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Dear Friends,
Welcome to autumn! As the trees sway in the wind, as the leaves fall to the forest floor, I feel the electric energy all around. Our member groups are increasing their community engagement, with several involved in policy work this important election season. Our workplace partners are re-engaging with MaineShare as they begin their Workplace Giving campaigns. And the community energy was palpable earlier this week at our Portland Greendrinks event, where we were able to share what MaineShare does with a whole new audience. Thank you to those who came out, and welcome to our new supporters!
MaineShare is excited to be part of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) this year. This means that federal employees nationwide can choose to donate to us through this giving campaign. Donate through CFC or learn more here! Our CFC ID number is 20458.
As a part of the MaineShare community, you are also part of the Maine Initiatives community. A great way to learn more about other Maine Initiatives programs is to be a 2022 Grants for Change Proposal Reader. Being a Reader is a great way to learn about organizations doing critical justice work in Maine, and requires only a few hours, on your own schedule, during October. Learn more here, and complete the short application by today, the September 30 deadline! This year, all Proposal Readers will have the opportunity to participate in a FREE workshop with Groundwater Institute offering shared understanding and vocabulary around institutional, structural, and systemic racism.
In other Maine Initiatives news, we are excited to announce our support for the 99 Years Podcast. This podcast documents the current Portland Charter Commission in the full context of Maine’s history. Maine Initiatives will host a launch event for this important project on Thursday, October 13 at 7:00pm. Sign-up for Maine Initiatives news to receive information about location and special guests!
And of course, please read on to learn what our member groups are up to!
Gratefully,
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Amanda Langley (she/her/hers), Director of the MaineShare Program
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Exciting Member Updates and Events! | |
Maine Citizens for Clean Elections prepares for November Election | |
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Maine Citizens for Clean Elections (MCCE) and the League of Women Voters of Maine are busy preparing for the upcoming election on November 8. Visit www.Vote411.org for information about local races happening in your town, such as candidates for Maine State House, Maine State Senate, City Council, School Board, and more. MCCE deploys nonpartisan election observers to polling locations across the state to check conditions, help resolve any issues, talk to poll workers, and offer gratitude to election workers. Updates will be posted to twitter at twitter.com/lwvme.
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Sierra Club Maine holds its Annual Celebration | |
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Over 100 attendees came together to celebrate Sierra Club Maine’s accomplishments for the year at its annual celebration held at Rising Tide Brewery in Portland on September 16th. In line with their vision and values for climate justice, Representative Chellie Pingree spoke on the importance of local activism followed by a panel of local activists who highlighted the importance of intersectionality and justice centered solutions to the climate crisis. Sierra Club Maine also gave out four awards to exemplary members of the community who are working towards environmental justice. Awardees included:
- Senator Anne Carney, Representative Rachel Talbot Ross, and Representative Rena Newell- Public Service for the Environment Award
- Journalist Evan Popp- Excellence in Environmental Reporting Award
- Lobbyist Bob Howe- Outstanding Service Award
- Yarmouth resident Anna Siegel- Volunteer of the Year Award
The event is available to watch online here.
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Maine Audubon holds Fall Foliage 5K at Fields Pond Audubon Center, Holden | |
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Enjoy the spectacular colors of Autumn at Maine Audubon's Fields Pond Audubon Center for our annual trail running event. The picturesque course will take you through the wildlife sanctuary's beautiful, wooded trails, and onto the adjoining Holden Land Trust trail system, for the perfect fall foliage tour! Runners and walkers all welcome.
Date: October 8, 10 am
Rain date: October 9, 10 am
Registration: $27 for Maine Audubon members, $35 for nonmembers. Includes race T-shirt. Register here!
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Maine Council of Churches invites all to “Beyond the Rainbow Flag: Walking the Walk of Radical Inclusion” | |
On October 15, join Maine Council of Churches; author, activist, and public theologian Rev. Brandan Robertson (a.k.a. “The TikTok Preacher”); and Maine’s own Marpheen Chann (author of Moon in Full: A Modern Day Coming of Age Story). This afternoon of discussion around Robertson’s vision of “True Inclusion” invites communities to move from mere welcome to radical embrace, to become places where people of every race, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, disability, ability, and socioeconomic status are included, seen, heard, and valued as worthy. Beyond the Rainbow Flag: Walking the Walk of Radical Inclusion is hosted by Saint Ansgar Lutheran Church, 515 Woodford Street, Portland. Ticket prices range and advance registration is required. Any additional funds raised will be donated to The Equality Community Center Capital Campaign. See here for more information and to register! | |
Maine Animal Coalition’s Veg Fest funded by Mark Baumer Sustainability Fund | |
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The Maine Animal Coalition is pleased to host its 17th Annual Veg Fest on Saturday October 29th at the East End School in Portland. This event is free, and grant funding has been provided by the Mark Baumer Sustainability Fund. Mark Bauer was a talented young Mainer who was killed by a motorist as he was walking across America barefoot to raise awareness of climate change. Please learn more about the fund here!
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Look what Maine Access Immigrant Network has been up to! | |
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This June, following a year-long health science leadership program led by BIPOC professionals, MAIN partnered with the University of New England to provide an overnight camp for 30 driven high schoolers. The camp was 3 days and 2 nights, and was designed for youth interested in starting a health career. Eager learners could participate in medical simulations and learn about different health pathways.
For National HIV Testing Day in June, MAIN proudly worked with community partners like the Frannie Peabody Center, Maine Trans Net, Greater Portland Health, Greater Than AIDS, and others to host health screenings locally. Those interested were able to get tested for HIV/AIDs, Hepatitis C, and COVID-19.
In July, MAIN organized local outreach and education regarding the COVID-19 vaccine for babies-- including but not limited to translating the announcement into the languages of the communities MAIN serves. And in August, MAIN was honored to host a site visit for Dr. Nirav Shah, Director of the Maine CDC. During the visit, Dr. Shah and all of MAIN’s Community Health Workers and staff openly discussed public health issues faced by the community. Learn more about MAIN's vaccine clinics and find their vaccine info cards, in multiple languages, here!
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Natural Resources Council of Maine surveys Maine Electric Vehicle Owners | |
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The results are in! The Natural Resources Council of Maine’s third electric vehicle (EV) survey is the most comprehensive survey of EV owners ever conducted in Maine. Electric vehicle owners from all 16 counties are saying that their cars are more affordable, more reliable, and easier to charge than ever. See the results by downloading our report here!
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Exciting work from Maine People’s Resource Center! | |
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The Maine People’s Alliance and Maine People’s Resource Center is excited to kick off a busy election season. Their efforts so far include:
Learn more here!
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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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