MAINE GLBT COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Does your not-for-profit organization have an event coming up? List it for free on our new OUT in the Community page. Contact us with details.

 

OUT in the Community
 07/22/2008 05:31:12 PM

Portland Green Streets and Others! Partner to Encourage Green Commuting

The Downtown Gelato Challenge 
 

      (PORTLAND) – An organization that promotes the use of alternate transportation and a Portland ice cream cafe are partnering to encourage greener commuting.  
 

      Portland Green Streets is a grassroots effort to increase the use of alternate transportation in Greater Portland.  The group organizes Green Streets Day on the last Friday of the month, when participants wear something green and “get around green” – involving anything and everything from walking to work, riding a bike, hopping on the bus or ferry or train, car-pooling or vanpooling from the suburbs, or even telecommuting.   Area businesses reward Green Streets participants with free goods, generous discounts, and fun raffle items.  
 

      To encourage greater participation, Others! café on Monument Square has decided to provide to the Downtown organization with the most Green Streets participants enough gelato for a company-wide gelato party each month. Known as the “Downtown Gelato Challenge”, Others! has agreed to keep the promotion going through at least year end.   
 

      “We were thrilled when Others! approached us about offering this new incentive,” reports Sarah Cushman, lead organizer of Portland Green Streets.  “We’d been discussing the idea of a friendly competition between local employers to increase participation in Green Streets – and then Others! proposed this great initiative. It’s been an inspiration to witness the growing support of the Greater Portland business community and the different ways businesses and organizations join us in partnership.” 
 

      To help kick off the gelato incentive and make winning even easier, METRO, the  South Portland Bus Service, the Shuttlebus, and the Zoom Express are offering Free Fare Fridays during July, including all routes and times on this month’s Green Streets Day, which is Friday, July 25. 
 

      “As a business that believes passionately in sustainable business practices, we’re totally excited to reward citizens who think and commute outside of the one worker/one car box,” said Others! founder, Brad McCurtain.  “Like many other local businesses, we’ve tried to encourage green commuting by offering free coffee to participants.   But, we felt the time might be ripe to raise the bar by raising the stakes.  We hope other local businesses will join us with similar, substantial incentives of their own for Portland Green Street commuters who voluntarily help ease the congestion and lessen the carbon footprint.”     
 

      Interested participants should go to the Portland Green Streets web site (www.PortlandGreenStreets.org) to sign in.  Be sure to list your employer in the “Comments” section so that credit can be given if you wish to compete for the Downtown Gelato Challenge.  Then, have fun stopping in at one or more Green Streets participating businesses on Green Streets Day – and record your name there, too.  It’s that simple.  
 

      Any business, non-profit agency, or government organization is eligible to win the monthly Downtown Gelato Challenge.   

 

Upcoming Community Conversations on Equality in Bangor and Portland

 

Join the conversation

 

The momentum is shifting!

 

Our collective efforts on primary day were an unprecedented display of unity as a community. We outnumbered the opposition 3-1 at the polls, and thousands of fair-minded voters turned their backs on the petition that sought to strip basic legal protections from LGBT Mainers and their families.

I was deeply moved by the response we saw to this petition, not only from our longtime supporters and volunteers, but from people who stood with us for the very first time. And so while I was shocked by its early termination, it did not surprise me that the Christian Civic League dropped its petition because of a lack of interest.

We can rejoice that the immediate threat is over, but as history has shown—time and time again—this is just one in a long history of attacks on LGBT Mainers. With an active debate on marriage taking place in Maine and across the nation, this is not the last of the attacks.

 

But we cannot sit back and wait for the next attack to come. We must build on the momentum we generated on primary day—and be pro-active in winning protections for our families.

 

That's why we're organizing two town hall forums this summer, as a first step toward a massive effort on election day in November, where we'll talk with thousands of voters about our lives and our families. 

 

Join us at one of these exciting, thought-provoking discussions. We want to hear from you!

 

 

RSVP for one of these events today by emailing Public Policy Director Darlene Huntress at dhuntress@equalitymaine.org. She'll  provide further details, directions and location information.

 

 


 

 

 

Tuesday's primary day effort was our biggest single-day action to date.
 

