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THE SPURWINKIAN NEWSLETTER: MAY 2025
GOING THE DISTANCE FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE IN MAINE
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SUPORT SPURWINK SERVICES
Foreside & Spurwink are Teaming up for Mental Health
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OUT & ABOUT
Spurwink is Proud: March with us at Portland Pride!
 We’re excited about this year’s Pride festivities! This year’s Portland Pride Parade and Festival will be held on Saturday, June 21st. Rain or shine! Walk alongside us during the parade or visit us at the festival. More information on Portland Pride festivities can be found at www.prideportland.org, and questions for Spurwink can be directed to pride@spurwink.org.
 In April, we celebrated the past 38 years of honorees at Spurwink's Humanitarian event. Thanks to the generosity of attendees and a lively auction and paddle raise, we raised $200,000 to expand access to mental healthcare. View photos and video from the event!
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LEARN ABOUT SPURWINK SERVICES
Memory Care Training in the Community
 Spurwink staff recently held a training at Pine Tree Society in Auburn, focused on enhancing memory care skills using Teepa Snow's Positive Physical Approach™ (PPA) & Hand-under-Hand ®. We will continue to offer this course free of cost in the future. Follow Spurwink's Facebook page for upcoming trainings. Please reach out to teeparegistration@spurwink.org for more information.
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IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE
Meet Volunteer & Staff Member Tina Currie
 Meet Tina Currie, an enthusiastic volunteer on Spurwink’s Humanitarian Committee. Tina, who joined Spurwink’s IT team after Tri-County Mental Health Services (TCMHS) joined Spurwink last year, quickly became involved with volunteering by joining the 2025 Humanitarian Planning Committee, and helped immensely with this year’s event.
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GRANTS IN ACTION
'Home for Good': Tackling Mental Health and Homelessness Simultaneously
 At the forefront of innovation, MaineHousing is sponsoring a Housing-First project, called “Home for Good,” with a team that consists of the City of Auburn, Auburn Housing, the Developers Collaborative, and Spurwink, with Spurwink providing 24/7 mental health and substance use services for a new building complex in Auburn. The inaugural cohort will include four other sites: Sanford, Portland, Augusta, and Bangor.
 In the last two months, a variety of foundations have invested in access to mental health services in Maine. Lewiston and Androscoggin Counties were of special focus, as was the youth mental health crisis in Maine. These grants help provide continued access to mental health counseling in schools, cover insurance gaps, and help with basic needs.
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This June, treat yourself to a meal at Foreside Tavern (Route 1 in Falmouth) and support Spurwink at the same time! The Foreside Tavern and Spurwink are teaming up to support mental health services. In addition to raising money, this campaign will expand awareness of mental health and the services that Spurwink provides. 
June is the end of Spurwink’s fiscal year, and we need your help to meet our fiscal year-end goals for our Annual Fund. 74% of the individuals we serve qualify for MaineCare (federally known as Medicaid), and 50% of all Maine’s children are covered through MaineCare. However, potential federal cuts to Medicaid are looming. We need your help to make sure these services remain secure. 
It's been a busy legislative season in Augusta and Washington D.C. and Spurwink leaders have been advocating on issues and bills that are important to our clients and staff. Recently, Senator Susan Collins visited Spurwink, meeting with Eric Meyer and Kristen Farnham, where they discussed potential cuts to Medicaid and the detrimental impact that reductions would have for Spurwink clients. 
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and good a reminder to check in on our own mental health and help eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness. Mental health varies for each person, every day – just like our physical health. To connect with Spurwink’s services, you can contact our centralized referral department, The Link, and we’ve also compiled a list of credible mental health resources.
