Happy Wednesday!
This is the Community Caring Collaborative Weekly Communiqué where we share announcements about trainings, meetings and other events, including announcements from our collaborative partners. Look for links to meeting minutes and agendas in the Meetings section, training registration forms and flyers in the Events section, and job postings and other items of interest in the Announcements section. Subscribe here to get the Communiqué. Make sure to add Community Caring Collaborative to your contacts at claurel@cccmaine.org. Gmail users, check for the Communiqué under the Promotions tab. This mailing goes out every Wednesday, so if you have announcements, please send them to Christine by 5 pm Monday to be included. Thanks!
Moon over Machias Bay
Photo courtesy of Susan Bennett
Announcements
Kids Yoga: fun activity for parents and children to do together, sponsored by Maine Families and Bold Coast Yoga on August 17th at UMM. See flyer for details.
Active Bystander Training: August 21st at the CCLC – see more under Events below.
Save the Dates: Healthy Acadia is coordinating trainings on the following dates:
- September 12th – Naloxone Training, 6-7:30 in Machias
- October 10th – Changing Face of Opioid Abuse, 6-7:30 at location tbd
- November 14th – Marijuana in the New Millennium, 6-7:30 at location tbd
- December 12th – Hidden in Plain Sight, 6-7:30 at location tbd
Contact Terri Woodruff for more information.
The Broken Ladder: Meghan Duff invites you to a discussion on Keith Payne’s book, The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die, 3 pm on August 16th at the UMM Merrill Library. Please circulate or print & post this flyer – thanks!
Your announcement could go here: email the details to Christine by 5 pm Monday for inclusion in Wednesday’s Weekly Communiqué.
Updates
This is where we post updates on programs, initiatives and pending legislation.
Next Step Domestic Violence Project
First posted last week, Dorathy Martel has this update on Next Step: Things have been going well at shelter this summer; we’ve been able to serve many people who needed a safe place to be, and have seen them move on to more permanent housing. The building is looking better inside all the time, thanks in large part to the volunteers who painted and redecorated for us. (The Arise program was very generous with volunteer time, for which we are so very grateful.) We also have a lot of new furniture and children’s items, thanks to some significant grants and partnerships. The staff is busy moving things around to make the rooms as cozy and welcoming as possible. We have had some personnel changes, too: Tammy Denning left Next Step a few weeks ago, and we have some new faces: Mary Mitchell is the new Shelter Advocate and Amanda Smith has joined us as a Community & Youth Education Advocate. Mary and Amanda have connected with their co-workers so quickly, it feels like they have been with us forever. As they become more familiar with their jobs, they will be out and about more, and we hope you will share resources and thoughts with them.
Events
Now listed chronologically, so make sure to scroll down for items just added!
Kids Yoga: fun activity for parents and children to do together, sponsored by Maine Families and Bold Coast Yoga on August 17th at UMM. See flyer for details.
Active Bystander Training: offered on August 21st from 1-4 pm at the Cobscook Learning Center. Suggested donation of $20. We are also paying Claire’s travel expenses from Portland, so please be generous if you can. Sign up at the CCLC website www.theCCLC.org, or call them at 733-2332
Maine Wisdom Summit: Jessica Maurer of the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging asks everyone to save the date of September 20th for the Maine Wisdom Summit – Cultivating the Opportunities of our Age at the Augusta Civic Center, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm (registration 8-9 am). Read the draft agenda here. Registration coming soon!
Save the Date: Sue O’Clair of MaineHousing invites you to save the date of September 22nd for 
the 2017 Maine Affordable Housing Conference at the Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland. This event will provide a forum for housing partners to gather and share information about what is being done currently – and what more needs to be done – in the affordable housing arena to bridge the gap between housing needs and housing availability. There will be a mix of keynote speakers and workshops to choose from that will be targeted to all partner groups. MaineHousing is still pulling together info on the conference agenda and speakers and hopes to have more info and a registration portal ready to go soon.
