The first graduating class of the Alfond Grant 

By Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine 

We all hear about the Alfond Foundation — the Alfond generosity — but Harold Alfond was an uncommon man. He was a product of the Great Depression, and in 1939, he was a 25-year-old when he was on his way to the Skowhegan Fair, and he picked up a hitchhiker who told him about an abandoned shoe factory for sale in Norridgewock.

Harold sold his car for $1,000, and he bought the factory and turned it into a thriving business. Within four years, he sold Norrwock Shoe Company for $1.1 million, and later, he and his wife Bibby, used their newfound wealth to establish the first private charity in Maine. Then he bought Dexter Shoe Company and turned that into a highly successful business.

Well, Harold Alfond knew the value of a dollar bill. He also knew the value of education. From high school athlete to the odd shoe boy in a Kennebunk factory, to a factory superintendent, to the founder of an internationally branded shoe line with log cabin-style outlets, Harold Alfond’s creative marketing and business practices defined the term “innovation” before it became a common term.

A self-made man with no college degree, Harold Alfond nevertheless set the bar for work ethic, for ingenuity, for family values, for charity and good works — works that always offered a helping hand, not a handout. And for his love of the state of Maine. We are so proud and grateful that he called Maine home.

At the time of his death in 2007, Harold Alfond was working to create something called the Harold Alfond College Challenge — now known as My Alfond Grants — he wanted to give $500 scholarships to every child born in Maine to help that child save for college. Well, the Alfond Scholarship Foundation, the Harold Alfond Foundation and the Finance Authority of Maine have been administering those grants for the past 18 years.

During his first year in 2008, 650 kids received Alfond Grants. Now, those same children are young adults. They graduated from high school, heading off to college with a head start, thanks to Harold Alfond — this uncommon man with an uncommon and generous gift to the children of Maine. I thank the Harold Alfond Foundation, the Alfond Scholarship Foundation and FAME for honoring Harold Alfond’s legacy by investing in our greatest asset: the children of Maine.

And I’m proud that over the last eight years, my administration has also made significant investments in public education, building a strong pipeline from classroom and pre-K to career for young people across Maine. We raised teacher salaries and repaired many crumbling schools. We made school meals free, and we fully funded the state share for public schools for the first time in history.

We expanded child care, and we made capital investments for our career and technical education centers, and our high school graduation rates are improving. Things are on the mend. We made community college free. We overhauled Maine’s student loan tax credit to provide more than $200 million in debt relief to graduates in just the past four years.

Thousands more young people in Maine are now getting a quality education at little or no cost, putting them on the path towards good-paying jobs and rewarding careers. Even starting their own business, like Harold Alfond did as a young man nearly 90 years ago.

Harold Alfond was described as “an unassuming man whose eyes twinkled with affection and purpose.” Well, that purpose is fulfilled every time a young person in Maine gets to pursue their education and embolden their own future because of an Alfond Grant and Harold Alfond’s generous dream.

I have no doubt that within the ranks of these 650 children who first received an Alfond Grant and who are now approaching adulthood, that there is a young Harold, a person with uncommon hopes and dreams, great initiative and work ethic, and an ability to excel, as well as the gratitude to pay it back and the will to pay it forward. I know they will not disappoint.

If you’re able to put aside a few dollars for your child’s education, consider opening a NextGen 529 savings account in Maine. The Alfond Grant, and even a small contribution, some of which is tax-deductible, will grow into a meaningful amount for your child’s education. You can learn more at myalfondgrant.org. Make sure your child has a choice after high school. With a generous gift from Harold Alfond and your own wise investments and even matching grants from FAME, the doors of opportunity will open for your child and for children all across Maine.