Welcome to Downeast 2007.

The Downeast 2007 Conference is coming to Portland, Maine July 23 -27, 2007. It is sponsored by the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) and hosted by its local chapter, the Gulf of Maine Marine Education Association (GOMMEA). This is a chance for teachers, other educators, and researchers who are interested in the “world of water, both fresh and salt” to come together to share inspiration, innovative ideas, and programs.

To help support the conference, we will have an auction on Thursday, July 26 at the Eastland Hotel in Portland. We are looking for items for the live auction which would be valued at $100 or more. Last year we had a computer, a digital camera, a beautiful painting, and a valuable rare fossil among the live auction items.

We also run a silent auction featuring items with an environmental connotation that range in value from $10 to $100. We will have a special section for educational programs, books, CDs, etc. Baskets containing a variety of things around a particular theme are popular items as well.

We urge you to donate item(s) or cash to our auction. GOMMEA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit group, and all donations are tax-deductible. You will be provided with a receipt for your donation which you may use for tax purposes. Better yet, your company or organization will be promoted to 500 or more people who will be coming from around the world to Downeast 2007…. AND you will be helping to support our scholarship fund for teachers.

Representatives of Downeast 2007 can contact you directly or you may donate to the auction using the online Donation Form below, or e-mail me at s-meeker@comcast.net. Items may be mailed to me at 203 Wadleigh Falls Road, Lee, New Hampshire 03824, or brought to the conference and dropped off at the Registration Area in the Abromson Center at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. Feel free to contact me at s-meeker@comcast.net or by phone (603) 659-5441 for additional information.

Sincerely,

Sharon Meeker, Auction Chair

Please fill out the form below and hit OK when finished. Email us directly if you have any questions or problems with the form.

When you have finished the form, a box will pop up asking you for a password. This is for Auction Committee use, and does not mean your entry has been lost. If you would like confirmation we have your information, email us at downeast2007@gommea.org.