Support Opportunity Alliance programs by reserving a table at the 8^th Annual Secret Gardens of Portland Tour to be held Saturday, June 16, 2012 from 10am – 3:30pm at Reiche School in Portland’s west end.  Secret Gardens, a fundraiser benefiting the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Programs, is a self-guided tour of ten of the most beautiful gardens in Portland.

This year we are adding a Craft Fair to the event by creating an activity hub at Reiche School where the organic gardens and outdoor classroom provide a beautiful backdrop for a craft fair, food and entertainment.

If you are interested in reserving a table space please fill out the attached application and send it in with your fee by May 25^th.

Attached you will also find the event poster describing the day.  Please note that while tickets are required to tour the ten gardens, no ticket is necessary to attend the event at Reiche.  It will be open to all friends and neighbors, as well as those who purchase tickets for the tours. The event is also well publicized, including by our media sponsor, WCLZ!

We are very excited about “The Secret Garden of Portland Tour” event and hope you will join us to make the day even more special.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me either through email or phone.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Stacey Gammon

SVP Office Manager

553-5975

Stacey.gammon@opportunityalliance.org

Crafters APPLICATION Rules

We obviously like Steve Gifford – web design extraordinaire.  Steve has been designing websites for 13 plus years.  Steve is one of a kind.  Check out his work and follow him on Twitter!  Thanks for everything Steve!

Heather Price’s Success Story

“Owning a new car is really exciting for me—it’s like Christmas in July,” said Heather Price, after spending the first week with her new 2011 Toyota Yaris. “We just went to see fireworks last week. We couldn’t have walked there; we needed to use the car.”

Heather is a single Mom with a limited income raising two young children, Jennie age 8 and Logan age 2.  She says that the best thing about having a new car is that it is dependable and very good on gas.  “I don’t have to worry about it breaking down or anything like that,” Heather said.  “When you have two kids you need a car.”

Before getting her car, Heather couldn’t get her daughter back and forth to medical appointments or to activities.  “It made it very hard to live without a car, and it was hard on the kids.  Jenny was in Girl Scouts and I couldn’t get her to her meetings without a car.  Now I can, and it makes getting groceries a lot easier, too.”

Heather first learned about More Than Wheels from a friend who had gone through the program.  “The fact that I could get a brand new car with good financing, and improve my credit was a great.”  She learned how to pull her credit report, and felt very confident about working with creditors using the tools provided to her in the Financial Fitness classes.  “I couldn’t have done this on my own,” Heather said.  “And I really liked the classes.  I liked the people, and it was fun to be there.  The instructor was great, and very friendly.”

Getting a really good interest rate on the car loan has made all the difference to Heather.  She also found it very appealing that a local bank holds the loan.  “Because it’s actually a bank I know and it is right down the street, it means a lot to me. You don’t want to send money to someplace you don’t know. It’s a trust factor…and I love that they’re in the local area. ”

“Another thing I’m really excited about is that now I can anchor in my two-year-old’s car seat into the car safely—something I couldn’t do with the old car,” she said.

Now that she has the car, she is making plans to go places with her kids this summer that she wouldn’t have been able to get to before for fun family activities, such as going to the beach and parks.

As many of you know, as an agency we sponsor NAMI Maine’s annual walk, and this year is no different.   I haven’t heavily advertised the walk this year, having had a bunch of projects on all of the front burners.  Next year, I’ll hype it up, though!

Courtesy photo attached: Batimbo Beats

WESTBROOK – The Batimbo Beats, a group of Burundians trained in the sacred drum dances of their native country, will perform at Westbrook Middle School’s Performing Arts Center on Sunday, May 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. The event, “Celebrating the Planting Season,” honors a Burundi tradition to declare the beginning of the farming year. Proceeds from Celebrating the Planting Season will support the International Gardens Project of the Center for African Heritage.

In the nation of Burundi, commonly called the Heart of Africa, Batimbo was a name given to families who had the privilege of being the guardians of the sacred tradition of the drums, which are made from hollowed tree trunks covered with animal skins. The drummers, dressed in bright robes, enter in a dramatic procession balancing the heavy drums on their heads. Their performance includes dance moves, leaps, and call-and-response chanting.

In addition to the Batimbo Beats, a dance troupe with the Rwanda Community Association of Maine will perform. There will be vendor tables with information, and arts and crafts for sale. A discussion of the Center for African Heritage programs and future plans will follow the performances. Admission is $25 for adults, $10 for children, at the door.

The Center for African Heritage is a non-profit organization striving to build coalitions and economic viability for the growing African community in the Greater Portland area.  The Center addresses many needs, including hunger, poverty, youth development, job readiness, and economic opportunity, through farming and youth development initiatives.

