CENTRAL ME: Report shows 37% of Maine homes with high Radon levels

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During Radon Action Month in January, the American Lung Association urges everyone to test their home for radon.

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and the “State of Lung Cancer” report reveals that it is detected at high levels in about 37% of homes in Maine. During January for Radon Action Month, the American Lung Association in Maine is urging everyone to test their home for radon.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas emitted from the ground. Radon can enter a home through cracks in floors, basement walls, foundations and other openings. Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and is the leading cause of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.

Here in Maine, about 37% of radon test results equal or exceed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action level of 4 pCi/L, according to the Lung Association’s “State of Lung Cancer” report.

“Radon is responsible for an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year and is the leading cause of lung cancer in people who have never smoked. Since radon is odorless, tasteless and colorless, the only way to detect radon in your home is to test the air. This is why it is critical for everyone to test their home,” said Lance Boucher, Director of Advocacy for the Lung Association. “Radon Action Month is the perfect time to learn more about this dangerous gas and take action to protect yourself and your loved ones.”

Do-it-yourself radon test kits are simple to use and inexpensive. EPA urges anyone with radon levels at or above 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) to take action to install a mitigation system in their homes. Both the EPA and the American Lung Association recommend that mitigation be considered if levels are greater than 2 pCi/L. After high levels are detected, a radon mitigation system should be installed by a radon professional.

A typical radon mitigation system consists of a vent pipe, fan, and properly sealing cracks and other openings. This system collects radon gas from underneath the foundation and vents it to the outside of your home. If you need to have a radon mitigation system installed, contact your state radon program for a list of certified radon mitigation professionals.

Learn more about radon testing and mitigation at www.Lung.org/Radon.

The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, which has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Platinum-Level GuideStar Member, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit:? Lung.org.

EVENTS: 6-week Grief Support Group to start January 30

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Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area is offering a six-week support group for people grieving the loss of a loved one. Meetings will be held Mondays from 4:30 – 6:00pm, beginning January 30th, at the Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area Community Center, 304 Main Street in Waterville. The group will be facilitated by trained bereavement volunteers and is free-of-charge. For more information or to join the group, contact Kayla Coffin, Program Manager at 873-3615 x 19 or email kcoffin@hvwa.org.

Annual Spring plant sale Fundraiser for Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District has launched

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Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District’s 2023 Spring Plant Sale Catalog is now available in print and online! Plants are available for pre-order, either online or by mail through Tuesday, April 18, 2023. This year we are offering curbside pick-up of plant orders on Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13 and “Cash and Carry” on Saturday, May 13. Quantities are limited so order early – and often – for the best selection!

This annual spring fundraiser provides more than 180 varieties to choose from: bareroot fruit trees and berries for the home orchard and garden; native conifers, deciduous trees, shrubs and vines for conservation, wildlife, and landscape enhancement; and native, organic, Maine-grown perennials and herbs in one-gallon pots for pollinators. The plant list includes new varieties in all categories as well as tried and true favorites. As always, the print catalog offers descriptions of the plants and cultural requirements to aid in choosing the right plant for the right place. Plant care fact sheets and additional information, including plant images, may be found on our newly-updated online store and website.

The proceeds of this fundraiser support our youth and adult conservation programs throughout the year.

They are dependent on volunteers to help pack orders and distribute to customers. Volunteers receive some perks as a thank you for helping with their largest annual fundraiser. If interested, please contact louisa@knox-lincoln.org.

Don’t wait to place your order- visit https://www.knox-lincoln.org/spring-plant-sale download a catalog or to shop online; call 596-2040 or email julie@knox-lincoln.org to receive a catalog by USPS – and, think spring!

St. Cecilia Chamber Choir begins auditions

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St. Cecilia Chamber Choir is holding auditions for all voice parts as they begin preparing for their May and June concerts. On May 6 and 7, St. Cecilia will present Bach to the Future. The featured work on the program will be the Bach motet Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden. Selections from Fauré’s Messe basse for three-part women’s chorus will also be performed.

On June 10 and 11, St. Cecilia will join with Tapestry Singers to perform John Rutter’s Gloria and Requiem, two of his more popular works.

St. Cecilia Chamber Choir is a fully-auditioned community group of singers, from talented youth to seasoned performers. They perform the very finest challenging choral repertoire spanning the centuries from medieval to modern, under the direction of husband-and-wife team Linda Blanchard and Sean Fleming, of Damariscotta. In the English choral tradition, they sing with a straight tone, enabling attention to fine-tuning rich harmonies. Much of the repertoire is a cappella, and they frequently are accompanied by a professional chamber orchestra. They present two to three concerts per year, typically in December and May, with the additional concert this year in June.

They are a dedicated and friendly bunch, eager to welcome new members, and especially encourage gifted students to audition. Rehearsals are high-energy and challenging. “We work hard,” says Blanchard, “but we keep the rehearsals upbeat and fun. We provide practice materials to use at home, so singers can come to rehearsal feeling prepared and ready to go!”

Singers wishing to audition should have good vocal control, and sopranos and altos should be able to sing without vibrato. The ability to read music is preferred, but those who cannot read may participate by spending extra time learning the music at home with the aid of provided practice materials.

Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings at 6:45 p.m., starting on Wednesday, January 18, at St. Andrew’s Church, on Glidden St., in Newcastle. Choristers are vaccinated.

To schedule an audition, call Linda Blanchard at (207) 380-2768 or email audition@ceciliachoir.org. For more information about the Choir, please visit our website at ceciliachoir.org.

HealthReach celebrates 2022 as a Year of Excellence

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Dr. Amy Madden (left), Rep. John Ducharme III (right)

As we look forward to the New Year, it is always good to reflect on the past – to learn what lessons we can, and to recognize success so it can be expanded upon. The staff of HealthReach Community Health Centers are pleased to celebrate many successes from 2022. Here are a few recognitions we are proud to share with our communities:

  • HealthReach as an organization was once again recognized by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), as a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), as a Health Center Quality Leader, and for Advancing Health Information Technology (HIT) for Quality.
  • Dr. Amy Madden, HealthReach Medical Director, was recognized by Home Hope & Healing as their Physician of the Month for the month of May 2022. We are pleased to see Dr. Madden’s dedication to her patients and quality of care recognized by external partners.
  • Rep. John “Jack” Ducharme III, HealthReach Board member, was recognized by the Maine Primary Care Association and received the MPCA 2022 President’s Award for his efforts to support community health centers across Maine. Jack rallied members of the Maine House of Representatives to improve the financial sustainability of rural healthcare.

Special thanks go to Amy, Jack, and the rest of the HealthReach team for their extraordinary accomplishments in 2022.

Residents of Central and Western Maine have enjoyed quality care at HealthReach practices for nearly five decades. If you are seeking a new healthcare provider and health home, consider your local HealthReach health center in Albion, Belgrade, Bethel, Bingham, Coopers Mills (Whitefield), Kingfield, Livermore Falls, Madison, Rangeley, Richmond, or Strong. HealthReach Community Health Centers is a group of 12 federally-qualified health centers located across Central and Western Maine.

Dedicated clinicians deliver high-quality healthcare – inclusive of behavioral health and dental services – to citizens from 9 of Maine’s 16 counties. To ensure access for everyone, HealthReach accepts Medicare, MaineCare, and major insurance providers. In addition, an Affordable Care Program is available to both uninsured and underinsured residents. Assistance is available for applications to programs that help with the cost of your healthcare and medications, including Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.

A private, nonprofit with a 48-year history, HealthReach is funded by patient fees, grants, and by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $4,815,606 with 82.2 percent financed by non-governmental sources. The contents above are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the official views of or an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.

PHOTO: Sign of early spring

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Because of the warm weather, Corinne Dubois, of Unity, decided to go check on her bulbs in the flower gardens – they tend to sprout very early at times in February. However, not on January 1.

SKILLS, INC employee honored as Direct Support Professional of the Year at MACSP annual meeting

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Front row, seated, from left to right, Kerryn Morin, DSP/Award recipient, Lori Lefferts, Director of Human Resources, Kristin Overton, executive director. Standing, Cindy Shaw, Community Support Program Manager, Jai Morin (Kerryn’s spouse), Pam Erskine, Director of Program Services, Rachel Fuller, Residential Program Manager, Patrick Bagley, LC Dill Community Support Program Team Leader. (photo by Sharyn Peavey Photography)

On December 9, 2022, Kerryn Morin, of Clinton, was honored by the Maine Association of Community Service Providers (MACSP) as a Direct Support Professional of the Year. Morin works for SKILLS, a St. Albans-based organization with programs and support services for intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals in several communities across central Maine. Morin has worked at SKILLS for 18 years.

Morin was one of 15 direct support professionals from across the state recognized during MACSP’s annual meeting for their leadership, collaborative spirit, and commitment to high-quality services for people with intellectual disabilities, autism, and brain injuries.

Several members of the SKILLS team as well as members of Morin’s family attended the event that was held at the Harraseeket Inn, in Freeport.

Free federal and state income tax preparation offered to qualifying individuals

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The AARP Tax-Aide program provides free federal and state income tax preparation and electronic filing to low-and moderate-income individuals. Returns are prepared by IRS-certified volunteers. The program is funded by the AARP Foundation, a tax-exempt charitable organization, and the IRS.

Counselors will help individuals navigate the 2022 federal and Maine income tax returns. You do not need to be an AARP member to use this service. Assistance is available by appointment only at the following sites from January 31st to April 19th.

If you were told that you didn’t have to file a tax return, and as a result you didn’t; you may be leaving money on the table. The majority of low income Mainers qualify for $130 (or more) of Property Tax Fairness Credit (PTFC) and/or Sales Tax Fairness Credit (STFC) from the State of Maine. However, in order to get the credits, they must file a Maine tax return. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide will file your tax return for free.

Please remember that our appointment makers are all volunteers and respect them and their time when calling for an appointment.

AUGUSTA: Buker Community Center, 22 Armory St.: 8:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m., Mondays and Fridays. Call 582-3053 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ONLY to make an appointment.

