How many of your newsletters since the inauguration have included quotes from Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb?” This one will be no different! I was so moved by all the official events on January 20th and I hope it gave you all some hope that change is on the horizon.

I’ve recently become addicted to dance and music videos on TikTok (I know!) and one of my favorite escapes are the ice skating videos by Elladj Balde. I highly recommend his skating to her opening lines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydQLitiK-so&feature=youtu.be

As Thanksgiving approaches, we are grateful for all the hard work MaineShare members have done over the past year (and much longer). Many have worked to increase voter engagement and all have been elevating the critical issues impacting our state. By organizing year-round, many of our members ensure that more voices from more corners of the state are choosing our leaders and are included when those leaders are making decisions that affect us all. Through their efforts, newly elected and re-elected officials are better equipped to craft equitable and sound policies that will benefit us all.

Winter is coming, but MaineShare members are doing all they can to make sure Mainers have what they need to survive and thrive.

In this edition of our monthly newsletter, we are pleased to share with you inspiration, events, and updates from our member groups and from MaineShare.

Watching our member groups innovate and adapt has been inspiring. The first story in this newsletter is about an event planned before the shutdown and canceled 24 hours before it was to begin. In the events section of this newsletter, our members are really evolving and creating exciting virtual experiences.

As we say goodbye to another Maine summer and look ahead to a fall and winter full of uncertainty, what is giving you hope? MaineShare Member Groups are giving me hope.

Friday was Juneteenth, an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the US. It has been celebrated by Black Americans since the late 1800s, and now provides a great opportunity to reflect on what it means to be free in America. What should liberty & justice for all look like and why haven’t we been able to achieve it?