AUBURN, ME — Container Gardening Workshop

3:30-4:30 p.m.

Join the St. Mary’s Nutrition Center garden team on Earth Day to plant mini-greenhouse containers from recycled materials. Containers, soil, and seeds will be provided.

This is a free session for all ages, preceding the 5:00 p.m. program, “Creating Climate Resilient Gardens and Backyards,” presentation by Androscoggin Valley Water & Soil Conservation District.

Paper applications for 2024 community garden plots will also be available at both programs, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Visit http://linktr.ee/communitygardens for more information.

Reservations are requested but not required.

Climate Resilient Gardens and Backyards

5:00-7:00 p.m.

Learn how to make your backyard more resilient to a changing climate! There’s been a lot of scary conversations as we recognize stronger storms, warmer winters, and changing ecosystems; but we want to equip you with solutions you can implement TODAY! We’ll talk about ways to reduce your lawn (and associated maintenance) by swapping it for pollinator gardens, edible landscapes, rain gardens, vegetative buffers, groundcovers, wildflower meadows, and more. We’ll also highlight specific species to plant to support pollinators and other wildlife, prepare for a warming climate, and help with soil erosion. Create wildlife habitat, grow food for your family, and protect your local waterways while improving the appearance and functionality of your yard!

Presented by the Androscoggin Valley Water & Soil Conservation District, they will also highlight their new program – the Conservation Landscape Certification program– a free checklist available to help landowners improve their properties for wildlife habitat, water and soil quality, and overall ecosystem support.

After the workshop, stick around to ask questions, talk with staff, peruse helpful resources, and grab some free garden goodies! We’ll have seeds, gardening books, seed kits, garden tools, and an opportunity to win a free rain barrel! Snacks and refreshments will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there!

Reservations are requested but not required. This event is funded by the Androscoggin Valley Stormwater Working Group and the Davis Foundation

For more information on other upcoming programs offered at the Auburn Public Library, visit our website at auburnpubliclibrary.org.

LEWISTON, ME — The Woman’s Hospital Association (WHA) Rotating Art Gallery at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston is proud to display the paintings of Jennifer Gammon during the month of April.

Raised on a small family farm in Sumner, Maine, Gammon found her passion for art while a student at Buckfield High School. She attended the University of Southern Maine receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Painting and Ceramics studio concentrations. For the past twenty years she has made Lewiston her home with studio space where she creates her paintings and drawings. She also owns a small pottery business featuring handmade functional vessels, Liane Pottery. Nature, life, and death all are themes that consistently appear in all of her work

The “Fauna and Flora” series of drawings on display came from her intense love of local animals and her garden. “Even in the middle of a small city there is so much nature and wildlife possible. I wanted the viewer to see the fauna (animals) first then once you get in close observe the flora (plants). I used abstracted green backgrounds to help blend the plants in and make the animals stand out. I prefer to draw on an acrylic surface, which seems strange as most drawings are directly on paper. I set up the backgrounds as abstract paintings, I use a very thick paper called bristol and the acrylic paint is applied with a pallet knife. Once these are dry I draw on them using conté which is like a very densely compressed dry pastel”.

The works on display may be purchased through the WHA Gift Shop located adjacent to the main lobby at Central Maine Medical Center. A percentage of sale proceeds benefits patients of CMMC.

Painting by Jennifer Gammon – photo provided by Gammon.

LEWISTON, ME – – Mathew completed a bachelor’s in biology from the University of Maine at Augusta, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He was a presidential scholarship recipient, science tutor, student ambassador, and commencement speaker. While at the University of Maine, Mat became a nationally certified EMT basic. After a brief period in Medical School at UNE-COM, Mat was called to a path of service as an administrative healthcare leader. He changed paths to focus efforts on fixing the broken healthcare delivery system. Mat earned an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University graduating with a 3.96 GPA. Additionally, Mat received clinical process improvement leadership training at Mass General Brigham’s Lawrence Center for Quality and currently serves on the National Association of Home Care & Hospice Education Committee.

Mat has additional certifications and training in Business Analytics, Robotic Process Automation, Strategic planning, and Change Management.

