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!
Announcements
Elder Abuse Awareness: June is Elder Abuse Awareness month. The National Center on Elder Abuse suggests that elder abuse cases go widely unreported with only 1 in 14 cases being reported to the authorities. For more information on the warning signs of elder abuse please visit the Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention website. If you suspect elder abuse please contact the Maine DHHS Adult Protective Services at 1-800-624-8404, 911, or your local Area Agency on Aging at 1-877-353-3771. You can also call the helpline at Legal Services for the Elderly with any questions about potential elder abuse – 1-800-750-5353. The Helpline is open Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- Noon and 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Partners helping to promote the Lung Health Study: Last week we posted an announcement about focus groups taking place in Washington County as part of the Rural Maine Lung Health Study. Due to IRB restrictions, this info should be shared with the following caveats regarding recruitment:
- We can’t notify people that they qualify for participation.
- We can’t seek out specific individuals and encourage them to enroll.
But, we can share this press release, make announcements and display this poster, and even provide transportation to someone who has enrolled in the study.
Hancock CAN Council: Child and Family Opportunities has been selected by the Maine Children’s Trust to administer a Child Abuse and Neglect Council for Hancock County. CFO is currently awaiting a final agreement.
Free Summer Series: St. Croix Regional Health Center will be offering a Summer Series on Thursday afternoons from 1:30-2:30 p.m. The series offers a mix of interest sessions with guest presenters on a variety of engaging topics from health and wellness to financial protection and fascinating historical accounts. Light refreshments and a time for catching up with friends new and old will follow. This program is Free and open to all! For more information please contact Christine Morris at 796-5503.
Passages accepting applications in Washington County: Passages at Wayfinder Schools is a home-based, high school diploma program for pregnant or parenting youth ages 14-20. For more information and an online application please visit their website or contact Fern Hilyard (255-1468).
Your announcement could go here: email the details to Christine by 5 pm Monday for inclusion in Wednesday’s Weekly Communiqué.
Events
Now listed chronologically, so make sure to scroll down for items just added!
Community Solutions Forum: Maine Equal Justice invites you to a community forum on child poverty and the economic forecast in our region and state. Hear from local experts and discuss what we can do today to improve the future for all of our kids, communities, and our local and state economy. June 15th, 2017 – 4:30 to 7:00 pm, at the Seaworthy Event Center, 23 Main St. Milbridge, Maine. See flyer for details.
LGBTQ Health Conference: Save the date of June 16th in Portland, ME, for the 2017 LGBTQ+ Health 
Conference on the theme of Trauma and Resiliency with keynote speaker, Sandy James, Survey Project Manager of the National Center for Transgender Equality. Conference information at Health Equity Alliance.
Three Stories of Hope & Resiliency: Join in a community conversation & suicide awareness training at the Sipayik Bingo Hall in Pleasant Point on June 18th from 5-8 pm. Hear stories of those with lived experience and be a part of a local action plan. No registration required. Brought to you by NAMI-Maine. Contact Nickie at 207-622-5767 Ext. 2312 or nickie@namimaine.org. Please circulate this flyer to people who might be interested.
Landlord Lunch Meeting: Landlords and property managers with rental units in Washington County are 
invited to a free lunch meeting on June 20th from 11-1 at the Kay Parker Building – yes, there is such a thing as a free lunch! The Community Caring Collaborative is excited to host this gathering to help connect two important groups: those with housing units to rent and those who help people become great tenants. The meeting will include a panel presentation from several organizations who offer supports for landlords, such as the Maine Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). RSVP to Charley, or use this Landlord FAQ flyer.
ME Child Welfare Conference: Register now for the 23rd annual Maine Child Welfare Conference in Bangor on June 22nd. This year’s theme is Tipping Points in Child Welfare: A Time of Hurt and a Time to Heal. Keynote Speaker, M. Elizabeth Ralston, PhD, LISW-CP, LFMT, will present “Why Do You Need to be Trauma Informed?” Conference details, agenda, registration info and more available on this flyer. Registration deadline is June 9th so don’t delay!
Giant Yard Sale: yard sale on June 24th at Maine Seacoast Mission, 8 am to 1 pm, to benefit the Downeast Table of Plenty. Please print and post this flyer!
Active Bystander Training: ACLU of Maine has partnered with Prevention.Action.Change. to offer free
opportunities for Active Bystander Intervention Training open to the public age 16 and up. The training provides ways to address harassment whether you are the target or a witness. Participants will explore ways to de-escalate volatile situations and how to intervene directly, indirectly and through distraction. Saturday, June 24th, 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Bangor YMCA, 17 2nd Street. Register here.