Great news: thanks to our 105 dedicated volunteers, Tuesday's primary day effort was our biggest single-day action to date. We had conversations with voters at 35 polling locations in eight counties statewide, and gathered nearly 4,000 signatures of voters committed to upholding equality for LGBT Mainers.

While we don't know the actual number of signatures our opponents gathered, we do know they were at fewer than half of the polling places we were. And it was quite obvious their signature gatherers were not trained! 
 
So what's next?
 
It is time to turn our attention to Election Day, Tuesday, November 4.

We're expecting unprecedented turnout for the 2008 general election. That means the petitioners will redouble their efforts at the polls --- and we need to be there, too. We'll be in touch again closer to November, but if you can, plan now to volunteer with us on November 4.

Standing at the polls on Tuesday, we saw first-hand how many Maine voters simply aren't interested in leveling attacks against their neighbors and their families. Thousands of people took the time to voice their support for equality and encourage our work.

So as we head into November, we're more confident than ever that if we keep reminding voters what's really at stake, fair-minded people of this state will - once again - just say no to discrimination.
 
Thank you for all you do to support equality in Maine.


 Betsy Smith
Executive Director
 

First Annual
 

 

 

City Launches "Volunteer Portland"
An opportunity for citizens to give back to the City
 

On February 14th, Portland launched its Volunteer Portland program, a web-based initiative designed to allow the people that live, work and play in the City a chance to give back by volunteering or donating their time, services or financial resources. The initiative was first introduced by City Councilor Jim
Cohen during his tenure as Mayor.

 The site's gift catalog includes more than fifty items including bike hitches, park benches, scholarships, and trees, available for donation to your neighborhood or the community at large.

 Donations can be made online, in person or by mail. Volunteer opportunities include ushering at Merrill Auditorium, working with the City Clerk's office during an election, or mentoring a student group.

 Councilor Cohen also presented the first Volunteer Portland donation of $3,000 to the Portland Education Partnership
Program. Visit the website at  portlandmaine.gov/donations.

 
 

 

 

EqualityMaine Foundation
2008 Award Recipients

 

Partners for Equality Award
recognizing outstanding work and collaboration by a
coalition partner organization
Maine Civil Liberties Union

Faith in Action Award
recognizing leadership for equality by a faith community
Rev. Mark Doty

Cameron Duncan Award
recognizing accomplishment, commitment, and service to the
HIV/AIDS community
Genia Graham

F. E. Pentlarge Award
recognizing outstanding leadership for equality by straight allies
Ray and Connie Winship

Young Leaders Award
recognizing young leaders in the LGBT community
Jill Barkley

Out Front Awards
recognizing outstanding volunteer leadership
Rita Clifford
Sara Jane Elliot
Kevin Gilgan
Carol Heilsburg
Toho Soma
Jean Vermette

For more Information

 

 

EqualityMaine Welcomes New Staffer

EqualityMaine, the state’s oldest and largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) political advocacy organization, has hired Mary Phillips-Sandy as Communications Coordinator. A native of Waterville, Ms. Phillips-Sandy was a co-founder and the first assistant director of the Maine International Film Festival.

 

For the past several years she has been living in New York City, where she worked at the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and M+R Strategic Services, a firm that provides strategy and communications services to national nonprofit organizations. As a freelance writer her work has appeared in regional and national publications, including Bust, Time Out New York, the Zagat Survey, asap @ the Associated Press and the Vault guides to financial companies.

 

Ms. Phillips-Sandy earned an MFA in creative writing (nonfiction) at Columbia University in 2006 and received her undergraduate degree in economics at the College of the Holy Cross in 1999. She is relocating from Brooklyn to Portland in July 2008, but will begin working remotely for EqualityMaine in February.

 

“Mary’s background includes a great mix of writing, nonprofit work, project management and media relations,” said Betsy Smith, EqualityMaine’s Executive Director. “She is also very committed to working for full equality for LGBT people in Maine. We have a busy year ahead as we ramp up our public education campaign on marriage, so we’re glad that she will be on our team.”

 

Phillips-Sandy added, “EqualityMaine has done so much to establish sound legislative policies and raise awareness of LGBT issues in the state. I’m excited for this opportunity to help make Maine a better place to live – for everyone.”

