This year we are experimenting with some new ways of celebrating the holidays. We are forgoing the typical holiday stress of buying gifts, and instead getting back to the roots of what holidays are supposed to be about; connecting with friends and loved ones and giving back.
Our First Friday event, The Alternative Gift Market, is modeled after other Alternative Gift Fairs around the county, which promote the idea of giving back to your community, whether local or global. We are excited to have ten amazing organizations on board for this event:
The Telling Room, a local non-profit whose mission is to build confidence, strengthen literacy skills, and provide real audiences for young writers ages 6-18.
The Siddhartha School Project, a Freeport based non-profit that seeks to give the highest-quality, thoroughly modern education to students in Ladakh, India, a remote region in the high Himalayas of Northern India.
Breaking Ground is a local non-profit committed to grassroots action, sustainability, and community empowerment in Cameroon.
Portland Trails is working to create and maintain a 50-mile network of trails in Greater Portland, engage the participation of neighborhoods, schools, and the business community in trail use and land stewardship, and make Greater Portland a model for people-powered recreation and transportation.
The Birth Roots model is non-clinical, community based education and support throughout pregnancy and the first year of parenting.
Maine Sustainable Agriculture Society’s mission is to explore, develop and promote agricultural systems and practices that allow Maine farmers to retain a greater share of consumer expenditures for farm products.
Hardy Girls Healthy Women (HGHW) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and well being of girls and women, while creating opportunities, developing programs, and providing services that empower them.
SailMaine is a non-profit organization formed to support sailing in Maine at the grass-roots, community level, connecting people of all ages and abilities to the coast of Maine through fun and affordable sailing education, recreation, and competition.
Maine Centers for Women, Work and Community is committed to improving the economic lives of Maine women and their families, meeting women “where they are” and providing them with support, guidance, and the tools they need to take the next steps toward a more promising future.
At Konbit Sante Cap-Haitien Health Partnership, the mission is to support the development of a sustainable health care system to meet the needs of the Cap-Haitien community with maximum local direction and support.
Saturday, December 3rd, from 12-4PM we will be reviving the lost art of letter writing. Letter Circle, a full service letter writing facility, will provide an opportunity to take a breather during the craziness of holiday shopping and do something very basic and meaningful: write a letter. With help from our friends at Papier Gourmet, who will be providing some of their beautiful letter writing accoutrement, we will simply be taking a moment to connect with friends and loved ones the old–fashioned way.
So, please join us for a holiday weekend you can feel really, really good about.
