Dear Friends,
These spring days seem to be giving us a taste of warmth, a reprieve from winter, yet we have not fully crossed the threshold. It is not quite time for tee-shirts, not yet warm enough to crack our windows and let in the fresh air. But we are close, and a buzz is in the air.
Here at MaineShare, we are buzzing about the great success of our recent Workplace Giving Campaign. We are thrilled to share that in this campaign, we raised $275,178.22 for our 40 member groups! This success comes from our more than 45 local workplace partners and 1,315 participating employees. Most of the funds raised in this campaign come from recurring payroll deductions— even a small donation each month really adds up!
We are so grateful for all the participating employees, and especially for our workplace coordinators who help us in these efforts. Thank you to all who participated and helped this campaign-- your efforts are instrumental in supporting the amazing work of our member groups. We are proud to have raised over $6.5 million for these organizations since MaineShare’s beginnings over 30 years ago!
If you are interested in learning more about our Workplace Giving Campaigns, please reach out. And if you are buzzing to support our MaineShare member groups, please donate here.
With warmth and gratitude,
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Amanda Langley (she/her/hers), Director of the MaineShare Program
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Member Updates and Upcoming Events Worth Your Time |
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Maine Access Immigrant Network Stays the Course on COVID-19 |
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As COVID-19 cases slowly climb again in Maine, MAIN is proud to continue offering pandemic response services to all community members and neighbors who desire them. COVID-19 rapid testing is offered on a walk-in basis every weekday between 10am and 4pm. Those seeking tests are guided through the process by knowledgeable Community Health Workers and staff. Tests only take 15 minutes, and case management is offered in the event of a positive test.
Vaccination efforts remain a key part of MAIN’s COVID-19 response agenda. The MAIN vaccine clinic has been ongoing since the pandemic began, and vaccines are provided by nurses from Northern Light Health. Vaccine appointments and walk-ins are accepted at the clinic which currently operates Fridays 3-5:30pm. Vaccines are free of charge, and offered are COVID-19 1st dose, 2nd dose, boosters, and seasonal flu.
Image: Left to right: Salim Salim, Christian Bisimwa, Mohamud Barre, Peggy Akers
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New Ventures Maine -- April is Financial Literacy Month! |
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New Ventures Maine can help you manage your money and make it go further. Learn to budget, repair your credit, or create a savings plan with a tuition-free workshop, such as:
- Budgeting Basics (May 3)
- Let's Talk about Credit (May 10)
- My Money Works (starts June 1)
Chris Bennett photo
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Hardy G*rls Healthy Wom*n to host community fundraiser, Raise for the Ruckus! |
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On May 26, 2022, HGHW will host their first Raise for the Ruckus!, a community fundraiser filled with local youth music, good brews, and opportunities for ruckus causing at Activism Action Spots. This event will be held at Rising Tide Brewery in Portland 5:30-7:30pm. Attendees will learn about HGHW programs, Activism Action, and have a chance to win tickets to see Brandi Carlile and the Indigo Girls in Portland! Purchase tickets here, or click here to support the event if you cannot attend.
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Peace Action Maine advocates for Tax Day and Earth Day |
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For Tax Day and Earth Day, Peace Action Maine distributed fliers to highlight where tax dollars are spent. They also constructed a Pop-Up Art Exhibit at Congress Square Park.
Since the Pentagon is the largest industrial consumer of fossil fuels, spending ever more on the military increases climate instability. Redirecting tax dollars towards health, education, diplomacy and agriculture would be a far better investment and make the climate more stable. Read more news and events here.
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Maine Audubon reminds us: The Birds are Back! |
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May marks the height of spring migration for birds in Maine. Maine Audubon invites you to join one of the bird walks taking place all month, and most of the summer, at many locations around the state. An experienced guide will help you identify birds both by sight and sound. Plus, you’ll be able to enjoy the birding experience with a variety of nature lovers from all over!
A wonderful experience for beginning birders as well as seasoned birders.
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Defend Our Health is hiring! |
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Defend Our Health is hiring for three positions: a digital organizer, a campaign manager that will be focused on working with PFAS impacted farmers and rural communities in Maine, and a major gifts officer. The digital organizer and major gifts officer can be located anywhere in the U.S. but the campaign manager must be based in Maine.
All three positions are detailed on Defend’s website. These are exciting positions for individuals who want to work at the intersection of environmental health and justice both in Maine and on a national scale.
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Join Sierra Club Maine for a tour of Sears Island |
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Sears Island, located in the Penobscot Bay, is the largest undeveloped island off the coast of Maine-- and perhaps the entire East Coast. Now a sanctuary for wildlife and a quiet walking area, the island has come up in plans for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine. There are alternatives to developing industrial infrastructure on Sears Island.
Join Sierra Club Maine for a tour of the island on May 7th at 10am and judge for yourself whether this should remain a pristine wildlife preserve and a quiet recreation area. A member of Friends of Sears Island will guide the tour and introduce us to the wonders of this island. Learn more and register here.
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One-Woman Play and other events at Holocaust and Human Rights Center |
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Photo: Alexandra Magnaud teaching Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust in the Center auditorium.
The Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine is thrilled to announce that actress and playwright Vicki Summers will perform her one-woman play Bella, An Immigrant’s Tale, on May 15th at 2:00pm at the Michael Klahr Center. This play details the remarkable life of Summers' beloved grandmother from the pogroms of Russia (present day Ukraine) to a new life in America. This inspiring immigrant story is filled with courage, loss, humor and love. Tickets will be a donation receipt from UNICEF. Click here to learn more about this and other events at the HHRC!
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Maine Center for Economic Policy report-- A Better Path Forward for Maine: The Case for Decriminalizing Drugs |
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Maine spends $111 million to punish people for using drugs. The return on this investment: record shattering overdose deaths, thousands of people held back from reaching their full potential because of criminal records, widespread constitutional violations, disrupted lives, and disrupted communities. A better path forward: to decriminalize drugs and invest in proven and cost-effective public health approaches to drug use.
Click here to read the Maine Center on Economic Policy’s new report in partnership with ACLU of Maine and explore some of the great news coverage in radio, print, and TV.
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Become a member of the Maine Resource Recovery Association |
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The mission of the Maine Resource Recovery Association is to assist the Maine community with implementing professional solid waste management systems that are environmentally and economically sustainable. Our goal is to promote sustainable materials management in Maine by providing educational programs, materials brokering services, and planning tools to municipal and business managers and to solid waste professionals. Become a Member today!!
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Bicycle Coalition of Maine hosts events for Global Road Safety Week in May! |
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This is just a small sampling of the critical work MaineShare members do to build a better Maine. Please join us in supporting and learning from the great work of ALL our member groups.
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