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!
Photo above: October 21st is National Check Your Meds Day. Bring your brown bag of prescriptions, OTC remedies and supplements to the Senior Health & Safety Expo at the Maine Veterans’ Home for a medication review – free of charge! Read more here.
Announcements
Sharing Local Resources: if you are planning to attend the Nov 1st extended brown bag lunch (see description in the Event section below) please bring enough copies of materials on programs you wish to share for the group (about 20) so that participants can build their own resource guide with up-to-the-minute information.
Merger of 2 Partners: Child and Family Opportunities and the Washington Hancock Community Agency have merged to form Downeast Community Partners. Please see this press release for more information on this exciting announcement.
Taking Action for Health: Healthy Acadia is offering a free, six-week, interactive “Taking Action for Health” workshop series in the conference room of Downeast Community Hospital, 11 Hospital Drive, Machias. This series is open to anyone living with a chronic health condition – caregivers welcome . Classes will meet weekly on Thursdays from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm beginning October 26, 2017 and continuing through December 7, 2017 (no class on November 23). See flyer and visit the Self-Management Resource Center website to learn more about “Taking Action for Health.”
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.
Hope Fund Update: We are excited to share that the Hope Fund is entering its 6th year and opened on October 11th to applications. The purpose of the Hope Fund is to help providers from CCC partner agencies resolve financial barriers to help their clients/families accomplish established goals. The program helps families safely and effectively provide for their children. The CCC would like to extend a special thanks to Charles Rudelitch, executive director of Sunrise County Economic Council, who served on the Hope Fund Committee for five years and is rotating off. Charles brought a deep understanding of the barriers families face in Washington County as they work to move out of poverty. He helped guide the program in many ways and we are so thankful for his contribution of time and expertise. Joining the Hope Fund Committee is FFD Program Manager, Marsha Sloan. We are very excited about Marsha’s contributions to this process. Prior to opening the fund this year, the Committee made some revisions to the the application form, so please use this link where you can find instructions for applying and the new application form.
Legislation to Support Family Caregivers Unanimously Passes Senate: Senators Susan Collins and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) recently announced the unanimous passage of the RAISE Family Caregivers Act by the U.S. Senate. The RAISE Family Caregivers Act would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and sustain a strategy to recognize and support the more than 40 million family caregivers in the United States. This bipartisan legislation has been endorsed by more than 60 aging and disability organizations, including the AARP, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Arc. It now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives. We will keep you posted on the progress of this proposed legislation.
Events
Now listed chronologically, so make sure to scroll down for items just added!
Senior Health & Safety Expo: Saturday, October 21st from 9 am to 12 Noon at the Maine Veterans Home 
in Machias. Bring your medications and receive a free consultation with a pharmacist to look at dosage and drug interactions; browse displays of resources on health & safety with a cup of coffee or plate of fresh fruit; sample Eastern Area Agency on Aging’s 3D meals; awesome door prizes, giveaways, plus a chance to share your tips to thriving in place. Download and share this flyer with your senior friends, colleagues and clients.
Sharing Local Resources Brown Bag: Join the CCC Work Group & Poverty Busters on November 1st for an extended brown bag lunch on local resources. Share updated info on services your organization offers and find out what other services are now available. We’ll be meeting at the Kay Parker Building in Machias from 12:30 to 3:30. Dig deep – we have 3 hours! Please RSVP to Christine if you plan to attend and share this flyer with your colleagues.
MRBN 2017 Conference: Building Thriving Communities: Capitalizing on Evolving Science and Circumstance – the Maine Resilience Building Network and The Bingham Program present the 2nd Biennial Conference on November 2nd and 3rd at Point Lookout Resort, Northport, Maine. See flyer for details. Register here.
TCM & BHH Provider Training: Child Behavioral Health Services invites targeted case managers and behavioral health homes providers to a free system overview of the state’s behavioral health services on December 4th, from 9-4 at the Houlton DHHS Office. See flyer for details.
Needs & Offers
Needle Exchange in Machias: The Health Equity Alliance (HEAL), formerly Down East AIDS Network (DEAN), maintains a needle exchange at their local office on Tuesdays 3-6 and Fridays 10-1. HEAL also provides training along with naloxone and sponsors the annual Maine Harm Reduction conference. FMI: Katie Bragg, Case Manager/ Health Promotion Specialist, katie@mainehealthequity.org, 255-5849, 7 VIP Road, Machias, ME 04654, in the same building as Downeast Community Partners, or visit their website.
Donations & Volunteers Needed for Welcome Center: Mano en Mano is organizing a Welcome and 
Resource Center the week of October 22nd and on Friday November 3rd for seasonal and migrant workers. We are looking for donations (see list) of warm winter clothing and food as well as volunteers to help staff the welcome center. We will have a volunteer meeting on October 12th from 4 — 6 pm at the office, 2 Maple Street, Milbridge, to sign up for shifts and to sort donations. Please contact Eli Redfern at (207) 598-8925 or eredfern@manomaine.org if you have any questions.
Stoves Needed for Pleasant Point Families: Our social service department is seeking a full size gas stove and an efficiency (24”) size gas stove. Two of our families are currently without stoves! Please contact Jen Doughty, Young Child Wellness Coordinator for Passamaquoddy Project LAUNCH, at 853- 2600 ext. 259 or gdoughty@wabanaki.com.
Coats for Seniors: The Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging (M4A) wants to partner with you to collect clean, gently used winter coats for seniors. For each coat donated, Goodwill will provide a voucher to Maine’s area agencies on aging to give to older adults in need. This way, seniors can choose their own coat. And, donated coats have an extra warming benefit! LL Bean will donate $5 per coat (up to $5000) to M4A’s low-income fuel assistance program that helps older adults access needed fuel after all other sources have been exhausted. If you would like to start up a collection, see this flyer for details and this template flyer to help your outreach.
Legislation Survey: Maine Equal Justice Partners invites you to fill out a policy survey to help them assess how effective the legislative changes that did pass will be when it comes to reducing child poverty in Maine and to help them focus their energy in the years ahead on changes that will make the biggest difference in families’ lives.
Downeast Feast: Share in this free, community, potluck, moveable feast held on the fourth Thursday of each month beginning at 5 pm. See flyer for details and schedule.
Send us your agency/community needs or offers, such as job recruiting or housing needs.
Favorite Resources
Send us your favorite links to share with other Communique readers.
Meetings
Work Group & Poverty Busters: Read notes from the October meeting here. Next month we have an exciting change to our monthly meeting – join us for an extended brown bag lunch focusing on local resources. Read this flyer for details and please share with your colleagues. We’ll be meeting from 12:30 to 3:30 pm on November 1st at a different location than usual – the Kay Parker Building in Machias. RSVP if you can join us and remember to bring enough materials to share with the group (about 20).
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