Constance King Barnes named 2010 Association of Fundraising Professionals of Northern New England Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year

Constance King Barnes cares deeply about her alma mater, her community and the importance of music in people's lives. She was recently named the 2010 Association of Fundraising Professionals of Northern New England Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year. The award honors individuals with a proven record of exceptional generosity who, through direct financial support, demonstrate outstanding civic and charitable responsibility and whose generosity encourages others to take philanthropic leadership roles.

Mrs. Barnes, who is a member of the University of Maine Class of 1943, established the endowed Constance King Barnes Scholarship Fund with a gift in 2007 to provide scholarship aid for deserving undergraduate students attending the University of Maine, especially those students demonstrating financial need who are graduates of Waldo County high schools. Mrs. Barnes has also created a planned gift that will add to this wonderful and much-needed scholarship.

Mrs. Barnes saw a need and took steps to address it. She comes in contact with many high school and college-aged individuals in the course of her very busy daily life. Because she is so interested in the welfare of others, she took the time to talk with these Waldo County students and learned how difficult it is to pay for a college education. Her fund will address those needs.

Mrs. Barnes has also helped the Bangor Symphony Orchestra to establish a permanent fund to allow visiting soloists to offer master classes with young area musicians and has been a primary supporter of the Waldo County Humane Society for many years.

At her 90th birthday party recently, Mrs. Barnes spoke of playing the harp as a young woman, like her father, Maurice P. King, and performing with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra until she graduated from UMaine in 1943. As she made the transition out of performing into her career as a teacher, she never forgot her roots. Though she traveled the world with her late husband, Dana, she always returned to Maine, eventually retiring to Searsport and Belfast.