Woodfords has been a proud and active member of the Maine Association of Community Service Providers (MACSP) for many years. In response to last month’s mass shooting tragedy, MACSP launched the Lift Up Lewiston fundraiser with the goal of raising $25,000 to be donated to the Maine Community Foundation’s Lewiston-Auburn Area Response Fund for Victims and Families, as well as the Maine Association of the Deaf (MEAD) to provide resources to help Maine’s grieving deaf community heal. In recognition of the incredibly devastating impact this tragedy has had and continues to have on our staff, consumers, and the communities we serve, Woodfords has made a donation of $2,500 toward the Lift Lewiston Up campaign. We encourage our fellow community members to consider joining us in supporting this effort to help the Lewiston community heal.

Additionally, recognizing all those who have been impacted, we want to remind and encourage individuals in need of support of the resources available, any of which can be found and accessed through Governor Mills’ "Healing Together" online resource page.

Over the summer Woodfords’ social networking audience amazed our Pineland Pre-K & K-5 School with their incredible generosity by collectively donating $1,720 to help the school purchase a new slide for their playground! Within just a few short days of launching the campaign, Woodfords’ audience had stepped up to ensure students could enhance their outdoor play and learning with this new equipment. Thank you to our generous followers and friends for helping our students and teachers slide into their goal! 

To learn more about program activities, fundraisers, events, and other agency news follow Woodfords on Facebook.

Sibshops is a free, monthly peer support group for the siblings of children with special needs. The program provides meaningful and fun opportunities for siblings to meet each other, interact with peers who share a unique bond, and learn from each other how to cope with challenging family situations. Each month, Sibshops participants have the opportunity to express themselves, to share experiences, to participate in an activity that celebrates siblings as unique individuals, to find support in a relaxing setting and to share a meal. Sibshops will begin meeting again monthly, January – June 2024, on the first Friday of the month at the agency’s Training & Resource Center in Westbrook and is free to participating families.

If you or a consumer family you serve is interested in joining the Sibshops program go to www.woodfords.org/sib-shops-program/ or contact sibshops@woodfords.org.

Worldwide, Giving Tuesday, the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and the unofficial ‘holidays’ of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is recognized as a day to take a break from the typical hustle and bustle of holiday shopping to give back to the organizations and causes that mean the most to you.

This Giving Tuesday, consider directing your donations to the Woodfords Community Fund through the agency’s Facebook Fundraiser on Tuesday November 28 or at www.woodfords.org/donate/. The Community Fund helps Mainers with special needs experience meaningful community inclusion by providing access to activities and experiences such as event tickets, state park passes, museum memberships, retail gift cards and so much more. Help someone with special needs in your neighborhood through the Woodfords Community Fund today. 

Last month, Flatbread Co. held a community bake night event to benefit our Case Management Family Emergency Fund. A total of $795 from the event was donated to our fund! Moe’s Original BBQ followed it up with another benefit for our Case Management Emergency Fund raising $287 in additional donations for the fund. A huge shout out to Flatbread Co. and Moe’s BBQ for their incredible support. 

Woodfords’ Therapeutic Foster Care & Adoption Services Program will be decking out a tree to be raffled off at the Festival of Fostering Trees at Fosters Clambakes and Catering in York. The Festival of Fostering Trees is open 9am-9pm Nov. 24-28. All proceeds from the event will benefit older youth (age 18+) who are aging out of foster care while learning to navigate young adulthood. Come support a great cause and have the chance to take home one of the beautiful trees! 

Last month, Higher Calling Ministry Motorcycle Club hosted a benefit ride raising more than $700 toward the agency’s efforts to feed more than 229 families for Thanksgiving this year. This is Higher Calling’s second year hosting a benefit ride for the agency. We appreciate the Club’s continued generosity and support of our mission!