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Sullivan Projects
Sullivan is recognized with the 2023 AARP Beacon Award
In 2018, Age-Friendly Sullivan formed as an all-volunteer committee affiliated with the Town of Sullivan, our fiscal agent. Sullivan is a rural coastal community of approximately 1300 residents in Hancock County.
Under the leadership of many volunteers with skills and experience appropriate for our desired projects, we moved forward. As an organization that does NOT want to “reinvent the wheel”, Age-Friendly Sullivan encouraged existing community organizations to partner and support their projects and activities.
Fast-forward to 2023, Age-Friendly Sullivan was honored with AARP’s Beacon Award. The Beacon Community Award recognizes local organizations that foster bright and inclusive spaces to actively engage their community members.
Coincidentally, our vision for Age-Friendly Sullivan is a “compassionate community of neighbors supporting & welcoming young and aging residents to thrive in a sustainable Sullivan”.
The Beginnings of Music in the Park
The Beginnings of Music in the Park
An unexpected bonus was the $1000 sponsorship from AARP for a future event in Sullivan. We developed the weekly “Music in the Park” event for the summer of 2024. We chose noontime to encourage older adults to attend - bring a picnic lunch and lawn chair to join your friends and neighbors! We were pleased to see residents and visitors of all ages come to listen to live music in Sumner Memorial Park.
Each week, musicians received an honorarium, as well as generous tips! We used the remainder of the grant to promote AARP’s sponsorship, using banners, yard-signs, posters, press releases and media outreach.
Then, in 2024, Age-Friendly Sullivan was selected as one of the Community Connector pilot sites. We received grant funding to support the goals of this project, as well as funding for the Community Connector staff position. Some of that money was also used to upgrade the sound system in the park.
Welcome to the Summer of 2025!
Welcome to the Summer of 2025!
Our Music in the Park is now held on Wednesday evenings, with professional musicians performing. Various local restaurants provide food trucks. Attendees are all ages, and 80-100 people attend each week. The word has spread and, now, people come from neighboring towns.
Earlier this month, Age-Friendly Sullivan sponsored an expanded Sullivan Daze community event with one of Maine’s premier rocking blues bands, Cryin’ Out Loud. Our Community Connector, Misty Gleason, also serves as co-chair for Sullivan Daze and recruited several restaurants to provide refreshments. On the second day, in addition to our traditional parade and activities, there was a series of professional bands that played all afternoon and evening, ending with fireworks over Taunton Bay.
How One Thing Led to Another
How One Thing Led to Another
Our purchase of the upgraded sound system for the gazebo led to a successful AARP 2025 Community Challenge grant to renovate the gazebo itself.
Our successful Community Connector pilot project led to a second year, with two part-time paid positions now coordinating Age-Friendly Sullivan and supporting our community members.
Our flexibility as an ad-hoc committee for the town allows us to respond quickly to the needs and desires of our residents, especially those aging in place. Through our collaboration and communication with every local organization and municipal committee, we can easily develop a straightforward approach to successful project execution.
Another key component of our success is effective communication - with our municipal officers at monthly Select Board meetings, with our residents through monthly Sullivan Town Crier inserts, and with our broader community through daily social media postings and webpages. We reach out to our media partners, neighboring towns, and legislators with formal press releases informing the public about every new or improved activity, guest speakers, and funding partnerships.
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