Addiction, Recovery & the Workforce Summit: Registration is now open to business owners and hum
an resource staff for the July 13th Addiction, Recovery & the Workforce: a summit for Washington County businesses of all sizes. This is a free event from 8:30 to 3 pm in Science 102 at the University of Maine, Machias. Participants will learn and discuss challenges to hiring and employing people in recovery; hear strategies for success and dealing with challenges from a panel of experts; plus gain foundational information on addiction and available treatment and recovery supports. Registration is requested to help with planning food and materials. We are firming up an impressive lineup of speakers and panelists that includes Garrett Martin, Executive Director of the Maine Center for Economic Policy, delivering the keynote address. Updated flyer with more info – please circulate to business owners/HR managers you know. More information about the summit is available at the event site.
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
Homeless Outreach Services: PATH Peer Navigator, Jessica Hatch, has developed a new flyer with information on 3 agencies delivering Homeless Outreach Services – to youth (Shaw House), to veterans (Preble St. Veterans Housing) and to adults who have mental illness (CHCS – PATH team).
Family Advocate Referrals: WHCA’s Family Advocate Program has openings in Washington County to work with low income families and individuals who would like support as they work toward family, personal, and occupational goals. Referral forms can be faxed to WHCA at 664-2430 or mailed to WHCA, 248 Bucksport Rd., Ellsworth, ME 04605.
Ellsworth CFO job openings: Child and Family Opportunities is expanding its services in Ellsworth and has multiple openings for:
- Preschool Teachers working with children 3-5 years of age
- Assistant Preschool Teachers
- Infant/Toddler Caregivers working with children 6 weeks to 3 years of age
CFO is also searching for a Preschool Team Leader at the Ellsworth Early Care and Education Center. Visit CFO’s website for job descriptions and application forms.
Oil Tank Programs: The Maine Dept of Environmental Protection (DEP) is running a campaign to alert people to dangers posed by old, leaky oil tanks that includes a helpline to call if you suspect your oil tank might be leaky or in need of replacement. DEP also has several programs providing financial assistance to help pay for replacement oil tanks. Read this brochure for details.
Transition Coach Needed: Family Futures Downeast is hiring a Transitions Coach to work with students as they continue onto Year 2 in FFD. The job description and application instructions are available here.
2 Job Offers: The Maine Migrant Health Program (MMHP) is now hiring! We are recruiting for a DownEast Program Manager and a Community Health Worker (CHW III) for Aroostook County. Please feel free to share across your personal networks with anyone you think might be interested.
Volunteer Drivers Needed: WHCA is looking for volunteer drivers. Benefits include flexible hours, reimbursement at 44 cents a mile, AAA Plus at no coast to you. Volunteers must be at least 25 years old, have a valid, clean Maine driver’s license for 3 years, have a reliable, clean vehicle, and live in Hancock or Washington County. Call or email Joceyln Storey, WHCA’s Volunteer Coordinator, at 207-610-5940 or jstorey@whcacap.org, M-F, 8-5 pm.
Send us your agency/community needs or offers, such as job recruiting or housing needs.
Updates
This is where we post updates on programs, initiatives and pending legislation.
House Narrowly Sustains Senior Housing Bond Veto: Update on LD 832: “An Act To Carry Out the Will of the People of the State of Maine by Ensuring the Issuance of Bonds To Support the Independence of Maine’s Seniors” – taken from Rep Will Tuell’s weekly newsletter:
On Thursday, the Maine House of Representatives fell 9 votes short of an override of a bill that would have required Governor LePage to issue $15 million in voter-approved bonds for senior housing.
“It’s really a shame we couldn’t get it over the hump,” Rep. Will Tuell (R-East Machias) said. “Our communities really need affordable, quality, senior housing, and it appears we’re not going to get it for another eighteen months. Washington County would have particularly benefitted from this legislation as there is a proposal on the table for housing in the Machias area. I feel bad for those who are counting on this, and wish the outcome had been different, but I, and many others will continue to work for the release of these critical funds.” Although the veto cleared the Senate 26-9, the House failed to get the 2/3 needed to override the veto. Its tally in favor of overriding was 89-58.
Meetings
Early Childhood Meeting: Please join CBHS and CDC for a Public Health discussion on strategies and planned funded activities for early childhood and school mental health services. We will meet Friday June 30, 2017 from 11 to 12:30 at the SCEC House, 7 Ames Way, Machias.
Work Group & Poverty Busters: Minutes from last week’s informative meeting will be posted soon. Next meeting is July 5th, 1-3:30 at the SCEC House. Guest Speakers are Aldene Saucier from Spurwink and Nikki Busmanis from United Way on 2-1-1. It’s never too early to RSVP!
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 Nicole Sevey