The Mingo Club, of Bailey Island, awarded $1,000 grants to three Harpswell students in 2025: Kira Chown, Molly Greenleaf, and Elisabeth Kelly.
The club’s grants are available to high school seniors who live in Harpswell, regardless of which school they attend. Recipients may use the grants for college or for licensure or training. The club wants to help Harpswell residents follow varied paths to success.
Applications are available from the counseling office at Mt. Ararat High School and online at tinyurl.com/mingogrant. The club asks for letters of reference and information about applicants’ service to the Harpswell community. The deadline for applications is April 30.
The club raises funds for the grants through an auction and donations, as well as its annual ice cream social on the Fourth of July at Bailey Island Library Hall.
Established in 1906, the Mingo Club built and now maintains the historic Library Hall. It awards educational grants to honor its founders, a group of teenage girls who started the club to promote literacy and intellectual curiosity.
Kira Chown
Kira Chown graduated from Waynflete School in 2025. She competed on the Science Olympiad team during high school and volunteered in her community, removing invasive plants and clearing debris after winter storms. She also designed and led workshops for ages 8-12 to help them understand the richness of Maine’s woods and sea.
Chown is studying at Vassar College in New York. “I am particularly enjoying my geology and biology classes,” she said. “I have joined the Outing Club, which allows me to pursue my love for the outdoors, which I developed while hiking the trails in Harpswell as a kid.” Her advice for first-year college students is to “take classes you wouldn’t normally take” and “explore all your different interests.”
Chown is grateful to the Mingo Club for her grant, which has allowed her to purchase textbooks and other school supplies.
Molly Greenleaf
Molly Greenleaf graduated from Mt. Ararat High School in 2025. She captained the swim team and played in the school’s marching band, receiving an award for musical performance.
Greenleaf is in her first year at the University of New Hampshire, where she is focusing on pre-med and pre-veterinary classes. “I see education as a tool that I can use to make myself a well-rounded individual that analyzes multiple perspectives before coming to a conclusion or an opinion,” she said.
She is thankful for the grant because it will help her achieve her goal of attaining multiple degrees.
Elisabeth Kelly
Elisabeth Kelly graduated from Mt. Ararat High School in 2025. She was a student mentor, played varsity tennis and participated in theater.
Kelly is studying biology and forensic science at Husson University in Bangor. She also has a long-held interest in herpetology — the branch of zoology dealing with reptiles and amphibians — and chemistry. She plays on Husson’s women’s tennis team.
Kelly’s goal is to apply what she learns to help others and contribute to the community in which she lives. She appreciates the grant because it will help her focus on academics, athletics and other interests.
