According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2022, nearly 50,000 people in the U.S. died by suicide. That’s the most suicides in a single year in U.S. history and marks a 2.6% increase over the prior year.
Sweetser’s Medical Director, Dr. Marc Kaplan, joined WMTW as part of our weekly TV segment to talk about the challenges and resources available in Maine when it comes to suicide.
Sweetser has been selected as one of 25 non-profits to advance to the voting phase of Town & Country Federal Credit Union’s 2023 Better Neighbor Fund charitable giving campaign.
This fall, Town & Country is giving away a total of $25,000 to eight charitable organizations across Southern Maine receiving the most votes on Town & Country’s website.
Individuals can vote once a day, every day during the month of October. It’s tied to your email address, so if you have multiple email addresses, you can vote with each different email address you have.
Please consider bookmarking the voting link and make a plan to vote each day to help support us.
We just had a record-breaking auction, raising over $190,000 for Sweetser’s behavioral health programs! Best year ever for our auction in its 31 years.
Check out some of the photo highlights below…
We thank the following business and corporate partners for investing in our mission:
Sweetser and ABC’s WMTW Channel 8 are joining forces to reduce stigma around seeking mental health treatment and educating the public around available resources.
Each week, a Sweetser representative will be featured live on-air during their Friday Noon newscast. This will be great exposure for us as an organization. We kicked things off with discussing youth mental health. Watch below…
Sweetser is excited to join the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce as a new member. Pictured here President & CEO Jayne Van Bramer & Senior Director of Public Relations & Advancement Justin Chenette.
The 2023 Ruel Ricker Country Fair Day on the Saco Campus was a success! Great weather, great volunteers and great fun for the kids.
Each year the event is held in honor of Ruel Ricker, the first farm manager at Ricker Farm. During the annual event, kids at the Saco School play games, win prizes and enjoy a BBQ during the event.
Sweetser staff and board members volunteered at the event.
Sweetser recently welcomed a new addition to its leadership team.
Joanne Grant has joined as the Chief Growth Officer, bringing over 20 years of experience in both administrative and clinical leadership positions in Maine to the role. Joanne began her clinical journey serving youth in a treatment program at the Maine Youth Center and grew into various leadership positions, including the Director of Residential Services. She has had a private practice as well. Most recently, Joanne served as the Director of Substance Use Treatment Program Operations for Maine Behavioral Health, overseeing administrative and clinical operations. She has an undergraduate degree in rehabilitation services with a specialty in substance use counseling from UMF and a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from USM. Joanne also has specialized training in clinical supervision and has several certifications in Evidenced Based Practice including: 7 Challenges, Aggression Replacement Training, Moral Reconation Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. She is a member of the board of professional counselors for the State of Maine. Joanne enjoys hiking, camping, and pickle ball. She has two daughters—both in college studying nursing—so she now spends most of her time with her German Shepherd dogs, Charlie and Grayson.
Pictured: Sweetser’s Senior Director of Public Relations & Advancement Justin Chenette with Roxi Suger (far right) and two of her Biddeford team members.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent fundraisers with ANGELROX and Suger, based in Biddeford!
Together we raised $2,000 for Sweetser. We deeply appreciate owner Roxi Suger for all the creative and charitable spirit she brings to Southern Maine.
We are excited to partner with our friends at Casco Bay Ford in Yarmouth all this month to support youth mental health. For every vehicle sold during the month of September, Casco Bay Ford will donate $100 to Sweetser! If you are in the market for a new, used, or commercial vehicle, make it Casco Bay Ford all month long.
As students head back to school, Sweetser school-based clinician Shelby Petersen and former student client Demetrious Ridley talk with WMTW about the importance of reaching youth early with preventative mental health services.
