Our promotion last month with Casco Bay Ford raised over $10,000 for Sweetser’s youth mental health programs! We deeply appreciate everyone at Casco Bay Ford and to everyone who purchased a vehicle this past month. Pictured here with the Casco Bay Ford team including General Sales Manager John Litwinetz and our Senior Director of PR & Advancement Justin Chenette.
Continuing our positive momentum from our record-breaking auction, we have a busy October planned. Below are the many initiatives Sweetser has going on during the month of October. Please consider getting involved and helping spread the word within your networks.
Town & Country Grant Voting Contest – All through OctoberSweetser 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. $25,000 in grants are up for grabs for the nonprofits receiving the most votes on Town & Country’s website.
You can vote once a day, every day online during the month of October. Please consider bookmarking the voting link and make a plan to vote each day to help support Sweetser.
VOTE HERE: https://www.tcfcu.com/community-events/better-neighbor-fund/better-neighbor-fund-voting
Marc Motors Oil Change Fundraiser – All through OctoberNeed an oil change? Make an appointment with Marc Motors Nissan in Sanford! All this month, they will generously donate $5 from every oil change to Sweetser. Call 324-3454 to make an appointment or just drop by the service center at 1744 Main Street.
Stevie Wonder Benefit Concert — Saturday, Oct. 21st, 8PMOur upcoming benefit concert for Sweetser will be a tribute to Stevie Wonder, featuring 18 of Portland’s most accomplished musicians performing 24 Stevie Wonder songs. The concert is organized by our own Medical Director Dr. Marc Kaplan.
Location: 375 Forest Avenue Portland
Tickets are $15 and should be purchased in advance as this tends to sell out.
Tickets available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/higher-ground-a-tribute-to-stevie-wonder-a-benefit-for-sweetser-tickets-666880807447
Sweetser will receive a portion of proceeds of any size pizza sales ordered between 5pm-9pm on Tuesday October 24th at Flatbread in Portland, located at 72 Commercial Street. All flatbreads ordered at the restaurant, through takeout or delivery will be counted.
Sweetser’s President & CEO Jayne Van Bramer was one of 10 community leaders that included area elected officials, business owners, and the President of UNE that spoke at the Biddeford Saco Chamber of Commerce + Industry’s Ten Talks event at the Biddeford City Theater. Her topic was Youth in Crisis: Have we reached the breaking point.
WATCH HERE:
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.
Full article here: https://www.wmtw.com/article/suicide-numbers-help-available-maine-suicide-depression-sweetser/45303134#
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.