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The SpringShare - May 1 to May 30th, 2018
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MaineShare is excited to be launching our first online fundraiser:
Through the Month of May we seek to
inspire you and hundreds of people who care about Maine to give to MaineShare member organizations. Why a springtime fundraiser? In these divided times our community of nonprofits faces significant challenges and some face unexpected funding cuts. Because we can speak out with one voice through our collective social media reach, we ask people to give. Each of our 44 member groups has been invited to the opportunity to create a profile and tell their story.
Our goal is to raise $4,000 or more for each organization - in one day!
With 44 Maine nonprofits pulling together to reach out to people they know, others who may not know about MaineShare will hear the buzz and want to join the fun of giving, too!
Why not celebrate springtime as
a great
opportunity to share and support these organizations? Nowhere else in Maine are 44 nonprofits focused on environmental and social issues that affect all Maine people than in our diverse community. No better time than right now to ensure these groups have the funding they need to find solutions to causes that concern all of us - and make the future brighter for Maine.
"The SpringShare is a great vehicle to call attention to philanthropy, as well as an opportunity to come together to support many different causes. We are honored to support this event and help it grow. I encourage everyone to join MaineShare with your support on May 18th!" - Patric Santerre, ARCADIA designworks, LLC, MaineShare Board Member
Each month or so we try our best to highlight the organizations that our donors support. This Spring, as usual, is busy for all and the work they do each day is our inspiration!
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Maine Equal Justice Leading Two Key Initiatives in Maine
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Invest in Tomorrow: Maine Equal Justice Partners continues to Work to Solve Childhood Poverty and Advocate for Legislation to Provide Greater Access to Education and
Training in Maine.
Maine Equal Justice Partners is a nonprofit legal aid provider whose mission is to find solutions to poverty and improve the lives of people with low-income. MEJP is the leading expert in the state on federal and sta
te policies for Maine's anti-poverty programs, including MaineCare, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and General Assistance.
In 2017, MEJP led the effort to pass Medicaid expansion and is now working to implement the law so that 70,000 of our friends, families, and neigh-bors can get the health care coverage they need as soon as possible.
MEJP is also working to reduce the rise in child poverty. Since 2011, the rate of children living in deep poverty (less than $10,000/yr. for a family of three) decreased nationally by 4.2 percent, while it increased in Maine by 13.6 percent. We are addressing this through two initiatives: Invest in Tomorrow: Solving Childhood Poverty is Everyone's Business, and legislation to provide additional access to education and training. See
www.mejp.org for more information.
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ROSC Hosts 18th Annual Youth Annual Gathering - April 14 - 16, 2018
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Maine Alliance for Arts Education on the Move
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W
ashington, D.C.
Congress' final funding plan for FY 2018 proposes to fund the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) at $152.8 million each. This is a funding increase of $3 million!
IN MAINE:
Community Advocacy Meetings
On Sunday, March 25th at the 12th annual student art exhibit for six Augusta area high schools: "Higher Forms of Art," was presented by the Kennebec Valley Art Association and UMA at the Danforth Gallery in Jewett Hall. UMA art teacher Peter Precourt invited the UMA community and hosted a community dialogue about arts education in our schools. Maine Teacher of the Year Kaitlin Young will be there as well, so come and join us!
In March, SAD #6 "Community Conversation:
Arts in Our Schools"
at the Saco River Theatre, was a joyful event. Bonny Eagle arts educators Rick Osann, Allen Thomas, Peg Maxwell and Ed Twilley brought student art works... and arts students...18 members of the Select Choir, who sang their hearts out! Afterwards the students spoke movingly about the sense of community they feel with one another. It was quite an evening.
MAAE has been collaborating closely this year with the
Maine Department of Education with movement on three fronts:
Fostering positive school climate through the arts
It has been gratifying to learn that the student advocates who inspired us in Parkland, Florida are theater students. The Florida high school tragedy can also remind us in Maine that MAAE's drama and dance artist residency program, "Building Community Through the Arts," was initiated in response to the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School. BCTA builds trust within academic high school classrooms through group creation and performance. Pre and post tests have shown the program's effectiveness. The Maine DOE has now asked MAAE to aggregate its data to promote BCTA as an evidence-based program. See our blog post about this soon at
www.americansforthearts.org.
Increasing strings programs in Maine public schools
Last spring MAAE initiated a series of Roundtable discussions for stakeholders in strings education and youth engagement. Our most recent Strings Roundtable focused on fostering strings education in Maine public schools. Next month in Augusta the DOE and MAAE will be co-hosting Music Ed representatives from USM, UMaine and MMEA to discuss increasing preparation and support for band and choral teachers who might want to start strings programs at their schools. At the MMEA All-State Conference in May, strings educator Anne Wilkinson and I will be conducting a workshop to report on the DOE meeting results. We encourage band and choral teachers to come to the workshop!
