Lifelong Maine: About Town
updates and CELEBRATIONS - A sampling of your Recent notes

Age-Friendly Biddeford's Operations Team was visited by newly elected mayor, Martin Grohman. He was impressed with their accomplishments, especially their new volunteer transportation program, and promised ongoing support. 

In the news! Ticket to Ride: Programs in Biddeford, Saco, and OOB take seniors where they need to go.  By taking a regional approach to expanding transportation, residents in all three communities are better equipped to meet a growing number of residents who no longer drive. 

Age-Friendly Buxton wrote to tell us that their commodity food box program has had its one year anniversary . They have increased from the first order of ten to 65 for May! Their best marketing platform to get the word out?. Facebook!

Age-Friendly Chelsea's 12 Months of Giving continues. This month the team is collecting pet food and pet supplies for older residents who may struggle to afford to keep their pet purrfectly cared for. 

In the news! Age-Friendly Lewiston was featured in an article in the Sun Journal. Lewiston is developing age-friendly programs, and you can help described the work that the Senior Resource Committee has already started and paved the way for people to complete Lewiston's Age-Frienldy Survey. 

Age-Friendly Millinocket partnered with the Millinocket Memorial library to host USDA-Rural Development for a talk about their home repair programs. Keeping a home in good repair is key to aging in the home you love but it can be hard to do with the rising cost of contractors and supplies. Are you interested in a presentation about USDA Rural Development’s home repair programs? Contact Morgan Hotham (morgan.hotham@usda.gov) and she will help you set up a presentation in your community. 

Age-Friendly Monmouth shared this picture of 12 of the 16 members of their core team. It is an impressive group that is getting a lot done already--including distribution of File of Life! Pro Tip: The University of Maine provides free copies of File of Life for you to distribute. If you would like to order copies to share with your residents, email Lifelong@maine.edu. 

New Gloucester has officially joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, the 90th community in Maine!

In the news! Age-Friendly Readfield's Readfield U was featured in the Kennebec Journal. Readfield U's month-long pop-up university offers new skills, community described the program and how it connects people to fun and shared learning. 

For National Kindness Month, Age-Friendly Raymond invited the first graders from Raymond Elementary School colored pictures for the residents of Jordan Bay Place, and one was placed outside each door with a 'sweet treat'. Pictures were added inside their elevator and a banner, which is still up, reminds residents of the fun they had.  In April, older Raymond residents are going to Raymond Elementary to be entertained by fourth graders who will play recorders for them, read stories that they've written, and possibly enjoy some intergenerational games. Currently, the residents from Jordan Bay are answering letters that they received from these fourth graders. The students are looking forward to reading the letters written when they return from April vacation. 

Age-Friendly Saco was selected as 1 of 12 communities nationwide to receive technical assistance from Smart Growth America  to draft a US Dept. of Transportation Safe Streets for All grant application! 

Yarmouth Aging in Place is celebrating the benefits of age-friendly partnerships. The library and community services are working together to offer a wellness series. The latest installment was a workshop entitled “Embracing Grief”.  Other topics have included, diet, exercise, and mental health. The team is looking forward to an ice cream social and concert in May to end the year.  

Several Age-Friendly communities have started to distribute File of Life. If you are interested in joining Chelsea, Age-Friendly Coastal Communities (Blue Hill Peninsula, Deer Isle), Cumberland, Georgetown, Madison, Monmouth, Millinocket, Portland, Saco, Sanford, and Windham drop us a line (lifelong@maine.edu). File of Life kits are another benefit provided by AARP Maine to members of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.