AK Health and Social Services Co-Executive Director Candace Johnson was selected to participate in the 2022-2023 Investing in Leaders of Color (ILOC) Program. The ILOC supports non-profit leaders of color and their organizations through the Maine Community Foundation's strategic racial equity work. The initiative promotes racial justice in Maine and supports leaders to serve communities of color better. Amina Hassan, the chairwoman of the AK Collaborative is also returning to the program for the second year in a row.

On Monday, December 5th, AK Health and Social Services, community health workers, experts, and parents met with Maine Politicians in front of Jared Golden's Office (U.S. representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district) in Lewiston. This gathering urged Maine members of Congress to establish the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) permanently. With increased costs of living, the expanded CTC alleviates some of the financial burden experienced by parents. To read more about the impact of the expanded CTC from AKHSS's Co-Executive Director, please visit the link attached below.

On December 6, 2022, the Mayor of Lewiston, Carl Sheline, honored three Lewiston business leaders recently named on Mainebiz's 40 Under 40 list. Abdikhadar Shire of AKHSS, Jenn Lever of Baxter Brewing, and John Boyan of Sam's Italian Foods were the three professionals from Lewiston, Maine, to make the list.

On Wednesday, December 7th, healthcare providers and community leaders hosted a press conference where they discussed the importance of getting vaccinated before the holidays. The vaccines that were encouraged included Covid-19 vaccines, Covid-19 Booster Shots, and the seasonal Flu vaccine. Leaders at this event included the Mayor of Lewiston, Carl Sheline; Melanie Gagon, Executive Director at YWCA; Catherine Beane of Northern Light Health; Vahid Rohani, Director of Pharmacy at St. Mary’s Hospital; Abdikadir Abayle Imam of Masjid Salaam Mosque; Amina Haasan, AK Collaborative Chair; and Co-Executive Director, Abdikhadar Shire of AK Health and Social Services.

Saturday proved to be a busy day for AKHSS. Abdikhadar Shire met with community leaders and organizers for the commencement of the 2022-2023 indoor soccer games for the immigrant and BIPOC youth of Lewiston and Auburn. Each Winter, AKHSS sponsors these youth indoor soccer games by renting space from the City of Auburn from December until the end of March. This initiative aims to promote healthy activities for youth - with the hopes of reducing youth substance use due to inactivity.

On Wednesday, December 14th, Abdikhadar Shire represented the AK Collaborative for a meeting hosted by the President of the University of Southern Maine. The discussion focused on career paths, the healthcare workforce, and USM LAC opportunities. Attendees included healthcare CEOs, Central Maine Medical Center members, Tricounty, and the Lewiston-Auburn Chamber of Commerce. Abdikhadar expressed the challenges many immigrants and BIPOC communities face, higher education access, and career path obstacles. We encouraged USM to create a presence within immigrant and BIPOC communities and used the Bates Harward Center as an example.

Winter Clothing Giveaway

On Thursday, December 15th, Her Safety Net hosted a winter giveaway event at Her Safety Net’s office in Lewiston. After weeks of accepting donations, the event provided free winter clothing for all ages to hundreds of community members. The mission was to ensure that those unable to afford winter clothing had the opportunity to stay warm during the cold months. Due to the size of Donations we received give ways will continue Monday-Friday between 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

For More information visit 157 Main St, Lewiston, Maine.

The France and Morocco 2022 World Cup semi-final were more than just a soccer match to many immigrant communities in Maine. Instead, it was an opportunity for community bonding as many gathered in restaurants to enjoy the sports played by many in their home countries. 

LA Family support services, a member of the AK Collaborative, hosted many community members to watch and bond together to enhance community cohesion. 

AK Health and Social Services is happy to welcome Ryan Denbow to the growing AKHSS family. Ryan has demonstrated dedication, expertise, and support for our communities, and we are thrilled to have him join our team as a Director of communications. Many of you have worked with Ryan and are familiar with his work through MECAP. Please join us in welcoming Ryan back to this circle.

In the summer months and into the winter months, AK Health has continued the effort and importance of distributing vaccines to Lewiston and Auburn, Maine communities. With the help of healthcare providers like York EMA, Northern Light, and St.Mary’s and many supportive partners, there have been five vaccine clinics and over 300 hundred Covid-19 and Flu vaccines given to community members. Unfortunately, as we move into the new year, our partners will not be able to continue this important work with us. We want to take this opportunity to thank them for their care, support, and compassion for our communities. 

AKHSS to Partner with the University of New England (UNE) and Healthy Androscoggin to Provide SNAP-ED consultancy. AKHSS will provide and implement Maine SNAP-Ed nutrition education intervention(s) to reach the communities served.

We are pleased to share our 2023 service directory. use this link bellow to view the list of programs and support we plan on providing to our communities. To submit a Referal for a service for a client please fill out the survey link bellow.

The AK Collaborative members will work on building sustainable social service infrastructure and capacity building for the next two years. We have proposed activities and projects to reduce healthcare disparities and target social determinants of health. We are running this short survey to ensure we hear from the community about what is important to them. Please help us share this survey with your clients, friends, families, and social service providers. 

To learn more about Domestic and Sexual violence prevention and victim support program visit us at 157 Main St, visit our website or call us.