Schoolwide arts integration
Fully weaving the arts into the presentation, teaching and assessment of non-arts curriculum depends on training school classroom teachers themselves. MAAE is excited to be providing that training to the classroom teachers (grades k - 8) at Eastport Elementary School next year. The Maine DOE is collaborating with us on this project and will be approaching it as a case study and potential model.
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Maine Women's Fund Celebrates Women with 'True Grit' in Maine
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2018 Leadership Luncheon - April 26th
I hope you will join us for our 2018 Leadership Luncheon on April 26, at the Holiday Inn by the Bay.
Tickets are on sale now. It's going to be a great day - we are excited to recognize and celebrate outstanding female leaders in our communities.
This year, we celebrate these women and organizations that are very different, yet have one important thing in common: they epitomize true grit. The time
is now, and with women like these leading the way, we will change the future of Maine and the country.
All 21 grantees will be present to talk about their programs, and to the extent possible, a grantee will be at each table so that you will learn more deeply about their work.
You'll also hear about what's new this year and for the future - our role as a funder and social change leader is still top of the list, and we're granting to and partnering with more organizations than ever. We are also ramping up our presence in the community, having smaller events throughout the state, and convening experts on the issues that are facing us. We are pushing our brand and our voice into traditional and social media. We want you to be a part of this, to be a part of the organization we are becoming because you have asked for more. It is time, we are more. I can't wait to talk more
at the Luncheon. Tickets avialable Online:
mainewomensfund.org/luncheon, by check/regular mail to 74 Lunt Rd, Falmouth ME 04105, or by calling 207.774.5513.
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Bicycle Coalition of Maine April Events!
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Thu 6 PM | Portland Gear Hub Bike School · Portland, Maine
85 Anderson St., Portland, Maine 04101
Wed 6 PM | 85 Union | St, Brunswick, ME 04011-2418, United States
Sun 10 AM · Sullivan Recreation and Fitness Complex at the University of Southern Maine · Portland, Maine. The
Great Maine Bike Swap is coming to the University of Southern Maine's Portland campus on Sunday, April 22, from 10am-1pm. Come find your new ride into a cleaner future! There will be activities, vendors, and food trucks.
Admission is $5, cash only. Free for USM and UMaine students!
Interested in selling or donating a bike? Learn more at the website:
http://www.bikemaine.org/coalition-news/sell-your-quality-used-bicycle-at-the-great-maine-bike-swap-on-april-22
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Southern Maine Worker's Center Annual Meeting
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The Southern Maine Workers' Center Annual Meeting will be held on April 14th from 9:30 to 3:00 at the Woodford's Congregational Church in their Memorial Hall. 202 Woodford St, Portland, ME 04103-5602, United States.
Their annual meeting is their biggest event of the year. Open to members and the general public, it is a space where they come together to reflect on and celebrate where they've been, and plan for the year ahead. Whether you are a longtime member, or just curious to learn more, the Annual Meeting is a space to get more deeply connected to the Southern Maine Workers' Center movement for human rights.
If you are new to the organization, they will be hosting a new member orientation for anyone who wants to become a member or is curious about what that means.
Join SMWC as they:
* Celebrate their work over the past year and the members who accomplished it
* Give Community Pollinators Awards to important partners organizations
* Share information about our campaigns for Paid Sick Leave & the Human Right to Healthcare,
including how to get involved
* Elect new 2018 Board of Directors
* Eat and share delicious food
* Meet new friends who share a love and commitment for organizing
Childcare will be provided on site, as well as breakfast and lunch. Woodfords Congregational Church Memorial Hall is a wheelchair accessible space, and there is plenty of parking. Check out this document for detailed information about the accessibility of the venue: Venue Accessibility
If you need help with a ride, or have questions, contact info@maineworkers.org or call 207-200-SMWC (7692).
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MaineShare Seeks New Workplace Partnerships
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As we move into the first full year of our
Momentum Campaign
, MaineShare
seeks to add 20 new business partners and to work more closely with our current partners to increase engagement and participation. We are eager to provide creative reach and solutions for this employee engagement and look forward to reporting back soon about new partnerships for the 2018 campaign season.
If you would like to recommend a business or organization, of any size, which might be interested in adding MaineShare to their employee community engagement plan or annual giving campaign, please contact us at
giving@maineshare.org for next steps or go to
www.maineshare.org/businesspartnerships for more information.
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If you are a MaineShare supported organization, workplace partner, or supporter, please feel free to send suggestions for inclusion in our upcoming newsletters to giving@maineshare.org. We look forward to hearing about and featuring your stories!
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