Happy Wednesday!
New this week:
- Food Justice Farm Dinner, September 7th, 5:30 pm, Beech Hill Farm,171 Beech Hill Rd, Mount Desert, Maine. We are excited to invite you to an enlightening evening of thought-provoking discussions on food justice in Maine’s prisons and jails. The evening event, held at College of the Atlantic’s Beech Hill Farm, will feature renowned guest speakers Maria Girouard and Randall Liberty and benefit Healthy Acadia’s Downeast Restorative Harvest project and Impact Justice’s Chefs in Prisons. Read more.
- Panel Discussion on Visions of Food Justice: Community and Carceral Systems in Maine, September 8th, 9:30 — 10:30 am, College of the Atlantic, Center for Human Ecology Room 102, 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor. Join us for a captivating panel discussion led by Dr. Kourtney Collum featuring the insights and experiences of Regina Grabrovac, Leslie Soble, and Rebekah Mende who will delve into their respective roles and insights within a range of projects that strive to actualize food justice and foster resilient community food security, not just within Maine, but also on a broader scale. Read more.
- Downeast Restorative Harvest Garden Party, September 9th, 4 – 7:30 pm, 73 Broadway, Machias. Join us on the Downeast Restorative Harvest land for an unforgettable evening celebrating the innovative community garden program. The event will open with a prayer led by Dwayn Tomah, Passamaquody Language Keeper. Prepare to be enchanted by an incredible lineup of musicians featuring renowned fiddling sensation, Gus La Casse, and the soul-stirring sounds of Milk and Honey Rebellion. See flyer for details.
New CCC Training
Best Practice Tools for Interprofessional Collaboration
We’ve probably all had some kind of memorable team meeting experience. For some, it was worthwhile and for others it wasn’t. For many of us, it was somewhere in between. The CCC has developed a new training in which we’ll take a look at what it takes to make wraparound supports between helping professionals productive and meaningful. We’ll look at the evidence base, core competencies, real teamwork scenarios and we’ll use a simple pencil and paper tool to enhance best practice. Join us for this free, virtual event on October 13th from 9 am — 12 Noon. Register here.
International Overdose Awareness Day
August 31st, International Overdose Awareness Day, is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died from overdose, and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind. This year’s focus, “Recognizing those people who go unseen” acknowledges affected others – such as emergency responders and medical personnel, colleagues, classmates, and others who may go unseen in the crisis. Find local opportunities to show your support and remember lost loved ones in the Updates section below.
The Change AGEnt Summit
Registration is now open for the Maine Council on Aging’s Change AGEnt Summit, September 27th, 8 am – 4:30 pm at the Augusta Civic Center. From building longevity-ready communities to aligning health spans with life spans, the 2023 Change AGEnt Summit will spark creative and innovative thinking on what it will take to build systems that support healthy, engaged living into our 80s, 90s, and beyond! Read the Agenda Learn how a shift in perspective can propel us to positive action that can transform our workplaces, communities and economy.
Driving Safety for Older Adults
Dementia-Related Behavior
Behavior is a powerful form of communication and is one of the primary ways for people with dementia to communicate their needs and feelings as the ability to use language is lost. However, some behaviors can present real challenges for caregivers to manage. Join the Alzheimer’s Association on September 13th, online from 1:30 – 3 pm, to learn to decode behavioral messages, identify common behavior triggers, and learn strategies to help intervene with some of the most common behavioral challenges of Alzheimer’s disease. Register here.
Self-Acupressure Workshop
Take a step toward self-care and relaxation. Learn a safe and easy way to bring your energy in balance. Join Mary Cline at the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center on September 6, from 4:15 pm to 5:15 pm for an acupressure and energy workshop to help reduce stress and encourage well-being. During this workshop you will learn a method for acupressure that you can practice on yourself along with energy practices to support wellness. Register online. For more information call 207-664-0339, email: info@bethwrightcancercenter.org, or go to www.bethwrightcancercenter.org.
IRW Professional Development Conference
Island Readers & Writers (IRW) is hosting a professional development conference designed for for educators working in Maine’s rural and small schools with grades pre-K–8. The Dear Teacher conference will be held on October 5 & 6, 2023, at the Collins Center for the Arts in Orono, ME. We’re working to reach more principals, teachers, support staff and librarians in Maine’s small and rural schools and libraries to extend our invitation to the conference and hope that you’ll consider helping us spread the word if you have appropriate channels to do so. More info in this flyer and this Invitation, or you can visit islandreadersandwriters.org/dear-teacher/ to learn more. Our registration will close on September 8, 2023.
Maine Public Health Association invites you to their 2023 annual conference, The Public’s Health and the Economy: Working Across Sectors, on October 10th at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. Keynote speaker is Brian C. Castrucci, DrPH, epidemiologist, public health practitioner, and president and chief executive officer of the de Beaumont Foundation. CCC Director, Charley Martin-Berry, will be presenting. Conference details and registration (MPHA members receive a discount). Conference discount available at Residence Inn Bangor (must reserve room before Sept 18).
Update on FFCC’s 6th Annual Dinner
Families First Community Center is holding its 6th annual fundraising dinner on September 16th, featuring Dr. Donna Beegle as keynote speaker. Live music and an auction for a six-night/seven-day Safari Extravaganza are part of this event that will take place at Big Cat’s Catering in Trenton, beginning at 4:30 pm. Tickets, Agenda and more information here.
Maine Public Health Association is seeking up to 5 individuals to serve on our Board of Directors. We are particularly interested in bringing on new board members with expertise in development/advancement, accounting/finance, legislative activity, or work in local public health. As part of our commitment to diversity, we are seeking people of diverse ages, people of color, and people from very rural communities. (Please see our Call for Nominations for more information about our priority areas in recruitment.) Nominations are due by 5pm on Wednesday, September 6th. If you have other questions about serving on the board, please contact MPHA’s Executive Director, Becca Boulos, or Past-President, Noah Nesin.
If you consider Washington County your home and plan to stay here, the Gracie Fund can help you repay your student loans. The Gracie Fund fosters community development by helping recipients connect to Washington County through their commitment to a career and community service. Loan repayment awards of $5,000 will be awarded to up to three individuals each year. Deadline Extended — Applications must be postmarked by September 15th, 2023. Learn more.