduced them to Healthy Acadia’s mission and goals, all focused on improving the health of our communities in Hancock and Washington counties.
Eveleigh and John’s innovative alternative to a Wedding Gift Registry has led to over $3,350.00 of contributions in the name of the newlyweds as of the time of this printing. These funds will support Healthy Acadia in addressing a wide range of issues, including preventing substance misuse and aiding access to treatment, increasing access to healthy foods and physical activity, preventing and managing chronic disease, supporting businesses to create healthier workplaces, tackling hunger, improving school health, creating healthier environments, supporting healthy early childhood development and healthy aging, and more.
“These gifts represent an incredible example of individuals stepping forward to support programming that they believe will change lives.” Shared Shoshona Smith of Healthy Acadia. “Innovative support from organizational friends such as John Melick and Eveleigh Wagner are the cornerstones of our success. We want to send a heart-felt thank you for this leadership.”
Healthy Acadia works across Hancock and Washington counties to support all people to live healthier lives. To learn more about their programming or how to support these efforts, visit or call 667-7171.
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