What's New?

Your news can be added here: email it to info@keysregion.org

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KEYS Energy Projects

http://www.keysregion.org/EnergyProjects.htm

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20100302-NEWS-3020395

Ongoing:

Feed Family Pets: Help families feed their pets. There are collection bins for pet food in many local shops as well as Hannaford in York. All food collected will be distributed through local food pantries. For more information, please contact Nancy at nanef@comcast.net.

South Berwick Blog: www.the236diner.com - inactive since July 2011. (While the focus is on South Berwick, many of the topics are regional or are useful to other towns.)

L.E.A.R.N. - Life Enrichment Academic Renaissance Network offers classes for individuals 50+ See Class Schedule for Winter - Spring at this website. All classes held at York County Community College unless otherwise noted.

A Matter of Balance: helping senior citizens avoid falls - new facilitators have been trained in the Kittery area and will be offering classes. For more informaiton, contact: Anne Murray, Agewell Co-ordinator, Southern Maine Agency on Aging amurray@smaaa.org 207-396-6529 or 1-800-427-7411, Ext. 529

Seacoast Hospice offers services in Maine. FMI: www.seasoasthospice.org Phone 1-800-416-9207 (this number works from Maine)

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine's York County Office is
growing! We are currently recruiting both Bigs and Littles in York County.
Sharon F Trafton, Match Support & Co-Program Coordinator
773 5437 ext 32
cell 207-749-3243
You don't have to change your life to change theirs - Become a BIG TODAY!

The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices by Sarah James and Torbjorn Lahti is a book being read and studied in the Piscataqua Region. Participants go to an introductory meeting followed by 8 study circle sessions, and there is no monetary cost other than the purchase of the book. Topics include energy, housing, transportation, business, land use, etc. If you are interested in joining a future study circle in the KEYS Region or in Portsmouth, email info@thepsi.net (PSI = Piscataqua Sustainability Initiative) or go to www.thepsi.net.

Time Bank Organizing in the KEYS Region: Time banking is based on the idea of neighbors helping neighbors. As a time bank member, you earn time dollars doing things you like to do for another time bank member. Then, you can use those time dollars having another member do something for you. FYI: www.yctb.org or contact Tory Leuteman toryl@yccac.org , 324-5762 x2951

Support Group for Families Raising a Child with Special Needs: Meets the last Friday of most months during the school year, in the evening. For more information call 207-384-5041 or email mflinkstrom@comcast.net

Coastal NH Adoptive Families Network From Julie Burke:

Coastal NH Adoptive Families Network, based in Portsmouth, reaches as far as South Berwick to Andover Mass. and anywhere in between if the families are willing to drive for our gatherings. We were orignally an online group that has grown to 60 and we meet up and have playdate monthly, book club, discussion group and will be doing larger events come summer to that reach out to adoptive families of all types and our communities, as well as working on Grants to get more info on adoption in the local seacoast libraries.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNHAF/ Or Contact Julie Burke @ jlcoffey1274@yahoo.com

Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grant: the Environmental Protection Agency announced in May 2007 that the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission was the recipient of a one million dollar Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grant. SMRPC will provide the funds to businesses and municipalities in the region to aid in the assessment, clean up and redevelopment of former industrial/commercial sites in downtowns and villages throughout the region. For more information, contact Paul Schumacher or Chuck Morgan at 207-324-2952.

The Family Resource Center at Landmark Hill - Dec. 13, 2009 announcement: "After 6 years of play, art, learning and 'making a difference' in the seacoast community, the Family Resource Center will be closing its doors this holiday season. Due to the lack of funding, we are unable to reopen after the new year."

http://www.connectingfamiliestogether.org/thefrc.html

Old but Good

Press about October 29, Wednesday, 7:00-8:30 PM: An introduction to Citizen Participation: The New Public Hearing

Workshop focuses on roles of citizens
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20081029-NEWS-810290360

Residents get lesson in community action
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20081030-NEWS-810300417

Both listed here:
http://www.everyday-democracy.org/en/Article.864.aspx

Maine Community Foundation Award - Press Release

http://www.mainecf.org/aboutus/news/noycefinalists08.aspx

York County Committee Awards Grant to Community Wellness Coalition

Weekly Sentinel 10/31/08 jpg

School Merger Citizen Forums and Meetings - Reports

Short Summary Report on first three forums (webpage); Kittery Forum 10/23 Report (webpage or pdf), Marshwood Forum 10/29 Report (webpage), York Forum 11/1 Report (webpage), and all towns Informational Forum 11/13 7pm at Kittery Trading Post Conference Room (feedback form responses/webpage). January 1, 2008 update (webpage). March 13, 2008 update

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080528/LIFE/805280345/-1/NEWSLETTER100

• KEYS Our Future by Design webpages

The OUR FUTURE BY DESIGN Webpages are ready to use!! (Click on any topic to the left to see the new pages.)

On October 20, 2006, the two-year project "KEYS: Our Future by Design - Better Together" released its web-based report to the public. Instead of a static printed report, these webpages share, in a form that can continue to grow and develop, the results of the process, from vision and plans to accomplishments, next steps, indicators, and resources. You can see the new pages by clicking on any of the links to the left, and read the October 20th article about the project in The Weekly Sentinel, here: front page pdf and page 11 pdf .

Comments about and suggestions for the new webpages are welcome and may be sent to info@keysregion.org

• Information and Referral for York County is on the phone and online!

www.211Maine.org is now up and running! This is a huge new listing of resources! "Get connected! Get answers!" And now you can also dial 211 for information. It's a free call, and Thanks to United Way of York County for this news, and for being a big part of creating this new resource!

• The Workforce Housing Coalition June 2006 Forum

The WHC of the Greater Seacoast region (including the KEYS towns) held a dynamic forum on June 23, 2006. Check their website http://www.seacoastwhc.org/ for monthly meeting times. Below are some of the newsprint drawings, made collaboratively at separate tables during the visioning process. There was a remarkable similarity in the community visions of those present, with an emphasis on citizens being involved in the design process to address housing, transportation, and land use in the context of sustainable, rapidly growing communities.