REM Award Honorees (2007) — Gregor Smith (REM)

REM’s focus is to provide a community forum . . . a regional community wide joining of hands. This requires communication. REM at this time has 60 teams and projects underway. Add to that the missions and projects of our 54 Partners. Getting the word out about this work is a huge job.

Gregor Smith, REM’s 2007 REM Award honoree, took on that job and performed wonderfully well! REMnet, an internet communication system linking the 54 partners with hundreds of people who care about this community, is basically his baby.

Greg volunteers his time daily to keep the lines of communication open. The partners send him emails and he places their notices on the internet for the world to see. The REM Community Calendar, which is another of his creations, is open to anyone who wants to post an event. It is probably the most inclusive calendar that exists for our community. Tourists have told us that when they are coming to town they check the REM Calendar to see what they might do during their stay.

Greg also took over the responsibility for editing and producing Local Voices, a community newspaper that gives voice not only to the REM Partners, but to all who choose to express themselves there. Local Voices is then distributed in 12,000 copies of the Morning Sentinel throughout the Waterville area.

REM is enriched manifold by Gregor Smith’s participation, as is this community. Both the Kotlas Connection and REM chose Greg as their 2007 honoree. It is Greg’s nature to express his passion for life by giving himself to it. REM is deeply proud to honor Greg for all that he has given.

Update: Local Voices stopped publishing after its Fall 2010 issue. Gregor is assisting REM in its transition to a new website, which will include a robust community calendar.