Dear Friends,
As we wind down March, signs of growth are all around us. Green shoots are emerging from tulip and daffodil bulbs. The ivory and indigo shades of the first crocuses have appeared. In my own home, I have tried my hand at growing cut flowers from seeds, and it brings such joy to observe the seedlings sprouting within a makeshift greenhouse.
Among the MaineShare member groups, we are motivated by their growth and the emergence of new ideas. New collaborations have formed to fight for equity in our state. Our members have welcomed new staff, adding innovative perspectives and growing new leaders committed to justice in our communities. Redesigned methods of engagement and activism, born of necessity during the pandemic, have enabled more of our community to join and advocate for a better future for us all. The growth of the Maine Initiatives team has led to fruitful discussions about how to better support MaineShare’s member groups and connect them to the community and each other.
I am certain that much of my curiosity about what grows around me comes from my beloved grandfather, who recently passed away. The walks we had around his yard, exploring what he had planted and what was growing, are cherished memories. There is bravery in growing, and I encourage you all to take a moment to celebrate the growth that surrounds us. And if you feel inspired to support the growth of MaineShare member groups, please donate here.
Gratefully,
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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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"Tune In" to Maine Access Immigrant Network! |
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Maine Access Immigrant Network (MAIN) is dedicated to bridging linguistic and cultural gaps in the world of public health. Access to multilingual social services is critical to building a healthy community, and MAIN is excited to bring the voices of trusted Community Health Workers to the airwaves!
Thanks to the generous help of WMPG’s audio experts and their Community Radio Team, Mainers from all walks of life will soon be able to turn on the radio throughout the day and hear details of MAIN’s COVID-19 testing and vaccine clinics in over seven languages. “Not all of our clients and community members have access to the internet, and if they do, the information provided is often exclusively in English,” says MAIN’s Media Specialist Milena Germon. “So we talked it over as a team and figured that community outreach via public radio might be a wise avenue to pursue.” Visit https://main1.org/ for more information on all that MAIN does for the community.
Image: Community Health Worker Christian Bisimwa (left) and Media Specialist Milena Germon (right) recording MAIN's announcements in Swahili, Lingala, and English
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New Ventures Maine is Accepting Applications for Marketing Mini-Grants! |
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New Ventures Maine (NVME) will be awarding cash grants—up to $1,000 per region in all 16 Maine counties—to microenterprises to support marketing tools, materials, and promotional activities. Eligible applicants include individual micro-business owners, business partners, or groups of business owners. Applications for the Marketing Mini-Grants are due by Friday, May 6, 2022. For more information, including your region representative and eligibility requirements, please visit here.
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Hardy G*rls Healthy Wom*n Girls Rock! conferences are back! |
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Hardy G*rls has exciting news– after a two-year pandemic pause, G*rls Rock! Conferences are back in 2022! Conferences will be held in Portland on April 13 and Waterville on April 14. This year’s theme is Bee You Boldly, which the Feminist Action Board (FAB) chose to inspire girls and nonbinary youth to live confidently as their unique selves.
GR!C is a day of celebration for the diverse identities and brilliance of Maine youth. The conferences are planned by youth for youth and FAB has been hard at work all year planning workshops, activities, and breakout sessions for attendees. Workshops are planned on allyship, period health, the LGBTQ+ community in Maine, and much more. Registration for the conferences is OPEN NOW; space is limited so spread the word and sign up now!
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Maine Women's Lobby provides education during Girls' Day at the Statehouse |
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The Maine Women's Lobby Education Fund hosted weekly sessions throughout March with 8th-grade girls, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming folks to learn the ins and outs of civic engagement here in Maine. They began with a collaborative session asking, 'What is Activism?" with Hardy G*rls Healthy Wom*n. Mid-month was an intimate and inspiring panel with young elected women, Representative Genevieve McDonald, former City Councilor Safiya Khalid, and Senator Chloe Maxmin. Also in March, participants met the clerk of the House, Rob Hunt, and did bill analysis with legislators and lobbyists in Maine! Learn more about these efforts and more here.
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Maine Audubon celebrates at Earth Day Clean-Up at Scarborough Marsh |
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Let the celebration begin! This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center. Come celebrate Earth Day and this Maine Audubon milestone by joining to clean up the marsh, beaches, and get the buildings and grounds ready for this special celebratory season. This event partners with Project G.R.A.C.E. to collect food for local families and seniors experiencing tough times. Please bring nonperishable food or a store gift card to the clean-up and help the humans in our community while also supporting the marsh wildlife.
This event will take place Saturday, April 23, 9:00am – Noon at the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center– 92 Pine Point Rd, Scarborough. Groups are welcome! Sign up online here.
