You are invited to attend Maine’s 2023 Nurture ME Summit (Formerly known as Maternal and Child Health and Substance Exposed Infant Virtual Conference) Building Family Engagement and Preventing Substance Exposed Pregnancies, Tuesday, October 31st & Wednesday, November 1st, from 8 am to 4:30 pm at the Augusta Civic Center.  This summit brings together stakeholders and professionals who have a vested interest in promoting and supporting the health and well-being of children and families across the stages of development. The summit’s content is aimed at medical providers, behavioral health clinicians, social service providers, prevention professionals, public health educators, community members, and others who deliver tobacco, substance use, and behavioral health prevention and treatment services in Maine.  Learn more and register.

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Join the Tri-State Learning Collaborative’s first ever Northern New England Connects – Age-Positive Policy gathering on November 1st, 2-3 pm on Zoom.  This is a timely follow-up to our cross-border conversation, and will provide an inspiring, peer-to-peer networking and connection-building opportunity for us to come together to share ideas and successes, problem solve challenges, and directly connect with peers.  Come together with other advocates working to improve quality of life for older people through policy and legislation. What can you learn from what’s been accomplished in other states and what others are working on? We hope you’ll join us to share your own successes, challenges, and questions!  Register here.

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Sunrise Senior College invites you to Estate Planning Basics, presented by Rebecca Sargent, an estate planning attorney and former bank Senior Vice President overseeing Trust and Wealth Management.  This is a hybrid class, held in person at UMaine Machias’s Science Building, Room 102, and on Zoom on Thursday, October 26th, from 10 – 11:30 am.  The cost is $10 for Senior College members and $15 for non-members.  Register here.

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We are excited to invite everyone to our Family and Friends Weekend events!  Please join us for fun on October 20, 21, and 22nd for crafts, games, inflatables and a haunting good time. We kick off the events Friday night by the pond with our annual haunted trail.  It will run from 6:30-10:00 pm (please be in line by 9:30 for final groups).  The cost is $3 a person, children under 5 are free, but keep in mind that we recommend kids be 12 and over for this event.  Saturday brings a craft and vendor fair starting at 10. We will also have inflatables, a dunk tank and other activities, running until 3:00 pm.  At 7pm, hypnotist Evan Gambardella will be in the PAC for a show! The haunted trail will run again from 6:30 – 10 pm. On Sunday, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem will be shown in the PAC and concessions will be on sale.  Later in the day, the public is invited to our trunk or treat in the soccer field parking lot from 6 -8 pm.  We look forward to seeing everyone!  Download a flyer to share.

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There are many mindfulness tools, techniques, and practices that can be used to influence one’s own well-being and health.  Starting October 20, Tools for Well Being a mindfulness practice led by Jen Harry, will begin meeting on the 3rd Friday of each month, 10:30 am to 12 noon, in-person at the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center with an online option via Zoom.  The goal of the group is to build a toolbox of techniques to help navigate life’s challenges and enhance each person’s level of well-being so that all can flourish in life.  This free class is open to all.  The Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center is located at 23 Commerce Park, Ellsworth, Maine.  For more information about this event or to register and receive the Zoom link, call the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center at 664-0339 or email: info@bethwrightcancercenter.org or go to:  https://www.bethwrightcancercenter.org/.

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Washington County Community College is offering these mini courses designed specifically for first responders and law enforcement professionals. The courses are FREE and are completed completely online. The Science of Series runs from October 31, 2023, to December 18, 2023, and successful completion awards 4 college credits. To register for these courses, click HERE. For further information or inquiries, feel free to contact us at workforce@wccc.me.edu.

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Women for Healthy Rural Living invite you to experience the sensory wonders of Maine during a one-of-a-kind nature retreat hosted at the magnificent seaside home of John Marin, an internationally renowned artist, on November 5th from 10 am – 3 pm. The retreat is led by registered Maine Guide Hazel Stark, who will guide participants on a silent hike along the ocean while they focus on their different senses.  Participants will listen to the calls of gulls and waves crashing against the shore, observe the muted green and rusty brown rockweed, inhale the ocean’s brine, and taste the salt air. There will be time to reflect in nature through art, writing, or meditation. To cap the retreat, participants will create nature prints that can be used for holidays or greeting cards. This retreat is designed to provide women with a rich, unique experience exploring coastal Maine as they connect with nature and one another. To add to the sensory experience, a specially curated and locally sourced farm-to-table lunch will be provided. This is a fundraiser, and early-registration is recommended! Visit Women for Health Rural Living for more details.

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Friday November 3rd, 8 – 9 am online: Whether you are a young entrepreneur in age, in business years, or veteran – let’s explore how to recognize, cope with, and overcome the feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy that plague many (aspiring) business owners. Throw off your imposter mask! Bring your cup of tea or coffee. Let’s use this confidential and supportive space to share ideas, get ideas.  (Ruth will use and share this resource: How to Deal With Imposter Syndrome as a Young Entrepreneur | Entrepreneur)  Learn more.

Many of our neighbors are struggling to keep up with the high cost of food, utilities, gasoline and, well- everything!  Our friends at the Maine Seacoast Mission work hard to keep their food pantry shelves well-stocked. But like most food banks these days, it’s a challenge. More people are finding themselves in need and utilizing these services. At Women for Healthy Rural Living, we’ve decided to start a donation drive to help the Seacoast Mission stay well-supplied. We are eager to get non-perishable food items but also PERSONAL CARE ITEMS. Things like diapers, tampons and pads, adult diapers, toilet paper, shampoo and soap—these essentials can be the most expensive items in the store but they are not covered by SNAP. To make this donation drive more fun and have an even bigger impact, we’d like to challenge all the local businesses and nonprofits to join us in a friendly competition to see who can bring in the most items by October 31st.  Get all your employees, co-workers, friends, customers, and volunteers on board and see who “takes the cake.” Let’s rally ‘round our community and make life a little easier for our neighbors.

Families First Community Center in Ellsworth is seeking someone to come in on weekday mornings (maybe a couple mornings a week) and prepare grab and go breakfasts! We all know it, but mornings can be ROUGH. As a busy parent, being able to come into the community room and grab an “on the go” breakfast sandwich or a quick breakfast for their kiddo is a HUGE way to support our families (and really fun, too)! Please call Shaina at (207) 271-1647 or email her at shainafraserffcc@gmail.com to learn more. We would LOVE to have YOU as the person in the apron making FFCC’s Breakfast Club possible.

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• Make a difference in the lives of people in your community.
• Provide support to mothers and infants.
• Be a positive influence for growing families.
• See the difference your skills can make in helping families thrive.
• This position gives you the opportunity to travel throughout Washington County

The Department of Labor is seeking an Employment and Training Specialist III based out of the Machias CareerCenter. This position works to develop and coordinate specialized employment, training, and/or employer services and supports the CareerCenter manager by providing functional leadership to staff and ensuring excellent customer service. Work involves assisting job seeking customers with employment and training needs as well as referrals to other services and assisting employers with recruitment and training services. Local area travel will be required and state-wide travel on occasion.  Excellent customer service is a must! There is an opportunity for some telework privileges after an orientation and training period.  Deadline to apply is October 27th.  Read full job description and application instructions.