All that visioning and creativity takes a lot of energy!
Happy Wednesday!
New this week:
This July, Eastern Area Agency on Aging is celebrating Social Wellness Month with July for Joy—a special campaign to support the low-cost or free wellness programs that help older adults stay connected, active, and emotionally engaged. From exercise and Tai Chi to card and board games, arts and crafts, and community cafés, these programs spark joy, create friendships, and provide purpose for hundreds of older adults across our region. While we receive some public funding, it doesn’t fully cover the cost of running these essential programs. To keep prices low and access high, we’re relying on our community—and that means you. Donate here.
July 27, 2025, Downeast Restorative Harvest (DERH) is participating in Maine’s 30th Annual Open Farm Day! Maine’s Open Farm Day is a statewide event to raise awareness about farms and their importance to Maine. Visitors are invited to explore host farms and connect with participating farmers throughout the state, learn about their work, and check out the products and services they offer. Join us on Sunday, July 27, from 10 am to 3 pm at the DERH Community Farm (73 Broadway, Machias). See what’s growing, meet the team, and learn how this collaborative project with Healthy Acadia, the Washington County Jail, and other local partners is growing food and building connections in Washington County.
Families with young children are invited to a Family Fun Day & Family Resource Fair on Friday, August 8th, 1 — 3 pm in the grassy area by the Lee Pellon Center in Machias. Live music, face painting, car seat safety checks, touch-a-truck, and more will be offered by local family-serving agencies. Download a flyer to share.
From Rudman Winchell Attorney Anne-Marie Storey: A change to Maine’s EPL law was signed by the Governor on July 1, 2025. LD 55, titled “An Act to Amend the Law Governing the Accrual of Earned Paid Leave,” does not entitle an employee to earn more time but does impact the number of earned hours an employee can accrue and carry over from year to year. Under LD 55, unused accrued EPL from the prior year will still carry over, but the employee will also be entitled to earn additional EPL time. So, it is conceivable that an employee could have up to 80 hours to use in one year- 40 hours of accrued carried over time and 40 hours of new earned time through the year. Despite this new language, though, existing regulations still permit employers to limit the amount of EPL time an employee uses in any one year to 40 hours. The DOL could now issue further regulations to address this limit. The amendment takes effect on September 24, 2025. Employers will have to make changes before that time to handbook/leave policies and ensure that tracking of EPL is revamped accordingly.
Daughterhood.org, The Blog, by Anne Tumlinson: Everywhere we turn, we’re told to sleep more, eat better, and “indulge ourselves”—but what if the real issue isn’t our lack of bubble baths, it’s the crushing weight of caregiving with too little support? In this raw, honest post, we call out the self-care myth and explore what true care looks like…. (Read more)