Mental Health Support Resources

Reprinted in part with permission from an e-newsletter published by Senator Stacy Guerin

Anyone affected by the violence in Lewiston is encouraged to reach out and connect with behavioral health support. Incidents of mass violence can lead to a range of emotional reactions, including anxiety, fear, anger, despair and a sense of helplessness that may begin immediately or in the days or weeks following the event.

Seek help immediately if you or someone you know is talking about suicide, feelings of hopelessness or unbearable pain, or about being a burden to others.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.

For those in need of immediate support:

Call or text 988: This suicide and behavioral health crisis hotline is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week by trained crisis specialists offering free, confidential support for anyone. Specialists also can respond by chat at 988lifeline.org. (Veterans and their families can press “1” for specific assistance.) Information for the deaf and hard of hearing is available here.

Teens and young adults can text (207) 515-8398: The National Alliance on Mental Illness Teen Text Line connects youth with other youth to help them manage their challenges every day from noon to 10 p.m. (Note this is NOT a crisis line. If the situation is critical, use the Crisis Line. Simply text “home” or “hello” to 741 741.)

Clinicians, educators and first responders can call (800) 769-9819: The FrontLine WarmLine offers free support services to help these professionals manage the stress of responding to disasters from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

If you’re unsure, contact 211. It provides general information, including how to access behavioral health and social service resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Information can also be found at 211maine.org.

All of these resources provide free, confidential support.

The State of Maine has created a dedicated webpage with these and other resources, including online support and resources for children and families.

Important Note!

Communications Director’s Note: *As many of you know, I teach in the Addiction Counseling Program at Beal University, offer Suicide Prevention Workshops, and am a NAMI certified mental health first aid responder. I am not familiar with the “National Alliance on Mental Illness Teen Text Line, but would strongly recommend The Crisis Text Line. Simply text “home” to 741741. (Actually any word will do!) It is data-driven and has an excellent track record. Please share this post freely–especially on Social Media, Grange Pages and Websites! The links below make it quite easy. If I can be of assistance, please contact me!

Valley Grange Gives Words and More!

Third graders at Brownville Elementary School received lots of words recently in the form of brand-new dictionaries from Valley Grange. The students learned a little bit about Valley Grange, farming, and agriculture, not to mention how to use a dictionary. Since there is a lot more than words in their books, we even said “Hello” to each other using sign language.

Mr. Boomsma demonstrates the use of the shepherd’s hook.
Students really get into their dictionaries.
Getting ready for a dictionary race–whowill find the word first?
Is that hand going up or down?
The welcome mat is out!

Valley Grange #144 is located in Guilford, Maine.

The Dictionary Project is designed to aid third-grade teachers with their goal of seeing all their students leave at the end of the year as good writers, active readers, and creative thinkers. The dictionary is for the student to keep, take it into the fourth grade, and use it throughout his or her entire school career. “The kids become really engaged,” Valley Grange Program Director “Mr. Boomsma” notes. “I think they like the idea that people in the community care about them and, as we explain, they own the dictionary and all the words in it.”

“We also get to talk about the staves as farmer’s tools and how the Grange uses them as reminders of the qualities we should strive for in our classrooms and communities.”

The Valley Grange Program extends across four districts and five schools. This is our 24th year and we’ve given out close to 4,000 dictionaries since starting the program. Additional Dictionary Days are being scheduled at SeDoMoCha Elementary in Dover Foxcroft, PCES in Guilford, Harmony Elementary, and Ridgeview Elementary in Dexter.

Postponement!

The take-out lunch at Kennebec Valley Grange scheduled for October 28, 2023, has been postponed. We’ll provide the new date when it becomes available.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

While the reason for this postponement is unclear, note that there are a number of closings, cancellations, and postponements due to the recent events in Lewiston.

Free Webinar–Managing Mental Health in Rural America

This one-hour, moderated webinar will present one woman’s lived experience with managing her adult son’s mental illness and overcoming barriers to mental healthcare in rural Wisconsin and a community psychiatrist sharing her expertise in treating patients in rural America.