This year, the Center for African Heritage plans to employ at least four youth interns and one youth leader at International Gardens Project at Tidewater Farm in Falmouth. The youths and their leader will participate in agricultural, employment, and leadership training in support of the farming groups and families who use the community garden plots. They will support marketing initiatives and train the farmers to use equipment. The land was made available to community groups in an agreement by the Town of Falmouth and the Tidewater Conservation Foundation. The International Gardens Project receives assistance from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service.

More information about the Center for African Heritage is available on its website: www.cfah.me.

Video of Batimbo Beats on WCSH-TV:

http://www.wcsh6.com/video/1553905764001/1/More-music-from-the-Burundi-Batimbo-Beat-Drummers

Everyone who attended the May 7^th  Open House agrees that this event is very helpful in learning the breadth and depth of The Opportunity Alliance’s programs and supports.  So, if you didn’t make the May 7^th open house or if you only attended at one location, you have a second opportunity on May 17^th.  Please note that if you attended the open house at just one location on May 7^th, you should attend the open house at the other  location on May 17^th.  This is because the same programs are presenting at the same locations both days.

Thursday, May 17^th from 9-12.

• The Timbers Room, 50 Lydia Lane, South Portland
• The Philbrook Room, 510 Cumberland Avenue, Portland

There will be light refreshments at both locations.

Also, for those of you unfamiliar with the parking situation around 510 Cumberland Avenue, here are some suggestions for on-street parking:

• Cumberland Ave
• Mellen Street
• Sherman Street
• Deering Street (which is marked as 1 hour)

This is a great opportunity to meet other Grandfamilies, meet our staff, and learn about child development. Your child will have a great time playing with other children who are also being raised by their grandparents, aunts, uncles, or other relatives.

Thursday, May 31, 2012 @9:00 am – 10:30 am
Families And Children Together
869 Main Street, Suite 900
Westbrook

For more information and to reserve your spot, please contact us 591-6278 or
mwilliams@mainekids-kin.org.  Call early, space is limited!

In the tradition of a barn raising, are bringing together community leaders and local businesses who share our belief that positive change is possible.

By purchasing a ticket to benefit a specific program, you will be a part of the crew contributing to an exciting evening to celebrate our collective efforts that make our community stronger.

The Barn Raising takes place at our Family Center, a meticulously renovated barn built in 1903, on Brickhill in South Portland. You will have the opportunity to sample a summer food program snack from our East End Kids Katering under the tent over the playground, along with drinks, live music and culinary treats from local restaurants and caterers.

What can your ticket accomplish?

$75 provides a meeting for a person affected by mental illness and/or homelessness with a case manager, supporting that client’s voice and choice toward becoming a successful part of their community.

$150 provides Night Light After-School Programming for a child at our Parkside Neighborhood Center where they have access to help with homework, computers, healthy snacks and other positive activities.

$300 provides support of the new Neighborhood Leadership Initiative, through the Community Partnership for Protecting Children, with workshops aimed at developing local neighborhood community leaders.

$500 provides a delivery of emergency home heating assistance during the winter months for a local family in Cumberland County through the Keep ME Warm Fund.

Special thanks to TD Bank, our Lead Sponsor!

Taste of the Nation is part of Share Our Strength, a national initiative to end childhood hunger.  This year’s Taste the Nation will take place Sunday, June 24th on Great Diamond Island.

They have also begun a new initiative Dine Out: No Kid Hungry.  Visit Miyake, Pai Men Miyake, Grace and The Foreside Tavern and support No Kid Hungry.

Sat May 19, 10am-4pm RAIN OR SHINE

• arts and crafts sale • contests + games •
• dance + music performances • fire trucks •
• kids play areas • horse-drawn wagon rides
• food • activities for kids of all ages •
• community group information • lots more •

Just $15/table!!!

vendor sign up deadline: may 9

FMI go to WENAMAINE.ORG or call 879-6024

Sponsored by West End Neighborhood Association (WENA), the City of Portland, and Our Generous Sponsors

CallingAllCrafters (2)

Wednesday, May 9^th at 6:30 p.m.  Parkside Neighborhood Center, 85 Grant St., Portland

Featuring: Bob Duranleau, Social Services/GA Director, City of Portland, Robyn Merrill, Maine Equal Justice Partners, Betsy Whitman, Homeless Voices for Justice

This event is open to the public.  Refreshments will be served.  For more information call or text Rep. Ben Chipman at 207-318-4961

General Assistance (GA) is a state mandated program that provides basic emergency assistance for food, shelter, and other necessities to Maine’s lowest-income residents. Last month, the day after the state legislature left for a four week recess, Governor LePage used line-item veto to strike out funding for GA after a compromise had been reached in the legislature. Republican leaders then refused to bring the legislature back to consider overriding the veto. The purpose of this event is to educate the public about the history of this program, how it works, and what can be done to protect funding.