Start Small, Stay Local, Keep Going
How the  grateful undead brought regional services to five rural towns

The nearest agency office is at least an hour away. For many people in Baldwin, Cornish, Hiram, Parsonsfield, and Porter, that drive can be the difference between getting help and going without.

Jamie Gleason, Community Connector for the Grateful Undead, set out to close that gap. The five towns stretch across three counties, so no single agency covers them all. Jamie’s answer was to build partnerships, one conversation at a time.

She started close to home. Jamie met in person with the Sacopee Valley Health Center, town offices, libraries, and Sacopee Valley Adult and Community Education. She explained her role, shared the group’s goals, and asked a simple question: how can we work together?

Those local partners now send people her way. Town offices refer residents who need help with benefits. The health center refers people for pharmacy pickups and connects them with its community health worker. Adult education co-hosts Tai Chi twice a week and helps gather listings for the group’s monthly Senior Friendly Events Calendar.

Then Jamie reached further. She contacted AgeMaine, Seniors Plus, York County Community Action Corporation, the Opportunity Alliance, AARP Tax-Aide, the Senior Companion Program, and Money Minders. Her request was practical. Would they try a few events in Sacopee Valley to see if people would come?

People came. In April, two AARP Tax-Aide events helped 24 people claim the Property Tax Fairness Credit. In August, Tom McNaughton of AARP Tax-Aide drove a long way to run a walk-in clinic. Fifteen people filed Maine taxes that day, and together they will receive $12,605 in credits and state affordability checks. Now Tax-Aide is working with Jamie to make Cornish an official tax site, and three local volunteers are in training for next season.

“It has been a very long process but worth it,” Jamie said.

Other partners are joining in. AgeMaine sends a Medicare volunteer for a limited number of Open Enrollment appointments for York and Cumberland County residents, and it offers presentations through adult education. Jamie is also working with York County Community Action Corporation on the possibility of a local fuel assistance clinic.

Some results are small. One Senior Companion volunteer visits two community members. One Money Minders volunteer works with one. Jamie calls this “a small but important success,” and the people being helped would agree.

“With her help, I feel safer,” said one Senior Companion client. “Having a companion has given me my life back. I can do things that were hard to do without help, but we also have fun. She helps me live my life, not just pass the time.”

Jamie learned early that agencies cannot send volunteers to an area where they have none. So she became a recruiter herself. She speaks to local groups about the programs and invites neighbors to sign up. At the August tax clinic, she invited people to the Grateful Undead’s quarterly meeting, and one woman said she wanted to volunteer. Jamie is also asking drivers who are not ready for long trips to specialists whether they would take shorter drives close to home.

Her one-on-one work keeps it all connected. In August alone, Jamie helped 38 people make 44 connections to benefits and services, from Medicare enrollment to fuel assistance to a loaner ramp. “I meet people where they are and give them the knowledge to make informed decisions,” she said.

For other age-friendly leaders, Jamie’s advice is simple. Start with local partners who already know your residents. Ask agencies for a trial, not a promise. Expect to find some volunteers yourself. And count the small wins.

“Success happens with persistence and acceptance that they will start small,” Jamie said. “The time invested is well worth it, and the residents of Sacopee Valley will be the winners!”