Russ Murley & Steve Rowe at Celebrity Dinner 2010

Our  11^th Annual Celebrity Dinner exceeded our goal of $20,000 for the event by having our most successful year yet raising a gross income of $31,566.45-WHEW HEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Our theme for the 12^th Annual Celebrity Dinner will be "The Rocking 1950's"  Gary Crocker has already agreed to be our emcee and we have had a strong commitment from previous waiters to come back again.  The event will be held on May 7, 2011 at the Calumet Club in Augusta. -MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!

We are currently working on several grants to assist us in creating, increasing and promoting client and educational services for our more rural communities, especially within our newest territory-Somerset County and to build on the existing services we have in place for our overall catchment area. 

We will also, in the coming year, be seeking funding to support the efforts of bringing a Children's

Laura Hudson

Advocacy Program to our center as a program-collaborating with all of our community partners within Kennebec & Somerset Counties, to start and then see where it goes from there.  Our Resource Center in Waterville will continue to grow with workshops and meetings that will respond to the needs of the communities we serve, attempt to stay ahead of trends that will facilitate healthy and safe relationships and healing, as well as support the mission of our agency overall.

We have two awareness/ fundraising efforts coming up this summer-"The Mile of Art" which is on August 7, 2010 from 9am to 4pm at the University of Maine-Augusta Campus as well as "The DesigningWomen's Art Show" which is on August 28^th and will be from 8am to 3pm at Longfellow's Greenhouse in Manchester.

We look forward to a very rewarding year ahead as we continue to grow our services in response to the needs of those we serve.  I would like to thank all of the community organizations and individuals who generously give of their time and funding sources to assist us in our efforts! You are greatly appreciated! If you have any questions about our fundraising efforts, our Resource Room, the efforts in establishing a Children's Advocacy Program, or have any new funding sources that you would like to pass along, please contact Kat at: 377-1010 Ext. 119 or by email at: kat.perry@silentnomore.org

Sean O'Connell: In the past 6 months, we've had the opportunity to participate in some spectacular events in Somerset County. Madison High School held "Core Values Day," Carrabec High School held "Diversity Day," and all 4^th grade students in the entire Skowhegan School District came to the "Rising Stars Program." Spent some fantastic days at Clinton, Cornville, Canaan, and Carrabec Community School talking personal body safety, sexual harassment, media messages, and internet safety (and that's just the schools that start with "c"). Margaret Chase, Mill Stream, and Warsaw Middle were also part of the mix. Clinton Elementary and Lawrence Junior High have already scheduled more presentations for the fall.

Outreach efforts included our wildly successful nationwide Break the Silence PSA Contest. Celebrity judges including survivor and advocate Angela Shelton. The top videos are showcased at our "teen friendly" website www.silentnomore4teens.org. There's also great potential for the winner PSA to be shown at CALCASA's National Sexual Assault Conference this fall which would put our agency in the national spotlight.  Reestablished connections to Kennebec Valley Community College are showing promise for programs in the fall. sean@silentnomore.org

 Rachel Linton: This year was an exciting year.  I had the opportunity to visit new schools we hadn't worked with in the past & strengthen current partnerships.  Technology (& cell phone usage) continues to be a hot topic.  Most schools in my catchment area have at least SOME technology training.  In many schools, I held parents' seminars, as well.  It is so critical to partner with parents to present a unified message to youth. Another highlight of the school year was Personal Body Safety.  We added a "Personal Body Safety" Puppet show program for elementary children. Using age-appropriate themes, puppets present a story that teaches children about good, hurtful and confusing touches. This program is becoming very popular and we expect to be very busy with it in the 2010-2011 school year.
 
Adult Ed was another successful part of the school year.  We held classes in Gardiner & Augusta (both semesters). In addition, Phoenix House continues to be an extremely enjoyable segment of work.  Although they face great challenges, these students are genuinely eager to learn about themselves and the world around them. This is such an exciting and rewarding piece of my work as an educator.
 
Last, I am very pleased to announce a partnership between our agency and Gardiner Area High School.  We have established office space & a dedicated classroom for not only education, but one-on ones, and a new Peer Helpers Group.  We are also working on a series of evening parents' presentations for the fall.  I am so excited about this wonderful collaboration. Rachel.linton@silentnomore.org

Kathleen Paradis:  The "Personal Body Safety" Program has really taken off in Waldo County.  The guidance counselors and teachers loved the puppets and are already talking about next year.  One of them is adding us to their district's curriculum.  (SAD 3)  We also did a lot of bullying presentations in Waldo County for 4th and 5th graders.  These elementary schools were located in Northport, Searsport, Swanville, Morrill, Searsmont, Liberty, and 4 different Belfast Schools. 
 
I recently provided two presentations at the Tri-District Conference at Mt. View - Sexual Assault and Cyberbullying.
 
Schools I presented in lately... Mt. View, Vassalboro, Troy Howard MS, Searsport HS, Messalonskee, Waterville HS, Winslow HS, Maine Children's Home, Stepping Stones (located on the old Hinckley campus... teen moms trying not to lose custody of their kids)
 
Provided Garden Therapy in the Experiential Support Group at the New Resource Center in Waterville.
 
Summer Movie Series was offered at the Resource Center but we've had no sign ups yet. We are working to develop new ways of reaching the community who would like to be part of this exciting program.
 
Thinking about doing the "Half the Sky" book group this summer. Please contact me if you would be interested. kathleen.paradis@silentnomore.org or 660-6277
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