Thank you Pizza By Alex for serving up some hope for the youth in our community in need of mental health support! It was a very tasty fundraiser. Your commitment to our community is deeply appreciated as is your long-standing support for our nonprofit. Pictured here: Sweetser team members Justin & Michelle and Pizza by Alex management Craig and Chris.
HOME RUN! Our 1st Annual Hit It Out Of The Park For Sweetser softball tournament was a big success! We deeply appreciate the participating teams of Maine Molecular Quality Controls (MMQCI), Pond Cove Millwork, and Nikel Precision Group for raising over $8,000 for youth mental health. They were all competitive as friends, family, and colleagues watched on at Biddeford Rotary Park. Our friends at Barreled Souls Brewing Company held an after-party for the teams, and a portion of those proceeds went to our total as well. Thank you to all involved for making this possible! Can’t wait to do it again next year to fuel mental health support in our community.
Sweetser’s Senior Director of Public Relations & Advancement Justin Chenette appeared on WABI’s Ask ME segment to talk about efforts to eliminate mental health stigma and ensure access to treatment and recovery is possible for all.
Sweetser led a free Youth Mental Health First Aid training for the leadership team of the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute at their offices in Portland. We appreciate all their efforts empowering Maine’s next generation of leaders and their interest in mental health strategies as they engage youth.
With many families preparing to send their kids back to school, it’s natural for youth to feel stress and anxiety about returning. Sweetser’s Senior Director of Public Relations & Advancement Justin Chenette was interviewed on WGME Channel 13 and WMTW Channel 8 about some strategies and resources for families during this period of annual transition. Watch the stories below.
Sweetser held a free community screening of the film ‘Compassion Cures’ and a recovery panel discussion at our Brunswick clinic. Events like this can help reduce the stigma of seeking recovery services. Check out our featured panelists below:
Alyssa Pelchat, Director of Crisis Services
Joey Rossignol, Senior Director of Community Based Services Cumberland County
Alaina Knox, Director of Recovery Services
Eating disorders are a form of mental illness that can affect anyone at any age, including teenagers and younger children. Lindsay Susi, Sweetser’s Clinical Director of our New England Eating Disorders program, discussed the signs parents should look out for on WMTW’s Mental Health Moment.
Sweetser has immediate openings for those who require medication management as part of their mental health treatment at our Sanford Clinic. Wendy Anders, Sweetser’s Senior Director of Community Services, joined WMTW’s Mental Health Moment to discuss when people might need medication to treat a mood disorder.
Tom’s Of Maine sent their full team to our Saco campus to help beautify our spaces. The youth we serve deserve the very best therapeutic environments and this is possible because of the generosity of companies like Tom’s.
At their Goodness Day, we recognized Tom’s of Maine with a Sweetser Star Award for their corporate partnership supporting youth mental health and our mission.
Pictured here with their General Manager Cristiane Martini, our CFO John McAnuff, and our Senior Director of Public Relations Justin Chenette.
Shout out to Volunteer Manager Karen Dow and the entire facilities team for all their efforts pulling this together and accommodating the large amount of volunteers.
As students and families start planning a return to the new school year over the next few weeks, it’s important to remember that mental health resources are available not just during the stressful time of returning to school, but year-round for youth.
“You can get anything from depression and anxiety and cognitive problems to develop over time, such as impaired memory, impaired decision making and personality changes,” Sweetser Medical Director Marc Kaplan said. “Sometimes they don’t know that these symptoms are starting to occur. Therefore, having regular tracking is really, really important.”
Sweetser’s team had a blast connecting with families at the National Night Out event put on by the Saco Police Department. It was a wonderful opportunity to interact with public safety officials, city departments, and various community groups through family friendly activities. We really appreciate mental health being represented.
Clockwise from top left: Justin Chenette & Nina Marsanskis; Nina & Karen Dow; Isabel Strelneck, Karen & Nina