After working as an EMT, Mat worked as a Provider Relations Liaison for Northern Light Home Care and Hospice for four years, responsible for driving the growth of home health, hospice, and home care services and supporting the integration of a recently merged agency. During this time, Mat also served on the Board of Directors for the Maine Council on Aging. Mat then took on a new role as Director of Provider Relations

at Central Maine Healthcare, a three-hospital clinically integrated healthcare system where he was responsible for leading growth and transformation of assigned service lines, including Cardiovascular, Orthopedics, Surgical Services, and Cancer Care. Mat’s work focused on building trust, improving retention, and driving growth to help rehabilitate the distressed health system.

Most recently, Mat co-led the Palliative Care Service line at Northern Light Health, an 11-hospital clinically integrated delivery system throughout Maine. Under Mat’s leadership, the Palliative Care Service line expanded by 66%, expanding access points to include four inpatient programs, six physician practices, statewide virtual inpatient and outpatient programs, a Robotic process automation identification/alert/ coordination system, and a community palliative care program that collectively served the state of Maine. While at Northern Light, Mat served as a leadership coach for Northern Light’s Clinical Process Improvement Program. Mat was recently accepted into a Masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology program. Mat is led by his values (integrity, kindness, and service to others).

“For many years, I have observed the team at Androscoggin serving Maine communities with distinction. It is clear to me that healthcare at home will serve to help transform our healthcare delivery system in ways that better serve patients and families while also providing a wonderful environment for healthcare providers to optimize well-being in their chosen professions. I am honored to join a team with such a wonderful reputation throughout Maine, and I am excited to invest my energy to expand Androscoggin’s mission in service to more Mainers and beyond.”

LEWISTON/AUBURN, ME — The L/A Community Little Theatre has announced its 2024 summer musical theater programs for children and teens. These “summer camps” will start with mandatory orientations on June 22 and culminate with performances the weekend of July 19-21.

These intensive and performance-based programs will run for four weeks. Campers will be responsible for mastering the material (lines, staging, choreography, and singing), and will participate in individual auditions and group rehearsals. All campers will participate in a full-scale musical and receive a DVD of the show, a t-shirt, and a personalized show poster.

The Youth Camp production will be James and the Giant Peach, Jr. and the Teen Camp production will be Beauty and the Beast, Jr.  Maddy DuBois and Maria Groover will direct the Youth Camp and Linda Vaillancourt will lead the Teen Camp. Jackie McDonald is the producer for both shows.

The Youth Camp is for children who will have completed third grade up to those who will have completed sixth grade. The Teen Camp is open for those who will have completed seventh grade up to those who will be entering twelfth grade in the fall. Enrollment for each camp will be capped at thirty, so early registration is strongly encouraged. 

A mandatory orientation for all campers and parents is scheduled for Saturday, June 22, from 10:00-11:30 a.m. for youth campers and parents and 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. for teen campers and parents.

The Youth Camp will usually run from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday and the Teen Camp will run from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The camp dates are June 24-28, July 1-3, July 8-12, and July 15-19. The performances of James and the Giant Peach, Jr. and Beauty and the Beast, Jr. will be held during the weekend of July 19-21.

The cost is $400.00 for one child and $200.00 for each subsequent child. Some scholarship assistance is available. Early online registration is encouraged as the camps are likely to fill up. All information on registration and payment is available at www.laclt.com/camp. Anyone with questions is asked to email kids@laclt.com.

The CLT 2022 summer camp cast of “Newsies Jr.” is pictured here. The theater is offering camps again this summer for children and teens. 

LEWISTON, ME – The Maine Center for Palliative Medicine proudly announces it has achieved distinction through the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) for the services of Palliative Medicine.

This distinction is awarded through a process in which healthcare organizations demonstrate compliance with national standards. Distinctions by ACHC (Accreditation Commission for Health Care) reflect an organization’s dedication and commitment to meeting standards that facilitate a higher level of performance and patient care.

ACHC is a nonprofit organization that has stood as a symbol of quality and excellence since 1986. ACHC is ISO 9001:2015 certified and has CMS deeming authority for Home Health, Hospice, and DMEPOS.

The Maine Center for Palliative Medicine works to reframe the language of illness and determine goals for care based on what matters most to you and your family. We’re here to support and guide you and your loved ones in navigating the complex dynamics of serious illness.