MADISON: Crossroads Bible Church, 705 White Schoolhouse Road: 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Mondays. Call 431-4933 Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ONLY to make an appointment.

Erskine Academy presents 2022 Renaissance awards

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Erskine Academy seniors of the trimester, for the first trimester, from left to right, Kayla Peaslee, Mackenzie Toner, and Lillian Dorval. (pontributed photo)

On Friday, December 16, 2022, Erskine Academy held a Renaissance assembly to recognize first trimester award recipients.

Recognition awards were presented to Mia Hersom, Brody Worth, Elsa Redmond, Gavyn Paradis, Adrianna Vernesoni, Nolan Burgess, and Jesseca Eastup.

Three seniors received Senior of the Trimester Awards: Lillian Dorval, daughter of Jillian and Christopher Carey, of Vassalboro; Kayla Peaslee, daughter of Stephanie and Edward Peaslee, of China; and Mackenzie Toner, daughter of Thomas Toner, of Windsor, and Chrystal Toner, of Augusta. Seniors of the Trimester are recognized as individuals who have gone above and beyond in all aspects of their high school careers.

In addition, tenure awards were also presented to seven faculty members: Holly Tripp and John Clark for 15 years of service; Mike Choate and Jim Johnson for 20 years of service; Ryan Nored and Michael McQuarrie for 25 years of service; and to Mark Bailey for 30 years of service.

In appreciation of their dedication and service to Erskine Academy, Faculty of the Trimester awards were also presented to Elizabeth Lawrence, Spanish instructor; and Abby Everleth, science instructor.

China Window Dressers workshop goes off without a hitch…almost!

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Heidi Daigle, left, with unidentified helper. (photo by Eric W. Austin)

by Eric W. Austin

It was never a sure thing, but in the end, they pulled it off and accomplished a tremendous success. The China for a Lifetime Committee, a local town-sponsored group that seeks out projects with the goal of improving the lives of China residents, first planned a Window Dressers workshop for the fall of 2020. Well, we all know how that year went.

Window Dressers is a nonprofit based in Rockport that works with towns across the state to organize community workshops to build low-cost window inserts to eliminate drafts and help people reduce their heating costs. Vassalboro has led several workshops, most recently in 2019, and the idea was for volunteers in China to coordinate with volunteers in Vassalboro to lead workshops on alternate years and give residents of area towns a yearly option to have inserts built or repaired.

Dee and Gesika L’Heureux. (photo by Eric W. Austin)

COVID threw a wrench into that strategy, and although tentative plans were made for the following year, in 2021, those plans were again scrapped as the pandemic was still raging and uncertainty about its direction led the committee to delay the workshop for another year. At the start of 2022, however, committee members were determined to make it work.

Planning began in January, and in the following months members of the China for a Lifetime Committee attended several seminars and Zoom tutorials to better understand how the process worked. They learned how to properly measure windows to a perfect precision (the most important part of the process), how the online measuring application functioned (and what to do when it didn’t), and how the inserts were put together and built. They created flyers and other promotional materials and disseminated them to local churches, town offices, post offices and community groups. They reached out to area organizations to ask them to spread the word and help with the effort. They met monthly to report their progress and plan for the months ahead.

Starting in the spring, they began taking orders and setting up measuring appointments. Traveling to each client home, the teams measured every window requiring inserts and sent the results back to the Window Dressers headquarters for the frames to be cut.

Damaris Mayans. (photo by Eric W. Austin)

It all came together in the second week of November. Camp Directors Stephanie and Rick Hansen, at the China Lake Conference Center, provided space for the workshop, which turned out to be the perfect place. Christopher Hahn, chairman for the China for a Lifetime Committee, coordinated all the logistics required for everything to come together for the successful build event and was on hand to offer advice and encouragement to volunteers as they participated. Hahn was a consistent presence for the entire week and the lynch-pin holding it all together.

In the end, volunteers at the workshop put together over 200 window inserts and repaired another fifty. More than 50 volunteers participated during the week of the build and the initiative was only successful because so many people volunteered their time and energy in this effort to benefit the entire community.

The process did not go off completely without a hitch, of course. Nothing is perfect. Four windows (out of 200) were mis-measured and had to be sent back to be redone. Some of the volunteers who had signed up to work at the build workshop never showed up for their shift, which left the remaining team members short-handed. But these were minor bumps in the road for a first-time effort and, at the postmortem meeting held a few weeks later, committee members agreed that the effort had been a terrific success and a rewarding experience.

Next year, Vassalboro will be hosting a Window Dressers build so anyone who was unable to order inserts this year will be able to do so then.

The China for a Lifetime Committee thanks everyone who participated to make this a successful effort, including the local organizations and churches that helped spread the word, the local town offices for taking orders, and especially the China Lake Conference Center for generously providing the space for the week-long event.

Chanelle Cyr, front, and Zach Cravems. (photo by Eric W. Austin)

For more information about Window Dressers, please visit their website at windowdressers.org. To find out more about the China for a Lifetime Committee, their website is ChinaForALifetime.com. Anyone interested in joining the committee or being a part of future events can email them at ChinaForALifetime@gmail.com.