Dear JMG Friends,
At the core of JMG’s accountability is our steadfast commitment to build strategies and practices with an emphasis on connections and relationships. As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to bring so many disruptions to daily life, the value of JMG’s capacity to support students and keep them connected to their schools and communities has never been more critical. With 143 school-based programs reaching all of Maine’s 16 counties JMG has responded rapidly, and has put the following student-centered practices into place:
- JMG has secured commitments from the private sector, including contributions from Unum, Bank of America, Hannaford Supermarkets, Procter & Gamble, Bangor Savings Bank, AT&T, Skowhegan Savings Bank, IDEXX, Machias Savings Bank, BerryDunn, E.J.Prescott, Pratt & Whitney, Kennebec Savings Bank, Hospitality Maine, Pike Industries and the Retail Association of Maine, to establish a Pandemic Emergency Student Response Fund to ensure we can deliver on our mission to help students succeed in education within a changing set of expectations and uncertainty.
- Through JMG’s professional development program, all JMG Specialists have been trained in Trauma Informed Care and continue to practice “intrusive advising”, proactively reaching out to students to assess and respond to student needs.
- We are rapidly responding to get needed critical resources directly to students with exceptionally high barriers thanks to investors such as the Harold Alfond Foundation and the John T. Gorman Foundation.
- In partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services, JMG has used private grants to quickly purchase needed technology for youth served within Maine’s foster care system.
At the same time, our connections to the business community throughout every region of the state is in the forefront of our thoughts. Many employers are facing difficult times. However, there will be a moment when the “all clear” is sounded and life gets back to some version of normalcy. It is at that moment when our connections with nearly 1,000 high school seniors across the state will become an asset to you and others. Some of those students expect to attend a 2 and 4-year college in the fall. But many will be entering the job market and will be part of the solution to getting our economy back into high gear.
While JMG’s spring newsletter typically highlights celebratory student events including our Career Development Conference and Urban Adventure, this year has certainly been different. We fully expect those events to return next year and be bigger and better than ever. This year, I hope that like our team at JMG you are able to find the hope and inspiration that is all around you. Without a doubt, Maine residents and business owners are the most resilient people I know and I look forward to sharing their stories with you in the near future.
Craig Larrabee
President
