CCC Wednesday Communique — February 26, 2025

Down East Hospice Volunteers needs people like you.  You can put a smile on someone’s face by being a visitor for a couple of hours once or twice a week, listening to their life stories, sitting quietly while they rest, watching their favorite TV programs, playing cards or maybe run an errand.  Volunteers do not do hands on medical care and we do not handle medications.  Make someone smile, become a hospice volunteer for someone in your community.  Download a flyer to share.

Happy Wednesday!

New this week:

Ageism in Healthcare Listening Sessions in March
The Maine Council on Aging invites you to join a virtual conversation about ageism in healthcare. Ageism is defined as stereotyping, prejudice, bias or discrimination on the basis of age. In healthcare, ageism can look like treating aging as a disease, making age-related assumptions, and treating the patient as incompetent.  Because so many people have asked us to tackle ageism in healthcare, we know it’s a real problem. So, we’re asking you come to a listening session to share not just your experiences of ageism in healthcare, but also your recommendations on how to disrupt it so we can create a more age-positive health system for older Mainers. We have two opportunities:
  • Listening Session #1: March 3 | 1:30-3:30pm, Zoom | Register Here
  • Listening Session #2: March 5 | 9:00-10:30am, Zoom | Register Here

Upcoming ECHO for Community Based MOUD Teams

From MCD Global: Are you a community member, employer, prescriber, clinician, peer, case manager, or someone with experience or encounters related to MOUD (Medications for Opioid Use Disorder)? Join our free virtual series to learn, share insights, & connect with others!  1st & 3rd Wednesdays | 12-1 PM | Starts March 6th, Register here and submit a scenario here.


Introduction to Home Composting

University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering an introduction to home composting webinar from 5:30 to 7 pm on Tuesday, March 11 via Zoom.  In this workshop participants will learn the science behind compost formation, how to “feed” your compost pile, and how to use finished compost in the garden. Participants will also consider different styles of home composting, from traditional wooden bins to nimble tumblers. This workshop will help interested home composters find a system that’s right for them, whether they have a yard or a small back porch. Nick Rowley, UMaine Extension sustainable agriculture and horticulture professional, will lead the workshop along with Carrick Gambell, Extension urban agriculture professional.  Cost of the workshop is on a sliding scale from $0-$15. Visit the program website to register by March 10. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Carrick Gambell at 207-691-1238 or carrick.gambell@maine.edu.


Gardening in a Changing Climate

University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer a webinar titled, “Gardening in a Changing Climate: What Maine Gardeners Need to Know,” from 6 – 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.  Sean Birkel, assistant Extension professor and Maine state climatologist, and Rebecca Long, coordinator of horticulture training programs for UMaine Extension, will discuss climate change in Maine, important impacts to your garden, and how to make your garden more resilient. This webinar is the first in the 5-part series, Gardening for the Future, and will lay the groundwork for the rest of the series, which will cover specific resilience topics in more detail. We recommend registering for this session, either to watch live or view the recording, if you plan to attend any upcoming webinars in the series.  Registration is required; sliding scale fee options are available. Register on the event webpage to attend live or receive the recording link. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Rebecca Gray, 207-356-1348 or extension.gardening@maine.edu.


Impacts of Poverty & the Power of Two-Gen Approaches

You’re invited to join Community Caring Collaborative Director, Charley Martin-Berry, and Pleasant Point Health Center CNA/Home Health Aide for Elders, Mercedes McCoy, in an interactive, virtual learning opportunity on the effects of poverty and strategies that can help individuals and families experience stability and success. Participants will explore concepts of scarcity and bandwidth, and the role of flexible financial supports, social connectedness, and two-generational strategies for family economic mobility. Mercedes, who is a Family Futures Downeast alumni from cohort 2, will offer perspectives from her educational and professional pathways that help illustrate the impact of two-gen strategies in the context of lived experiences. Participants will be encouraged to ask questions, share experiences that have supported their own personal and professional success, and add insights from their professional practices on what helps individuals and families succeed.  Register here.


Free College Courses & Career Support
Downeast Community Catalyst, Dodie Emerson, is excited to share an incredible opportunity through a College Access Partnership Sunrise County Economic Council is partnering on. This program offers FREE online courses, career support, and the opportunity to earn college credits—at no cost.  Whether someone is exploring college for the first time or returning to complete their education, this program provides flexible, supportive options to help them succeed. Loaner laptops, career development, and advising are also available.  Upcoming Welcome & Computer Basics Sessions:
  • Friday, March 21 | 10:00 AM – Noon | Calais Recovery Center, 311 Main Street, Calais
  • Monday, March 24 | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Machias Recovery Center, 11 Free Street, Machias

These sessions will introduce students to essential computer skills and the resources available to them. Afterward, they’ll join a hybrid learning cohort with ongoing support.  Participants must be at least 18 years old, possess a high school diploma or equivalent, be eligible to work in the United States, and be residents of Maine.  Please help spread the word and share this flyer.


Upcoming ECHO for Behavioral Health Supervision 

From MCD Global: Are you a current or aspiring behavioral health supervisor? Join our free virtual series to build supervision skills, learn from experts, & connect with peers. 2nd & 4th Fridays | 12-1 PM | Starts March 28th, Register here and submit a scenario here.


Finding our Way

Mark your calendars for Thursday May 1st, 2025 – Wayfinder is returning to the Camden Opera House for Finding our Way – our moth-style storytelling event.  Wayfinder graduates & other remarkable Mainers share touching, funny and heartfelt stories about their journeys in theater, art, film, business, writing, education, and the great outdoors.  Download a flyer to share.


2025 Walk for Life

Save the date of May 17th for the Beth C. Wright Cancer Research Center’s Walk for Life.  This year is the 25th anniversary of Walk for Life.  1 mile, 2 mile, or 5 mile walk/run.  9 am — 2 pm in Addison, including family fun, children’s activities, Corn Hole, other games, lobster raffle and a BBQ lunch.  Contact the Center at 207-664-0339 or info@bethwrightcancercenter.org for details.


Maine Child Welfare Education Annual Conference

Save the date of June 26th for the 30th Maine Child Welfare Education conference: Adolescents Under Pressure: Surviving and Thriving in a Changing World.  This year’s content will be focused on various issues impacting adolescents and the program will be held at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. Additional details will be shared in the coming weeks.  See flyer for keynote speaker.  Please feel free to share this info with any/all potentially interested groups/individuals. We always draw a multidisciplinary audience from all over Maine (and occasionally beyond) that includes social workers, law enforcement, attorneys of various types, educators, guardians ad litem, physicians, nurses, therapists, foster/resource parents, case managers, and anyone else interested in the welfare of Maine’s children.


Sunrise Scholarship Fund

Do you need training for employment or job advancement?  This Program will provide scholarships of up to $500 for Washington County residents, of low-to-moderate income, who will be attending a training and/or certification program that will increase their opportunities for IMMEDIATE employment or job advancement.  Learn more here.


Thriving as a Sandwich Caregiver

Are you one of the more than 5 million people who are caring for aging parents and your children at the same time? Sandwich Generation caregivers are torn between two worlds and trying to balance both of them. Read more for some tips that’ll help you not only cope but thrive as a Sandwich Generation caregiver.

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