February 2023

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

During February, Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month encourages parents and adolescents to take an inventory of their relationships. Abuse includes physical, psychological, or sexual abuse. Visit youth.gov and loveisrespect.org for conversation starters and resources.

HOW TO OBSERVE #TeenDatingViolenceAwarenessMonth:

Break the cycle.
Start the conversation.
Use #TeenDatingViolenceAwarenessMonth, #TeenDVMonth, and #Loveisrespect to share on social media.
Call the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or Text "START" to 88788

If you or someone you know has been the victim of dating violence, free and confidential help is available 24 hours a day through the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. Click here.

You can make a difference!

Click here to join February 15th at 12 PM (Zoom Link)

Click here to join February 15th at 3 PM (Zoom Link)

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES POSTPONED

DUE TO COLD TEMPS!

Join us downtown for the NEW DATE of Biddeford Winterfest, February 10-12th! CHCC will have a prize wheel and giveaways by the sledding hill on Saturday, February 11th from 10am-4pm.

The Shows Must Go On:
The City Theater events with Joe Boucher and his band on Friday Night and Comedian Juston McKinney on Saturday night will continue as planned on February 3rd and 4th, respectively.

Friday, February 10th: Check out the annual ADULT sledding event, with drink discounts at participating locations downtown! Limited tickets are available for purchase.

Saturday, February 11th: Stop by for sledding, community booths, horse-drawn wagon rides, performances by local groups, and more. Warm up with s'mores by the fire, or grab a hand-knit hat and mittens from New Life Church. There may be a pony to ride when you need a break from sledding. Look for fun contests, great prizes (including bikes!), and delicious food.

Sunday, February 12th: The fun continues with free sledding and rentals at West Brook Skating Rink on Pool Road!

Click the link below for more information on each day, including links to purchase tickets (when available).

Click Here for Full Schedule of Events & Tickets

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY!

REMINDER

New Blood Lead Testing Guidelines for Maine

Mandatory under Maine law, children must be tested for a blood lead level at age 1 and again at age 2. Dust from lead paint in older homes is the most common cause of childhood lead poisoning. There is no safe level of lead in the blood, and young children are at the greatest risk for lead poisoning.

Effective October 1, 2022, providers should confirm all capillary blood lead levels of 3.5 ug/dL or higher with venous samples. Previously, the guidelines only required confirmation at a level of 5ug/dL or higher. This change aligns with the U.S. CDC’s recently updated blood lead reference value of 3.5 ug/DL.

For More Information, Click Here

Updates from SNAP-Ed

This month our SNAP Educators are taste-testing root vegetables with K-3 students! Lex has been offering raw sweet potatoes, while Megan has been offering students the chance to taste and compare raw sweet potatoes and raw carrots together.

In adult classes in Biddeford and Saco, Lex has made recipes like breakfast burritos, veggie sloppy joes, and veggie skillet eggs.

Check out two of these easy SNAP-Ed meal recipes below:

Breakfast Burritos Recipe

Veggie Skillet Eggs

CLICK HERE to Subscribe to SNAP-Ed YouTube Channel

NATIONAL ANTI-420 DAY

Youth Marijuana Prevention Video Contest

Tell other teens why they should #JustSayKNOW to marijuana!

To counter 420 Day (April 20, weed day) this year, Johnny’s Ambassadors is starting an ANTI-420 social movement around teens preventing marijuana use in other teens, encouraging them to be marijuana free and discover a natural high in life!

The contest officially kicked off on January 1, and the final day of submissions will be March 1. Voting will commence from 3/1/23-4/20/23, and winners will be announced on April 21. We want to inspire as many teens as possible to participate and encourage other teens to avoid marijuana use and become the best version of themselves.

Click the image below for the complete contest rules:

Join the Read to ME Challenge

During February, schools participate in the Read to ME Challenge, which encourages students, parents, and the community to read to/with a child for at least 15 minutes daily.

In today’s fast-paced, technologically driven world, it is not uncommon to overlook the impact that reading to children has in building their language and supporting reading and writing achievement. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, reading also builds attention span and emotional development, improves concentration and focus, reduces stress and anxiety, and stimulates creativity and imagination. The more reading encounters children have with caring adults, the greater the probability that they will build the literacy skills needed for future economic competitiveness.

Consider taking the Challenge! Snap a photo or short video (15-30 seconds) and post it with your Challenge to others to read aloud for 15 minutes to a child they know. Use hashtag #ReadtoME and tag others.

BUILDING PROTECTIVE FACTORS FOR STRONGER FAMILIES

February 15, 2023

12:00pm - 1:30pm via Zoom

Offered by The Youth Resiliency and Choose To Be Healthy Coalitions, this free virtual session will focus on practical methods to build and sustain your capacity to be a resilient, healthy family.

Shannon Briggs, Program Coordinator for York County Kids Free to Grow, will share her years of training and experience working with families. Shannon has a Master’s in Psychology with a concentration in Child and Adolescent Development. She has worked for almost 15 years with foster parents, as an early childhood home visitor, case manager, Early Head Start teacher, and in her current role helping all families be resilient.

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING

Free to the Public

February 16, 2023

8:30am - 3:15pm via Zoom

United Way of Southern Maine is partnering with NAMI Maine to provide free Mental Health First Aid training to the public. Mental Health First Aid teaches individuals how to identify, understand, and respond to the signs of mental illness and substance use disorders. As rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, and overdose deaths increase in our community, these training opportunities are more necessary than ever. Together, we can take action to help more people live longer, better lives.

On average, 11 years pass between when someone first experiences symptoms of mental illness and when they get help. Individuals trained in Mental Health First Aid can shorten that time by identifying and supporting those who may be developing symptoms or experiencing a crisis and referring them to outside help. Attending this training also supports the Thrive2027 goal of helping us all live longer, healthier lives.

If you are interested in attending, please click the image below or reach out to Nina Misra at nmisra@uwsme.org.