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News and Updates at Mano en Mano |
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Mano en Mano has been organizing educational enrichment activities through their Migrant Education Program this winter. This program provides educational support and cultural enrichment activities to families in the community. One event was aimed at families, sharing a story and baking bread together, and joining neighbors virtually. Read more about this story here.
Mano en Mano also recently opened a food pantry in their Milbridge office, which increases access to culturally nourishing food, at a time when food costs are even more burdensome to families. This food pantry will provide a centralized location, continual access, and will offer fresh produce from the Rayitos de Sol garden in the warmer months. Read on about this exciting news here.
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Celebrate Earth Day with Sierra Club Maine! |
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Get outside to enjoy the planet and give back in Sierra Club Maine’s 2-day Earth Day celebration, April 22-23. On April 22nd, help the planet by picking up litter in communities throughout the state. Fill out the intake form here to help track interest and availability. Participants will have the chance to submit a post-event form, share photos of their cleanup and be entered to win a prize from our friends at Patagonia Freeport!
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Maine Women's Fund announces immediate $120,000 in funding |
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The Maine Women’s Fund (MWF) recently announced an immediate $120,000 in funding to support more than 24 grantee partners across Maine, reaching over $3 million in total giving!
“We recognize that our grantee partners are focusing their energy on meeting the needs of women and girls across Maine, while also making pivotal systems and social change needed to create greater gender equity, especially for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color,” said Kimberly Crichton, Executive Director of the MWF. “During this annual grant cycle, we purposely chose to streamline the grantmaking process in order to send immediate support to organizations working in all of Maine Women’s Fund six funding areas: education, financial skills and literacy, healthcare, leadership, personal safety, and policy. We are especially proud to help support collaboration rather than competition among the many incredible organizations that have been at the forefront of our annual grantmaking advancing gender equity for the last five years." For more information, please see their press release here.
Photo: Company of Girls, a Portland nonprofit part of Maine Women's Fund grantee community.
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Maine Center for Economic Policy holds Tax Fairness Town Hall |
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To lift up solutions to problems in the state’s tax code that have made life harder for Maine workers and families, the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) recently coordinated a virtual Tax Fairness Town Hall to hear from leaders about opportunities to strengthen the system. Senator Angus King and Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Ryan Fecteau and Maine State Representative and Tax Committee Chair Mo Terry shared their views on holding corporations and wealthy households accountable for years of avoiding taxes and rigging the code in their favor, and what Maine can do to make the system fairer for everyone — not just those at the top. Click here to view a recording of the town hall.
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Maine Resource Recovery Association to hold Solid Waste Summit |
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Maine Resource Recovery Association (MRRA) will be holding a Solid Waste Summit on May 9, 2022 at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast from 8 am - 4:30 pm. Featured topics featured include outreach to the community, Transfer Station best practices, Extended Producer Responsibility, and PFAS. This summit will also feature an exhibit area that includes: Maine DEP; TRC Solutions; Ecomaine; SafetyWorks!; PERC; Casella; East Coast Containers; North Coast Services. For more information and to register, please click this registration link, or contact MRRA at information@mrra.net.
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Curriculum development and upcoming events at the Holocaust and Human Rights Center |
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The Holocaust and Human Rights Center (HHRC) Education Coordinator, Erica Nadelhaft, has partnered with the Maine Department of Education to develop curricula for the History of Genocide and the Holocaust MOOSE Modules, enabling students from PreK–12th grade to explore world history and why it matters today.
On April 14th, HHRC will host Professor James Richter to present on Artist Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, who taught children living in Theresienstadt painting to deal with their trauma during Nazi occupation. On April 27th, HHRC will host the annual Yom HaShoah: Holocaust Day of Remembrance to honor lives lost, gathering together online for a special program of remembrance and inspiration. Learn more about all of these events and visiting the center on the HHRC website.
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Maine Labor Group on Health awarded OSHA Training Grant |
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The Maine Labor Group on Health (MLGH) is pleased to announce the recent award of a Susan Harwood training grant from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Under this grant, MLGH is able to provide free safety and health courses to Maine businesses and non-profit organizations. The course topics include bloodborne pathogen training, proper personal protective equipment, job hazard analysis, asbestos awareness, and chemical safety. MLGH has been training Maine's workers and employers for 45 years. Any organization interested in these free trainings for staff or constituents should contact Peter Crockett at MLGH at 207-446-5762 or pgc139@yahoo.com.
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Maine Council of Churches hosts Saying "Peace, Peace" When There is no Peace
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On May 5th, 11am-1pm, Maine Council of Churches will host Saying “Peace, Peace” When There is no Peace; How Demanding “Civility” Risks Protecting White Privilege. This event will feature keynote speaker Dustin Ward of Its Time, LLC, and be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick at 1 Middle Street and streamed on Facebook Live. Registration opens April 4th at mainecouncilofchurches.com.
Image courtesy of The Reel Network
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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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