(Left) AVP, BSA/Security Officer Sharon Waterhouse’s father, MSgt Harold R. West, stands at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. (Right) Waterhouse’s Uncle Gil finds the name of a man with whom he served.

SANFORD, Maine—As a state with centuries of history, we know that we owe it to the veterans of our country for the privileges that we have. They are the true heroes that should be honored. In December, Partners Bank donated to Southern Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery Association (SMVMCA) as part of the bank’s monthly Employee Donation of the Month, a program in which an employee is chosen to select an organization to receive a $1,000 donation. The chosen employee in December was AVP, BSA/Security Officer Sharon Waterhouse, and the organization she chose to receive the donation was SMVMCA.

Staffed by all volunteers, the mission of SMVMCA is to beautify the Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery in Springvale. Not only can the loved ones of our heroes enjoy a clean, peaceful, and pleasant landscape during their visit, but the beautification efforts are also to honor the veterans and ensure their resting place is respected.

This donation is meaningful to Waterhouse as she comes from a long line of veterans in her family. This donation is made in memory of Waterhouse’s father, MSgt Harold R. West, who served in the U.S. Air Force for 24 years and in honor of her husband, CPO Rollin S. Waterhouse, who served in the U.S. Navy for 23 years. Additional veterans in her family are her brother, father-in-law, uncles, cousins, and nephew.

Waterhouse recalls a visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery with her father and uncle. “It was very emotional watching them find the names of people they served with that didn’t make it home alive. We are a free nation because of the sacrifice these men made. Not only these men, but every veteran,” she shared.

Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery is at 83 Stanley Road in Springvale. SMVMCA holds meetings, which are open to the public, at 9:30 AM on the second Thursday of each month. Meetings are held in the administration building at the cemetery. The association works in conjunction with Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services, city and town officials, veteran organizations, and area businesses. For more information on SMVMCA, visit southernmaineveteranscemetery.org.

About Partners Bank:

Partners Bank was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Sanford, Maine, with additional branch locations in Springvale, South Sanford, Limerick, Buxton, Waterboro, Wells and York, Maine, as well as Portsmouth, Rye, and Kingston, New Hampshire.  Partners Bank is a mutual savings bank that operates solely for the benefit of its deposit and loan customers and is focused on giving back to the communities in which it serves. Our business model remains conservative and traditional, maintaining excellent credit standards, robust capital levels, a strong financial position, and we possess a substantial amount of liquidity to meet our funding needs now and into the future. In the fall of 2022, the Bank updated their logo to better represent their brand and their commitment to the community.  Partners Bank has been designated as one of the 2022 Best Places to Work in Maine, an honor that the entire team is proud to have achieved. Deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Partners Bank is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Equal Housing Lender. For more information, go to www.partners.bank, www.facebook.com/partnersbankonline, or call 1-888-226-5747.