Rooted in Community: Meet Brenda Yorke Goodale
Some people simply live in a community. Others become part of its story.
For Brenda Yorke Goodale, a lifelong Cape Neddick and Ogunquit resident, community has never simply meant the place she calls home. It has meant the people around her, the neighbors, families, children, local organizations, and generations of familiar faces who have shaped her life along the southern Maine coast.
Brenda has spent most of her life on Pine Hill Road in Cape Neddick, just a mile from Ogunquit. She attended Ogunquit Village Grammar School through fifth grade before transferring to York schools, giving her the unique opportunity to grow up with close ties to both communities and friendships that would remain with her throughout her life.
Her childhood was quintessentially local: summers spent at Ogunquit Beach with friends, attending Ogunquit Baptist Church, singing in the choir, and even teaching Sunday School as a young teenager.
Those early connections helped establish something that would become a recurring theme throughout Brenda's life—a genuine desire to be involved, help where she could, and make life a little brighter for the people around her.
Giving Back to the Community
After marrying and becoming a stay-at-home mother, Brenda found plenty of ways to stay involved. She became a Cub Scout den mother, hosting meetings right in the basement of her family's home. As her children grew older, however, she began looking for more opportunities to help others in her community.
She started visiting residents at a nursing home in York Harbor, eventually leading a Bible study and arriving with homemade treats to share. At the time, Brenda was caring for her baby grandson, who would sometimes accompany her on visits—much to the delight of the residents.
Her acts of kindness weren't always part of an organized volunteer effort. Often, they were simply about recognizing when someone could use a little help and stepping in.
Over the years, Brenda cooked meals for local people in need. When a blind Ogunquit resident wanted to keep up with town politics and local happenings, Brenda began visiting his home every Wednesday when the York County Coast Star was published. Together, they would go through the week's paper as she read the local news aloud to him.
These weren't grand gestures intended to receive recognition. They were simply part of the way Brenda lives her life—showing up, lending a hand, and finding ways to help the people around her.
Her involvement extended to local youth as well. Brenda was active with the York High School Athletic Boosters, volunteering at the snack bar and, naturally, contributing plenty of homemade baked goods.
When the national DARE movement brought greater attention to educating young people about the dangers of drug use, Brenda became part of a local effort to address substance education and prevention. She helped develop YORKWISE—and even came up with its name: York Organization Regarding Knowledge and Wisdom in Substance Education.
Her church has remained another constant throughout her life. Over the years, Brenda has served on numerous committees, participated in Bible studies, prepared food for fellowship gatherings, and volunteered at community events like Christmas by the Sea. More than the individual tasks, she values the relationships built through serving alongside her "church family."
In more recent years, Brenda has also become involved with Ogunquit Performing Arts, helping to bring concerts and performances to the community. From publicity and coordinating performers to placing posters around town, much of what happens behind the scenes is made possible by volunteers like Brenda who continue to give their time simply because they love their community.
From Local Stories to Children's Books
After a lifetime so closely connected to Cape Neddick, Ogunquit, and the people who call this area home, it seems only fitting that Brenda would eventually find another way to share a piece of her community with others: through storytelling.
The idea began when a childhood friend and artist, Bunny Poulson, suggested that the two create a book together.
Brenda developed a story centered around the Crusher, the icebreaker in Perkins Cove, while Bunny brought the story to life through illustrations. The collaboration became Brenda's first children's book, The Pride of Perkins Cove.
The image above, published in a local newspaper in 1946, captures 3-year-old Brenda looking on in awe at a 611-pound tuna in Perkins Cove!
For Brenda, Perkins Cove wasn't simply a picturesque setting for a children's story. It was part of her family's history.
Her grandfather and father were both part-time local lobstermen who worked out of Perkins Cove, and years later, her son carried on the family tradition by becoming a full-time lobsterman himself. Brenda's stories were born from a place she didn't just know—she has lived its history through generations of her own family.
Even becoming an author provided Brenda with another opportunity to give back. A portion of the profits from The Pride of Perkins Cove has been donated to the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital, extending the impact of the story far beyond the shores of Ogunquit.
And one book soon became three.
Brenda went on to write Mermaid Under the Bridge and Jeffrey, Prince of Perkins Cove, continuing to bring the familiar places, characters, and charm of Ogunquit and Perkins Cove to children and families through her stories.
Today, an incredible 16,000 copies of Brenda's books have been sold.
Brenda has a wonderfully simple way of looking at that accomplishment: she'd like to think she has made 16,000 people very happy.
We think she probably has.
A Lifetime of Giving Back
Brenda Yorke Goodale's story is about much more than the books she has written or the organizations she has served. It's about a lifetime of showing up for the people and places she loves.
From childhood summers on Ogunquit Beach and her family's deep connection to Perkins Cove, to decades spent helping neighbors, supporting local youth, serving her church, and sharing Ogunquit's stories through her books, Brenda's roots in this community run deep.
Her story is a beautiful reminder that making a difference doesn't always require one extraordinary act. Sometimes, it's simply a lifetime of small ones.