Through partnerships with patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare providers, we honor your lived experience.

For more information, please visit Androscoggin.org or contact us at (207) 777-7740

MAINE — The Maine Franco-American Genealogical Society (MFGS) is pleased to have well-known local author Denis Ledoux as its guest speaker at its spring general membership meeting on April 27th at 10:00 am in the Androscoggin Community Room of the Auburn Public Library, 49 Spring St., Auburn.

Ledoux’s presentation will begin at approximately 11:00 am after a brief business meeting and light refreshments.  

Admission is free and open to the public.  

Ledoux’s latest memoir, French Boy/ A 1950’s Franco-American Childhood, was published this past fall and is the most recent  in his publications of family stories.  According to Ledoux, this memoir “explores what it means to grow up outside the dominant culture and language” and “is sure to provoke discussion and not always agreement.” He writes about the loss of the Franco history and culture, and includes much historical information that will help to explain Franco America to all who read it. Ledoux will expand on this topic and might even provide hints on writing memoirs to help us all document our history.

Ledoux holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Education. His biography also notes that he has taught Franco studies at the university level and that he has been a guest lecturer at numerous colleges and universities on the subjects of cultural diversity and Franco North American culture and history.

He directs The Memoir Network, an international group of life-writing teachers and writers.

Ledoux has won numerous awards for his work including the Maine Fiction Award for Mountain Dance & Other Stories in 1990.  His short fiction has twice been honored with the Maine Writing Fellowship Award (1991, 1996), an NEA-based merit award;  and also in 1996, Denis was named Life-Writing Professional of the Year by the Association of Personal Historians.

He is currently at work on three book projects: A sequel to French Boy; a story of his early Canadian ancestors. Here to Stay / A Slice of Franco-America in the Seventeenth Century; and Coming Down, a novel about a Canadien family immigrating to Maine in 1890.

 Denis Ledoux lives and works in Maine, just a mile from his boyhood home.

Denis Ledoux

LEWISTON, ME – “It Gripped My Life,” an informal conversation and panel discussion about substance use disorder, will be held on Mon., Apr. 22, from 5 PM – 6:30 PM in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon Street. Hosted by the Lewiston Youth Advisory Council (LYAC), the event, with a subtitle of “drug use, a shortcut to nowhere,” is free to attend. 

“There’s more to stopping drug use than people may realize,” said LYAC member Fadumo Ahmed. “Substances impact a person’s mind, brain, and decision-making, and we want to help create a community support system for those gripped by drugs.” 

“LYAC has been exploring the impulses and pressures of substance use disorder on a person’s life. We’ve also discovered that drug use, unfortunately, can be normalized in contrast to how serious it really is,” said LYAC Vice-Chair Saida Abdisamed. 

“Drug use is indeed happening more than people realize, both with some of our peers and their parents,” said Fadumo Hussein. 

Councilor Ryn Soule agrees, “It’s important for our community to understand that addiction is not just an adult issue; it’s affecting our youth.” 

“LYAC is also working to help alter the perceptions and stigma that sometimes surround those with substance use disorder,” said LYAC member Anny Zhao. 

Guest speaker for the event is Sean Leclair who has been in recovery for six years. He recently shared his addiction to recovery journey with LYAC members who want more people to hear his story. 

“He is a prominent example of how drug use impacts the user as well as the person’s relationships,” continued Ahmed. 

“However, Sean eventually got to a point where he sought a change for himself,” said LYAC member Kaydence Gibson. Leclair’s story includes the lowest, darkest point in his life to when he experienced a new, healthier beginning. 

Participants on the event panel are:

Abigail Reuscher, Lewiston High School Forensic Science teacher, speaking about the chemical impacts of drug use;

Lisa Escobar, Lewiston High School Substance Use Counselor, speaking about drug use by young people;

Stephanie Harmon, RN, speaking about overdoses and Narcan;

Ryn Soule, Lewiston City Councilor, sharing a family perspective of having a son with substance use disorder; 

Amran Osman, Executive Director of Generational Noor, speaking about the stigma that often surrounds those with substance use disorder.

During the event, there will also be interactive activities with attendees, and a Narcan presentation will occur.

Brush will be collected from Lewiston’s residential properties during the week of April 22, 2024,
by Public Works Department staff.

