Year-End Greetings from AARP Maine's State Director, Noel Bonam

Good News from AARP Maine

As 2023 comes to a close, AARP Maine is proud to share with Bangor Daily News readers the many efforts and accomplishments driven by our dedicated volunteers throughout the past year. A sincere thank you is owed to our advocates, community members and collaborative partners for their spirited, action-oriented, and tireless work.

For the first time in two years, we filled the halls of Augusta with our trademark red shirts and continued our tradition of Tuesdays at the State House in person. Each week, volunteers convened at the State House and over Zoom to hear legislative updates, learn the intricacies of policy, chat with state representatives, and plan outreach campaigns. Our members and volunteers testified throughout the legislative session and shared powerful stories about important issues such as the challenges of being a family caregiver, the effects of high utility costs on vulnerable households and the necessity of a stable broadband connection in communities everywhere.

Thanks to these testimonies, as well as an abundance of phone calls, “Kitchen Table Chats” with local legislators, and handwritten notes to legislative leadership, we are proud to celebrate some life-changing policy advances. In a historic win for Maine’s family caregivers, state budget legislation including language to establish a Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program was signed into law. This legislation will help alleviate financial, health, and emotional stress for Maine’s 166,000 family caregivers. We continue to fight to keep utility rates fair in Maine, engaging in efforts to address the unintended consequences of Net Energy Billing for electricity customers who live on fixed or low incomes. Further, we advocated for more funding for affordable housing, improved access to voting, and fought for funding to support critical programs such as the Maine Legal Services for the Elderly. It was an exciting and productive session!

In addition to their legislative efforts, many of our volunteers felt particularly inspired by AARP Maine’s mission: to empower Mainers 50+ to choose how they live as they age. Some of the volunteer-led activities you might recognize include monthly coffee talks and on-taps, free movie nights, tabling events at Maine’s larger festivals, including the Common Ground Fair, and virtual gentle chair yoga sessions.

AARP Maine staff members and volunteers were thrilled to return to LGBTQ+ pride festivals in various communities across the state, showcasing an unwavering commitment to supporting Maine’s LGTBQ+ community statewide. We see diversity as a source of strength and LGBTQ+ communities are a vital part of the quilt of American life. This fall we hosted an online event about the LGBTQ+ collection at the University of Southern Maine’s Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine. It included an interview with one of the co-founders of Wilde Stein at the University of Maine in Orono, one of the nation’s first university group for LGBTQ+ students, now in its 50^th year.

Our office is also deeply committed to supporting communities across Maine and their efforts to become more livable for residents of all ages. We partner with local leaders, organizations and dedicated residents to help make that vision a reality. The AARP Community Challenge grants fund innovative projects that inspire change in areas such as public places, housing, transportation and more. AARP Maine is proud to have 14 grantees right here in our state whose projects will advance initiatives to create great places for people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities. A win for everyone! Also, as part of our livable communities work, we recently hosted an online event about becoming an advocate for pedestrian and bicyclist safety in communities across Maine.

In October, we were proud to recognize retired journalist Phil Chin with the Andrus Award for Community Service. The award is named for AARP’s founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus. As a leader of AARP Maine’s Fraud Watch Network, Phil spearheads our efforts to combat scams and give Mainers the resources they need to recognize scams and fight fraud.

AARP Maine was also delighted to recognize Deb Alford and Ruby Parker of Scarborough with the Steadfast Advocate Award, which celebrates individual volunteers’ steadfast commitment to the betterment of the lives of older Mainers. Age-Friendly Sullivan in Hancock County was the winner of this year’s Beacon Community Award in recognition of how they have effectively focused on helping older adults live, and thrive, in place.

We hope the successes of the past year inspire you to reach out and get involved. We love hearing from you and welcome your ideas! Please visit our website at www.aarp.org/me, find us on social media @aarpmaine, and email us at me@aarp.org to learn more about how to join our efforts in 2024. We have many exciting endeavors on the horizon as AARP Maine continues to advocate for older Mainers and their families.

In the meantime, on behalf of our staff, volunteer advocates and our nearly 200,000 members in the state, I wish you and your family a wonderful and safe holiday season.

Noël Bonam

AARP Maine State Director