Maine Ties

Do you know who Frances Perkins is? If the answer is no, you're not alone. She was the first woman elected to a presidential cabinet and under Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as the Secretary of Labor for 12 years. She is responsible for crafting legislation for FDR's New Deal and creating the federal social safety net as we know it today.Perkins spent summers on the family homestead in Damariscotta. The Frances Perkins Center has purchased the home, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is preserving it to shine a light on her legacy. The "Maine Ties" theme is "Blue Heron" by 317 Main.

For teens without homes, a bed can mean a new beginning.Preble Street, a nonprofit organization in Portland that provides services to people experiencing homelessness, has seen a rise in teen homelessness. Leah McDonald, senior director of social work, talks about the causes of teen homelessness and the organization's supports for youth.The "Maine Ties" theme is "Blue Heron" by 317 Main.

Maine ranks near the top for highest food insecurity rates in the country.  Dixie Shaw from Catholic Charities of Maine in Aroostook County and Katie Brown from Youthfull Maine talk about food insecurity in their regions and how they fight it.The "Maine Ties" theme is "Blue Heron" by 317 Main.

In 2017, Mike Masudi arrived to the U.S. by himself at age 19. Since then, he's earned his GED, an associate degree in information technology, and is pursuing a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity.In this episode, Mike shares how he got where he is today. Anja Hanson, academic advisor at Portland Adult Education, describes the obstacles adult learners face and the determination they have to succeed.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.This episode's guest is Kelly Brown, associate director of Next Step Domestic Violence Project in Ellsworth and Machias.

COVID-19 shuttered Maine's theaters for more than 18 months. But communities rallied to support the performing arts even as they were deemed inessential services. Dana Packard of the Saco River Theatre in Buxton and Keri Lupien of The Waldo in Waldoboro share how their theaters coped with the pandemic and how the arts in Maine are stronger than ever.

The only active Shaker community in the world sits humbly 20 miles north of Portland, Maine, home to two practicing Shakers.There, an effort to restore the last Shaker herb house in the country will create opportunities for the outside community to connect with Shaker history and culture.Brother Arnold Haad and Shaker Museum and Library Director Michael Graham discuss Shaker history and its future.Simple Gifts is performed by Palaver Strings.

Thoughts of Maine might conjure up lush landscapes, but 96 percent of Maine's low-income and non-white residents live in a nature-deprived area.Nan Cumming, executive director of Portland Parks Conservancy, and Tom Farrell, director of parks and recreation for the Town of Brunswick, discuss what they are doing to bridge the nature gap and provide accessible green space for their communities. 

Pride Month in June  is an opportunity to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and the progress made since the Stonewall Riots beginning on June 28, 1969,  in New York City. But there is still work to be done for Maine's transgender community. Quinn Gormley, executive director of Maine Transgender Network, discusses the issues transgender people in Maine face and the additional challenges for older transgender people and those living in rural communities.

For 40 years, Downeast Salmon Federation has worked to bring the Atlantic salmon fishery back to Maine's rivers.Executive Director Dwayne Shaw and founding board member Joe Robbins talk about technological and regulatory advancements and how the organization has worked to support the fishery over the past four decades.

Maine is the oldest state in the country where 21 percent of residents are over the age of 65. It is also the most rural state, which can make it difficult for older people to access services.In this podcast Jess Maurer, executive director of the Maine Council on Aging, discusses the challenges older Mainers face from transportation to housing, and how the network is supporting diverse older Mainers.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to educate and reduce the stigma of mental illness.Camp Beech Cliff (CBC) on Mount Desert Island is a traditional Maine day camp, offering classic camp  activities for ages 6-18, from swimming and boating to rock climbing and crafts. But what happens when a child is experiencing big emotions that prevent them from enjoying the day? CBC has implemented a series of mental health supports, including hiring a camper support specialist and offering Youth Mental Health First Aid training to the community.Camp Director Matt Cornish and Corrie Hunkler, youth engagement coordinator at Healthy Acadia, talk about the importance of mental health services for young campers and offer practical tips for caregivers on how to support children's mental health this summer.

Access to clean drinking water has long been an issue at Sipayik, home to about 700 people who live at the Passamaquoddy reservation near Eastport. Residents for decades have lugged water to their homes because water from their taps is discolored, smells bad, and contains high levels of a contaminant that increases the risk of cancer.  Now a new Maine law will provide Sipayik residents more control of their drinking water.Podcast guest Lisa Sockabasin, co-CEO of Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, talks about the water issue and shares how the organization serves Wabanaki people across the state.

April 22 marks the 52nd annual Earth Day, a celebration of the beginning of the modern environmentalism movement. Guests Red Fong and Olivia Griset, co-directors of the Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA), talk about the history of the field, how Maine educators are teaching it today, and how MEEA is looking at environmentalism through an equity lens. Maine Community Foundation donors helped fund the Relearning Place Convening, a summit this May that will bring together Black, Indigenous, other people of color, and other folks with white privilege from across the Northeast for three days of building relationships, sharing resources, and developing cross-racial coalitions and solidarity networks.

Local entrepreneurs and community leaders discuss the revitalization efforts of downtown Skowhegan. Matt DuBois, co-owner of The Bankery and Skowhegan Fleursite & Formalwear, and Amber Lambke, co-founder of Maine Grains, share what drew them to Skowhegan, the goals of the nonprofit organization Main Street Skowhegan, and how the "gateway to the North Woods" is becoming an attraction all its own.The Maine Community Foundation has awarded multiple grants to Main Street Skowhegan projects. 

In this episode of Maine Ties, Terri Ouellette of Families First Community Center in Ellsworth discusses homelessness in Hancock County, and how their transitional home is working to break the cycle of homelessness. Grants from Maine Community Foundation's Community Building Grant Program have supported FFCC. In 2020, the organization was awarded $10,000 for the renovation of its transitional home for families. In 2021, FFCC was awarded $10,000 to create a service coordination program for adults who lost employment due to COVID-19.Host: Taylor MaceTheme music: "Blue Heron" by Chris Moore