Members of fire departments in Lincoln County gathered at the Edgecomb Fire Department on Sept. 26 to pick up equipment donated by a nonprofit foundation formed to honor the founders’ late son.
The Gavin Martin Foundation is dedicated to honoring the legacy of Gavin Martin, a 21-year-old Edgecomb firefighter who died in a car crash in December 2025. At the Sept. 26 event, Monika and Joel Martin said they wanted to follow their son’s example of giving back and created a foundation to help the organizations and communities he loved.
“Having other people say his name keeps him alive for us,” Monika Martin said.
Haley Gifford, a member of the foundation’s board and one of Gavin Martin’s older cousins, said the nonprofit came together after the family was looking for a way to remember him. Originally from Verona, New Jersey, Gavin Martin had spent time volunteering for the fire department there and after college, eventually joined the Edgecomb Fire Department. Gifford said the family has a house in the town, which Gavin Martin moved into after college.
“Really supporting those dreams that he had as a young adult and being able to give back to the first responders and young people with their trades is really where the idea came from, and just continuing his name,” Gifford said.
When the nonprofit was first started earlier this year, Gifford said initiatives included a blood drive and other community events in both Maine and New Jersey. In the past couple of months, the organization dedicated a new field where Gavin Martin played baseball in New Jersey and donated to other areas he cared about.
In June, the organization gave out scholarships to graduating students in both New Jersey and Maine. Students from Boothbay Regional High School, Wiscasset Middle High School, Lincoln Academy and Medomak Valley High School were tasked with writing about how they display generosity in their daily lives. The organization gave out a total of $15,000 in scholarships, with students getting around $1,000 to $1,500 each.
The biggest event the organization has held so far was a midcoast fire training weekend in August at the Boothbay Fire Department’s training center. Gifford said the training welcomed firefighters from Maine and New Jersey, as well as others from around New England. The training brought in instructors and included ropes training, extrication activities, and other hands-on practice.
The Edgecomb Fire Department offered its firehouse for lectures and the Wiscasset Fire Department hosted other trainings.
Gifford said the Sept. 26 event was a thank-you for the participating departments, which included the towns of Alna, Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Edgecomb, South Bristol and Wiscasset. The foundation purchased equipment used in the training so the participating departments didn’t have to pay for it themselves.
“A lot of the attendees really didn’t know what to expect, but they were so thankful, so grateful about how great it was,” Gifford said. “Somebody actually recently emailed us and said that they continued to talk about the weekend and actually they were able to use some of the new skills they had at a recent extrication.”
The Edgecomb community that once rallied around Gavin Martin when he moved to the town alone as a young person has now rallied around his parents, both Monika and Joel Martin said.
Beyond being a first responder, Gavin Martin also had a passion for the trades. Monika Martin said her son had a background in engineering, recalling how he played with Lego blocks all of his life and enjoyed building things.
Gavin Martin graduated from Central Maine Community College and near the end of his time in school, he worked numerous jobs. His mother said he was looking for something in project management or construction, something hands-on. After not enjoying a job mowing lawns, Monika Martin said Gavin Martin went on to found his own landscaping company.
Gavin Martin also started working for the Waldoboro Public Works Department. Monika Martin said during this time, her son developed a close working relationship with Town Manager Julie Keizer.
“When we think about him, like he always helps, even though he was up here by himself,” Monika Martin said. “He had neighbors, but some of them were way older than him and he would always check in and make sure things were going on. He was always giving back.”
After serving in their fire department back home in New Jersey, Joel Martin said he recently joined Edgecomb’s department. He said the goal is to move to Maine once their daughter graduates high school.
“We have plans to be here full time, but a little painful without Gavin running around, so we’ll figure it out,” Joel Martin said.
Edgecomb Fire Chief Roy Potter said he watched Gavin Martin grow up and that his loss affected the department greatly.
Since the Gavin Martin Foundation was founded, Potter said the work the organization has done to benefit fire departments has been “incredible,” especially with the decline in volunteerism around the state. He used the example of his department, which has 17 members, three of whom are over the age of 60 and two are over the age of 70.
Having opportunities to go to a training like the one in August helps with accessibility for those interested in becoming a firefighter, Potter said. Not only were participants able to learn more about hands-on work, they were able to collaborate with members of other departments.
As the Gavin Martin Foundation heads toward one year as a nonprofit organization, Joel Martin said they plan on coordinating more training events and other ways to give back to the communities his son loved. He said he is currently in conversation with the state on getting funding to rejuvenate the fire training center in Wiscasset.
“The best part about it is it keeps Gavin’s legacy going,” Potter said.
For more information about the Gavin Martin Foundation, email info@gavinmartinfoundation.org or go to gavinmartinfoundation.org.
This story appears through a media partnership with The Lincoln County News.