 

Since 1984, EqualityMaine has worked to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Maine through political action, education, and collaboration.

 

  

 

USM Looking for Women to Participate in Weight-Loss Study


The University of Southern Maine's College of Nursing and Health
Professions is launching a study led by Associate Professor of
Exercise Health and Sports Sciences Janet Whately Blum.  This study
is examining the effects of calcium on dieting women.

USM is looking for pre-menopausal women who are between the ages of
21 to 45; need to lose between 30 to 60 pounds; are not using birth
control; and are not currently dieting or participating in regular
exercise.  Participants must be nonsmokers in good health with normal
blood pressure and cholesterol levels, who are not diabetic or
lactose intolerant.

Participants need to be willing to follow a diet for 25 weeks, and
attend weekly meetings for the first 12 weeks, then bi-weekly meeting
for the next 13 weeks at USM. This 25-week study has screenings
beginning in January, and the weekly meetings will start in March of
this year.

Anyone who meets the above criteria should contact Research Assistant
Rachel Doane in Exercise Health and Sports Sciences at 780-5939 or
rdoane@usm.maine.edu.
 

 

 

 

 

Men’s volleyball returns.
 Held every Sunday evening at the UNE campus on Stevens Avenue in Portland,
 the start time is 6 pm beginning again on January 6th.

Men's coffee house.
Every Sunday at the North Star Café. It is located at 225 Congress Street in Portland.
The times are from 2-5 pm.

Men’s Discussion group.
 We will resume meetings on Tuesday January 8th. These take place at 49 Oak Street in Portland from 6-8 pm.

 For information on the above Frannie Peabody Center sponsored events
call Elmer at 207-871-0216  Email: eshelton@peabodycenter.org

.

 

 

 

  • SEA DOGS’ STRIKE OUT CANCER
    IN KIDS PROGRAM HAS RECORD YEAR

    $337,796.18 Raised in 2007

    Portland, Maine- The Portland Sea Dogs in conjunction with the Maine Children’s Cancer Program, TD Banknorth, and WMTW TV-8 have concluded the 2007 “TD Banknorth Strike Out Cancer in Kids” fundraising campaign. The 2007 season saw Sea Dogs’ pitchers record 1,080 strikeouts including playoff games bringing the total amount raised for the program in 2007 to a record $337,796.18.  The contributions through this program have helped make the Maine Children’s Cancer Program at Maine Medical Center one of the premier children’s cancer treatment centers in the country.

    In 1994, the Sea Dogs began their first season at Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine.  During that season Charlie Eshbach, President and General Manager of the Sea Dogs and John Menario, then Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Peoples Heritage Bank discussed how the two organizations could combine their resources to support a community activity to enrich the quality of life in Maine.  They both agreed the program should be focused on Maine youth, and any program that would benefit the Maine Children’s Cancer Program would be uplifting to all involved and the Strike Out Cancer in Kids Program was formed in 1995.

    For every strikeout thrown by a Sea Dogs pitcher, TD Banknorth donates $10.00 to the Maine Children’s Cancer Program.  A team of dedicated volunteers was formed to get individuals and other businesses to also pledge money per strikeout.  After the first season in 1995, the goal of raising $20,000 was accomplished.  In years to come the program took off and now raises $300,000 annually.  Today 24 corporate teams and more than 200 volunteers contribute to the programs success.

     

    Each season, one child from the Maine Children’s Cancer Program is selected to be “Slugger’s Kid” and the “Strike Out Cancer in Kids Program” poster child.   Each season “Slugger’s Kids” is warmly accepted by the players as a true member of the team. Serving as bat boy, racing Slugger around the bases, and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch are just a few of the duties for “Slugger’s Kid”.  Sea Dogs players take in active part in the program making several visits to the Maine Children’s Cancer Program’s treatment facility.

     

    For more information on how you can get involved in the “Strike Out Cancer in Kids” Program please contact the Maine Children’s Cancer Program at 207-871-6274 or http://fundraising.mmc.org/strikeout  .

     

     


     

     

     

    Help underwrite this page while marketing your business! Call 207-773-5775 for details or EMAIL