Record broken! Nearly $600,000 raised at Sweetser’s 34th annual Auction and Gala

Portland, Maine witnessed a historic milestone for youth mental health funding this past Thursday as Sweetser hosted its 34th annual Auction and Gala. The evening proved to be a resounding success, breaking previous records by raising nearly 600,000 dollars. These funds are earmarked for a critical project that has long been missing from the state landscape: the construction of Maine’s very first youth psychiatric residential facility located in Saco.

The urgency behind the project was highlighted throughout the event, emphasizing a gap in care that has left many local families desperate. Justin Chenette, Sweetser’s Chief Communications Officer, noted that while thirty five other states provide these essential services, Maine residents have historically been forced to look elsewhere. In heartbreaking cases, parents have had to send their children as far away as Florida or Oklahoma to receive necessary treatment, or watch them linger in emergency rooms because there was nowhere else for them to go.

Co-hosted by WMTW’s Meghan Torjussen and Jon Chrisos, the gala served as both a fundraiser and a call to action. During the proceedings, Torjussen shared insights from her conversations with Sweetser’s CEO regarding the overwhelming demand for the new site. According to Torjussen, when ground was officially broken back in June, families were already contacting the organization to secure spots on waiting lists before the doors even opened. This surge of interest underscores just how vital this facility will be for not only Maine but for neighboring Northern New England states like New Hampshire and Vermont which face similar shortages in specialized youth care.