Courtesy/Professional Logging Contractors of Maine
Dana Doran, executive director of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, accepts the Education at Work for Maine Award for the trade association.
November 22, 2019
Travis Mills headlines FAME event with life lessons and humor
Photo / Renee Cordes
"When I have a bad day I remember how lucky I truly am," Travis Mills told attendees at the FAME Showcase Maine Event Thursday in Portland. Mills is an Army veteran, motivational speaker, author and co-founder of the nonprofit Travis Mills Foundation.
Three banks, a manufacturing startup, an educator who champions financial literacy and the state's trade association for loggers were all honored Thursday evening by the Finance Authority of Maine.
But it was guest speaker Travis Mills who stole the show at FAME's annual "Showcase Maine" event, attended by around 375 people at Portland's Holiday Inn By the Bay.
"I hope I don't bomb on this," is how the U.S. Army veteran, author, Maine nonprofit leader and advocate for veterans and amputees opened his talk, using humor throughout the telling of his life story. That includes losing portions of both arms and legs while on active duty in Afghanistan.
The accident that nearly killed him happened on his third tour, when an improvised explosive device detonated as he put his bag on the ground, changing his life forever.
Taking the audience through the ups and downs of that experience, Mills sparked laughter from the crowd every few minutes with self-deprecation, candor and campy punch lines.
"I tell jokes to disarm the situation," he told attendees early on.
On a more serious note, Mills spoke of the work of the Travis Mills Foundation, a Manchester-based nonprofit he set up with his wife Kelsey in 2013 to benefit and assist post-Sept. 11 veterans injured in active duty.
At a retreat in the former Elizabeth Arden estate and spa that overlooks Long Pond in the Belgrade Lakes Region, the foundation hosts veterans and their families an all-expenses barrier-free vacation complete with adaptive activities from canoeing to fly fishing.
Mills also shared insights into how he has adapted after the accident that nearly killed him, from learning to walk and eat again to outdoor sports and even driving, showing photos and a few videos on screen.
The father of two also shared how his life perspective has evolved since the accident, saying, "When I have a bad day I remember how truly lucky I am."
He concluded with two life lessons for the audience: 1) "Don't dwell on the past"; and 2) "You can't always control your situation, but you can control your attitude ... and keep pushing forward."
Award winners
The Professional Logging Contractors of Maine received an Education at Work for Maine Award for its role in creating Maine's only post-secondary training program for operators of mechanized logging equipment.
In his acceptance speech, the trade association's executive director Dana Doran said the award will bring added visibility to the program, launched in 2017 through a partnership with Maine community colleges.
He also noted that logging is a challenging career, and the need to work with the community colleges to create more career pathways.
"It is the only way our industry will survive," he emphasized.
Ron Milliken, long-time director of financial aid at University of Maine Farmington, also received an Education at Work for Maine Award along with the Financial Literacy Peer Education Program he helped create.
The Business At Work Award for Maine Award went to Amplify Additive, a Scarborough-based startup that specializes in additive manufacturing services for titanium products, including orthopedic metal implants.
Three banks were recognized as Lenders at Work for Maine: Camden National Bank, Skowhegan Savings and Bar Harbor Bank and Trust.
FAME also presented Travis Mills with a $1,000 donation for his nonprofit foundation.
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments