To the editor:
Over the past 18 months, I have had the great opportunity to speak with a number of community groups and many individuals about the important work the caring and dedicated staff and volunteers of Aroostook County Action Program, Inc. do across our region daily. When I share about the many and varied ways we help “Make Life Better” in The County, one frequent response is “I had no idea ACAP did all of that.”
Detailing all of the ways we provide support and help mobilize individuals and communities would take more room than available in this format and more time than a typical civic organization presentation allows. That noted, I did want to share with your readers and our community some of the many areas where ACAP positively impacted the lives of over 14,000 County residents in 2016.
– Over 200 residents received job training or education to gain employment or increase their earning potential. Of those individuals, 90 percent remain gainfully employed.
– 414 children and families received high quality early care and educational opportunities.
– 4,042 low-income households, a high percentage of which were seniors, made it through a cold northern Maine winter with financial assistance to heat their homes. The assistance resulted in some $2.3 million spent with local home energy vendors.
– 80 low-income households, again many seniors, had weatherization work or critical safety repairs completed on their homes. More than $450,000 was spent with local vendors and contractors to complete this work.
– 8,788 residents received education, information or took part in programs offered in local communities to raise awareness about the impact of substance abuse, tobacco, obesity and other public health concerns.
– 1,890 households received education and food vouchers to assist children at nutritional risk, or pregnant or nursing women.
– 62 households, who found themselves in a crisis situation, received comprehensive services that assisted them with income, employment, housing, transportation, health care, food security and many other areas. An additional 441 individuals were provided information and access to critical services when in need.
Now, I ask you to imagine an Aroostook County where none of these services were available. I can’t, and hope I never have to!
To get a better understanding of the impact we make in your community, I encourage you to “like” our Aroostook County Action Program Facebook page. Over the coming weeks, we will be posting service reports for each of the communities we serve. See for yourself how you, your friends, and your neighbors are touched by the programs and services our dedicated ACAP family delivers in Aroostook each and every day.
Jason Parent,
executive director/CEO
Aroostook County Action Program