• Brush butt ends (cut ends) MUST face the street.
• Brush MUST be curbside by no later than Sunday, April 21 – no exceptions
• Once Public Works staff clears a street of curbside brush, they will not return to that
  street to collect additional brush.
• Curbside collection is restricted to ONLY wood/tree waste and brush.
• Wood/tree waste that will not be collected includes:
  ? Tree stumps (regardless of size)
  ? Tree limbs greater than 12 inches diameter
  ? Demolition wood fencing; decking; and/or wood from
  construction/demolition projects
  IN ADDITION, during Brush Pick-Up Assistance Week—free of charge—Lewiston residents
  may bring one standard size pick-up truckload of brush only (three yards per residence) to
  the Lewiston Solid Waste Facility, 420 River Road.
• If you need to dispose of household waste items, please visit www.lewistonmaine.gov/otherdisposal

LEWISTON, ME – SeniorsPlus, the designated Agency on Aging for Western Maine, held its annual breakfast to benefit its Meals on Wheels nutrition program.  The 2024 Fill the Plate Breakfast had an audience of 170 attendees and was held on the morning of Friday, March 22 at the Hilton Garden Inn Riverwatch in Auburn.  The breakfast honored Lewiston resident Lucy Bisson with the 2024 Ikaria Award and featured a talk by Maine humorist Gary Crocker.

 Last year, SeniorsPlus delivered more than 170,000 meals to 1,800 homebound older adults and adults with disabilities in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties through its Meals on Wheels program.  Each meal provides one third of the recommended daily allowance of nutrition, a safety check, and a visit to these vulnerable adults. The majority of the clients of Meals on Wheels are lower income or on fixed income.  

Born in Lewiston and raised in North Monmouth, Crocker offered remarks and observations about his beloved Maine and her people in the classic Maine tradition.  After teaching public speaking at Cony HS in Augusta, he joined the Waterville Police Department. Crocker then served as Adult Ed Director at CMVTI (now CMCC) in Auburn and eventually became the spokesman for the Community College System at the Maine State Legislature.

The event included the presentation of the 2024 Ikaria Award, which recognizes an individual or organization for singular and outstanding contributions toward improving the lives of older adults, to Bisson, a former SeniorsPlus volunteer and current Executive Director of the Lewiston/Auburn Senior College.  Ikaria is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea.  It is considered one of the world’s five “Blue Zones” – places where an estimated one in three members of the population regularly lives an active life into their 90s.

The Fill the Plate Breakfast is presented in conjunction with March for Meals, a national campaign of the Meals on Wheels Association of America.  

The overall program goal of SeniorsPlus is to assist older adults and adults with disabilities in our tri-county area to remain at home safely for as long as possible.  The overwhelming majority of older adults (greater than 95% in an AARP survey) wish to remain at home until they die. The Meals on Wheels program provides nourishment, socialization and regular safety checks. 

Since 1972, SeniorsPlus has been improving the lives of older adults and adults with disabilities. As the designated Area Agency on Aging for Western Maine, SeniorsPlus provides statewide services with an emphasis on Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties for core services (ie nutrition, information and assistance) that support independent living, healthy aging, and fight isolation. The mission of SeniorsPlus is to enrich the lives of older people and adults with disabilities, their families and communities, and to support them to make informed choices. SeniorsPlus envisions a future where all older adults and individuals with disabilities are engaged and respected while living quality, independent lives in the communities of their choice. Annually, SeniorsPlus serves 8,000 individuals and fields 170,000 phone inquiries. SeniorsPlus offers a network of support, including information and assistance, short-term care management, Medicare counseling, caregiver support and respite, health and wellness education, benefits counseling, and Meals on Wheels and congregate dining. Most services are free.  SeniorsPlus is grateful for the support of its many donors and volunteers.

Betsy Sawyer-Manter, President and CEO of SeniorsPlus (left) is shown with Gary Crocker (center) who was the keynote at the 2024 Fill the Plate Breakfast to benefit Meals on Wheels at SeniorsPlus, Western Maine’s designated Area Agency on Aging.  Lewiston resident Lucy Bisson (right) received the 2024 Ikaria Award for her outstanding contributions toward improving the lives of older adults.