Flyer with Additional Information
Register For the Workshop

Community Service Contest Winners

Gleaned from the Annual Report

Community Service Notebook Contest Winners
First Place: Highland Lake Grange #87
Second Place: Maple Grove #148
Third Place: Jonesboro Grange #357
Tied for Fourth Place: Valley Grange #144 and Saco Grange #53
Of 84 Subordinate Granges, ten reports were submitted. We are required to have a 25% participation rate to receive monetary support from the National Grange. We did not make it this year.

There were no entries for EMT/Firefighter/Educator of the Year and no entries for Granger of the Year. Previous Grangers of the Year included:
2017 – 2018 Victoria Huff
2018 – 2019 Ann Burns
2019 – 2020 Walter Boomsma
2020 – 2021 Rebekah Hodgson
2021 – 2022 John Cox Jr.

Family Health and Hearing Contest Winner
Highland Lake Grange #87

Link to Master’s Address

In our rush to release state convention information at least one mistake was made. In the original “news,” the link to the Master’s Address actually led to the Treasurer’s Report! Apologies for any inconvenience. The link in the story has been corrected and is provided here!

So far we’ve uploaded 25 documents and created links for them. That’s not a case of whining, just creating perspective. If this is the only mistake, it’s not TOO bad. Thanks to Brother Rolf Staples for reporting it!

Sorry for any inconvenience!

2023 Resolutions Report

For the sake of brevity, only the resolves are listed. For additional information, contact the Legislative Director.

Nonsmoking National Grange Events, submitted by Bingham Grange #237

Resolved, when future sites for the National Grange Convention or National Grange-sponsored conferences are chosen, only sites will be considered that are totally non-smoking.

The Good of the Order Committee recommended this ought to pass, and the delegate body agreed.

Activate Cameras at Major Intersections, submitted by Androscoggin Pomona #1

Resolved, that the Maine State Grange support legislation to activate the cameras that are at intersections and install cameras wherever they are needed.

The Legislative Committee recommended this ought not to pass, and the delegate body agreed.

Automatic Lights on All Vehicles submitted by Androscoggin Pomona #1

Resolved, that the Maine State Grange support legislation that all new vehicles have automatic lights.

The Legislative Committee recommended this ought not to pass, and the delegate body agreed.

Officers Elected, 2023-24

The delegate body elected the following officers during the 150th Maine State Grange Convention.

Master, Sherry Harriman
Overseer, Mike Griffin
Lecturer, Missy Baldwin
Steward, Ben Edgerly
Assistant Steward, Rick Grotton
Lady Assistant Steward, Roberta Meserve
Chaplain, Christine Hebert
Treasurer, Laurie McBurnie
Secretary, Sharon Morton
Gatekeeper, Peter Ivers
Ceres, Betty Huff
Pomona, Kathy Gowen
Flora, Deborah Ivers
Executive Committee, James Meserve – 4-year term

Directors and Committee Chairs will be announced upon receipt of information. If you have been elected or appointed, please be certain that we have your contact information by checking the online officer directory.

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State Session News

A complete summary of the State Session will come in several forms over some period of time. Of course, the official is the Journal of Proceedings, which will be posted when received.

A first priority is the Master’s Address, in part because it’s easy to do! In fact, it’s done! Click this link to download and print a copy of the Master’s Address!

Second are the results of the election. It may, however, be a while before directories are updated with complete contact information. Gathering that information tends to be the biggest challenge. If you were elected or appointed to an office, it will speed things up if you send me your email address and phone number!

Third are the “missing” annual reports. (Some are not available until the state session. You can check the program books and information page. I should have all reports that I’ve received uploaded within a day or two of this post.)

Fourth are the results of the three resolutions considered by the delegates.

Fifth will be some things I’ve requested from people. One example is the MSG history facts prepared by Margaret Morse as “filler” during the elections while counts were being done. Some were very interesting!

Things may not appear in exactly the order given, but my goal is to have at least one through four completed before the end of this week (October 28, 2023).

If you subscribe to the site, you’ll get an email when new posts are made! Thanks to the delegate who told me he loves how easy it is to get information from the site, especially the emails!

Lastly, please continue to submit your events! When I have multiple submissions, I prioritize local Grange events and news first. You matter! Use the submit tab, or send an email!

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