Needs & Offers
Adult Family/Elder Decision Mediation: Elder Services Navigator, Lisa Suarez, has recently completed training as a volunteer mediator specializing in adult family/elder decision mediation. “For many, this can provide an alternate dispute resolution to courts,” explains Lisa. “Mediators are neutral and the parties make their own decisions. We guide the process.” Contact Lisa at (207) 460-8129 or email lsuarez@whcacap.org for mediation services and to help elders connect to resources in order to live well at home in Washington County.
Passages Program accepting applications: Wayfinder Schools Passages Program is currently accepting applications for the upcoming school year. Passages is a home-based high school degree program for young parents, age 14 to 20, who live in Washington County and whose education was derailed by early parenthood. Teachers and students together create trusting, supportive and resilient relationships. They meet weekly in the student’s home and via the phone and Internet. Self-directed learning, undertaken within the teacher/student relationship, can provide a young parent with the opportunity to flourish as a responsible citizen and as his or her child’s first teacher. Students study a combination of academic, parenting and life skills. The final “Passage” is an opportunity for students to design an individual project that addresses a particular passion, fear or need in their life. To learn more, visit the Wayfinder Schools website or contact Andie Hannon.
SNAP Benefits at Milbridge Farmer’s Market: The Women’s Health Resource Library is partnering with
the Milbridge Farmer’s Market to bring SNAP benefits and Harvest Bucks to the market. Families can use SNAP/EBT to purchase food from the market. For every $1 of SNAP spent at the market, they will receive $1 in Maine Harvest Bucks to use to purchase fruits, veggies, and food-producing seedlings at the market. Look for us at the Market Info Booth next to the Incredible Edible Milbridge trailer on Saturdays to learn more. We are a National Nutrition Incentive Network Member. This project has been made possible with help from the Maine Federation of Farmer’s Markets.
Child Care Openings: Child and Family Opportunities has immediate full-day, full-year childcare and 
combination Head Start/childcare openings for children ages 3-5 years old at the St. Croix Early Care and Education Center in Calais and the Flaherty Early Care and Education Center in Machias. We are also accepting applications for our part-year Head Start and Pre-K programs at the Calais Elementary School, Harrington Elementary School, Milbridge Elementary School, and the Flaherty Center in Machias. Our part-year programs will be starting up in the fall, and CFO will be doing rolling acceptances through the summer for part-year applicants. Families interested in year-round childcare or part-year programming are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Our Enrollment Specialist is standing by to assist families with the application process. Contact us at 207-667-2995 extension 237 or enrollment@childandfamilyopp.org.
NHN Home Repair: Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a program of Down East Maine Missions, is a home repair program servicing the needs of low income folk in the communities from Beals Island to Eastport. Eight work teams will be hosted by NHN this summer beginning next week, headquartered at the historic Jacksonville Campground in East Machias. If you have folks with grants for repairs that need to be done, NHN may be able to help. Likewise, if you know folks who need repairs, then you are welcome to provide them with a copy of this application. Contact David Grainger, NHN Director, with any questions.
Next Step Support Group: Next Step is offering a support group for those experiencing or affected by domestic violence. It occurs each Tuesday during the day. Call 255-4934 for the time and location. Please help spread the word, and refer anyone who might find it helpful.
Send us your agency/community needs or offers, such as job recruiting or housing needs.
Favorite Resources
This is a new section of the Communique where we post links to helpful websites and videos. Send us your favorite links to share with other Communique readers.
Maine Equal Justice Partners: Get the break down of cuts to programs, learn how budget & legislative changes impact programming, and how you can help be an advocate.
Meetings
Work Group & Poverty Busters: Minutes from the June and July meetings are now available. Please note that we will not be meeting in August, the month of vacations and family visits. Our next meeting will be on September 6th from 1-3:30 pm at the SCEC House. Enjoy the rest of the summer!
St Croix Community Connections: This is Poverty Buster’s sister group in Calais, organized by Christine Morris. This group meets monthly – new members welcome!
Photo courtesy of Susan Bennett