November 14, 2024
Cristy and Rob Benson were honored with the Elizabeth Fritz Thorndike Award, which honors people who have made impactful contributions to the Mount Desert Island community. Maine Community Foundation photo.
Rob and Cristy Benson of Bar Harbor were honored with the 2024 Elizabeth Fritz Thorndike Award. The biennial award, managed by the Maine Community Foundation (MaineCF), honors people who have made outstanding contributions to community service on Mount Desert Island.
Thorndike Award recipients are given the opportunity to make grants to nonprofit organizations that serve MDI and whose work is meaningful to them.
Rob Benson, pastor at Bar Harbor Congregational Church, and Cristy Benson, a science teacher at MDI High School, chose to award $2,500 to the YWCA of Bar Harbor’s Hamilton Station Project and $2,500 to Downeast Restorative Justice.
Rob is volunteer chaplain with the Bar Harbor Fire Department, is on the board of the MDI YMCA and cofounded the MDI Racial Equity Working Group and the MDI Backpack Program. Cristy volunteers as treasurer for the MDI Town Band, the MDI Backpack Program and the Friends of Haiti initiative. She also helps lead the annual Thanksgiving basket program. Together, the Bensons help organize College of the Atlantic’s Community Connections program, which supports international students through local host families.
Cristy, a supporter of the YWCA, has seen firsthand the impact of its work. "We’ve seen the incredible work they do for women in vulnerable situations – connecting people to the right resources they need, to housing and that they’re working on trying to create more housing," she said.
Downeast Restorative Justice is a resource for youth and the community to regain trust following a breach of trust by an individual. Rob says the model helps people take accountability for their actions by facing them directly.
"It's for when someone has harmed another, it’s finding avenues to have that person take direct responsibility for their actions and for finding a way for people to get back to one another," Rob said.
Both organizations, the Bensons said, are under-the-radar organizations that might not get a lot of public credit, but whose work is critical for a thriving community.
"There are so many groups and organizations doing great work on MDI and in Hancock County," Rob said. "These organizations have a direct impact on people’s lives and for those who are particularly vulnerable. These organizations step in and help people redirect their lives which is really important."
Established in 1992, the Thorndike Award honors Betty Thorndike, a longtime resident of Bar Harbor who served in many capacities in her community as a volunteer, board member, town councilor, patron of the arts, friend and neighbor to many. The Thorndike Award is awarded every two years to community members who embody her spirit. In the years between awards, the committee recommends grants to organizations that serve Mount Desert Island.
Previous Thorndike Award winners include Neha Kumar, Harriette Mitchell, Nan Miller, Jan Varnum, Anna Ryan and Nancy Howland. A committee of island residents selects the recipient for the award. Since 1987, the Thorndike fund has awarded 75 grants totaling $93,036.
