STAFF & BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Vassie Fowler – Executive Director
Vassie Fowler was promoted to Executive Director after serving as Assistant Director for a little over a year. She is a long-time Biddeford resident who’s been active in helping the community find resources, information, and partnerships through both volunteering and in her professional life.
Vassie may look familiar, as she and her husband owned and operated Union House Pub & Pizza, located in the North Dam Mill in Biddeford for a number of years.
She has sat on a number of Boards and Committees including Joyful Harvest Neighborhood Center, Toys for Tots of Northern York County, Run for Cash. She was also an elected member of the Biddeford School Committee.
Vassie leveraged her connections and community relationships to take a position as a Community Builder for CPPC – Community Partnerships Protecting Children. Where she worked in the Bacon – Sullivan Street neighborhood to help impoverished families find much needed resources. She also worked for York County Community Action as an Outreach Worker – Special Populations, specializing in serving those with substance use disorders and the unhoused.
Vassie is known around town as “The Turkey Lady” having donated close to a thousand turkeys to Stone Soup Food Pantry, and for ten years she played Mrs.Claus for the downtown holiday fest. She has been given the key to the city of Biddeford, and been awarded the United States Marine Corps Commanders Award for her efforts with Toys for Tots. She shares that she feels so lucky to live a life full of amazing blessings and her passion to give back drives all that she does and that her role at Seeds of Hope is the capstone of all of this.
Vassie lives with her husband Jack, and a passel of miniature dachshunds, spending her free time reading, volunteering, relaxing on a beach, traveling the world.
Amanda Lutz – Assistant Director
Biography coming soon!
Sylvia Perreault – Assistant Director
Biography coming soon!
Linda Edgerton – Development Associate
Linda Edgerton is happiest when combining meeting new people, and building relationships, with sharing a nonprofit’s compelling mission. As the Development Associate at Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center she meets with community business leaders, civic organizations, local governments and other nonprofits to expand awareness and build partnerships. Before joining Seeds of Hope in 2016, Linda was the Executive Director for Gardiner Main Street for seven years and served as Interim Executive Director in Saco, Sanford and Skowhegen’s Main Street programs. Certified in Downtown Management by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Linda consulted with communities looking to revitalize their historic downtowns including Biddeford, Bath, Belfast, Norway, Bridgton, Farmington, Presque Isle and Waterville.
Dannielle Gladu – Support Specialist
Dannielle grew up in Portland, Maine attending Catherine McCauley high school. She developed a passion for volunteering in her community, including receiving the Community Service Award for Most Service hours completed. She attended the University of New Haven in their nationally recognized Forensic Psychology program and transferred to Southern Connecticut State University to complete her triple minors in Psychology, Sociology, and Philosophy. She I volunteered at the Veteran’s Center in West Haven and was a Rape Crisis advocate for 3 years.
Upon moving back to Maine, she worked at Woodford’s preschool working with children with developmental and environmental challenges. Her next job was working with teenagers at Spurwink’s day treatment school. Dannielle has a passion for working with all kinds of people despite what challenges they face, believing everyone deserves love, understanding, honesty, and most of all compassion. She joined the Seeds of Hope team in January 2021.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mike Merrill – President
Shelly Snow – Vice President
Amy LaBelle – Treasurer
Megan Wakefield – Secretary
Susan Rouillard
Terra Johnson
Ann Hastings
Christopher Robinson