Happy Wednesday!
New this week:
Students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to a suicide prevention and awareness presentation and discussion led by Cherry on September 9th from 5:30-7 pm, UMaine Machias Torrey Hall, room 232. The event will focus on basic attitudes and beliefs about suicide, risk factors, warning signs, and simple interventions and approaches to intervene with someone who may be contemplating suicide.
The annual Out of the Darkness Walk will take place Sept. 24. This is a nationwide walk and is designed to help give people the courage to open up about their own struggles or losses, as well as a platform to change our culture’s approach to mental health. In Machias, the walk will begin at 5:30 pm in front of the Performing Arts Center on campus and end at the foot of College Hill at the Suicide Memorial/Support Tree, where there will be a candlelight vigil.
988 (formerly called the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) offers free, confidential, 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress. That could be:
- Thoughts of suicide
- Mental health or substance use crisis, or
- Any other kind of emotion distress
People can call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for themselves or if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.
Poverty is increasing! Now, more than ever, helping professionals and engaged community members need to be armed with poverty-informed practices that can change the lives for nearly 10 million children and 26 million adults who are impacted. What Can You Do? Come learn about the proven tools and strategies that Dr. Donna M. Beegle and the Communication Across Barriers (CAB) Team has been providing for more than 35 years for professionals in housing, education, justice, health, social service, government, community and faith-based members who want to make a difference. Join us—virtually or in person at the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon—for the two-day Beegle Poverty Immersion Institute on October 7-8. This institute will move you from being poverty aware to being poverty informed. It will help you be able to build relationships, communicate more effectively, and align with community partners in new ways to break barriers. Our Gift to YOU! We have a special group rate (20% discount) for a team of five or more. Bring your whole team with you. Registration is open.
National Center for Equitable Care for Elders is teaming up with AAPCHO for a joint webinar, Healing Relationships, Healthier Communities: Reducing Isolation to Improve Older Adult Health, Thursday, October 23rd, 2 — 3 pm ET. This webinar explores community-based modalities for fostering trust to improve health outcomes among older health center patients. Participants will gain insights from case studies that share outreach and engagement approaches for building connection in older adults as well as communication strategies that prioritize their preventive care needs. Learn more and register here.
Cobscook Community Garden Farm Stand
The Farm Stand is open every Tuesday through October from 11 am — 5 pm on the patio of the Commons building. Fresh vegetables from the Cobscook Community Garden are available self-serve free of by donation.
Registration required. Community members may reserve the cider press. Bring your own apples and empty juice containers. Approximately 14 to 16 lbs. of apples will produce a gallon of cider (roughly 36-40 apples). Apples can be foraged throughout the region with landowner permission. Contact the Community Programming Steward with questions or to request a time slot that’s not listed. (Learn more here.)
100 Women Who Care in Downeast Maine is a growing community of engaged, compassionate women who care deeply about the people and issues facing our region. We believe in the power of collective giving. One Hour. One Hundred Dollars. One Big Impact. Non-profits can apply for funding from this group. Learn more on their website or Facebook page.
Daughterhood, the Blog, by Anne Tumlinson: What happens when Doing Your Best Still Isn’t Enough – when the healthcare system fails your aging parent—and you’re left holding the bill? Too often, family caregivers are the ones left to pick up the pieces. But if you’ve ever felt helpless, frustrated, or like your best effort still wasn’t enough—you’re not alone. This one’s for you….Read now.