Join us for dinner, stories, and fun family activities! In addition, each child will be able to take home a book each week! This free Parent and Child Together (PACT) activity meets at the Riverside United Methodist Church on Thursday evenings as designated. If you have questions regarding this FREE program or want to register, please call Renee at (207) 625-3092 or email rpayeur@sad55.org. Bring the family and join us! Please note that this is a continuation of the winter session through the spring session as well. Pre-registration is required due to space issues and to keep everyone updated on any changes.

     No Meeting Apr. 24

Join the A Family for ME program for a live, virtual conversation about becoming a foster/adoptive parent in Maine. Recruitment Specialists will answer your questions about the different ways to provide care for infants, teens, and siblings. If you’ve ever considered foster care or adoption, this is an excellent opportunity to learn more and get your questions answered! Learn about the licensing process and explore the various ways to support youth and provide care, including respite care. Discover ways to support foster families. Register directly:  

FOSTER CARE/ADOPTION Q & A - LIVE ONLINE

Join the A Family for ME program for a live, virtual conversation about becoming a foster/adoptive parent in Maine. Recruitment Specialists will answer your questions about the different ways to provide care for infants, teens, and siblings. If you’ve ever considered foster care or adoption, this is an excellent opportunity to learn more and get your questions answered! Learn about the licensing process and explore the various ways to support youth and provide care, including respite care. Discover ways to support foster families. Register directly: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/afamilyforme/

     Second Monday of the Month

     12-1 p.m. or 6-7 p.m.

Interested in learning more about solar energy for your home? Join ReVision Energy for an overview of all things solar! We'll discuss how grid-tied solar and net metering works and the all-electric household models (including heat pumps, EV charging, and battery storage) and explain how we design and price systems. The cost of solar panels has dropped 75% in the past 10 years, and there's a 30% Federal Tax Credit for solar, so now is the time to explore solar energy for your home. Please pre-register if possible for the purpose of providing materials.

Have you noticed your electric bills rising? Have you ever wondered what all the different charges are on your bill? Are you struggling to keep up with payments? Join us to learn exactly what all the charges are on your light bill. We will go over the difference between delivery and generation charges, where things like storm costs and utility profits end up on your bill, and most importantly, how we can bring them down. Too often, people leave energy to so-called experts. This session will also be an opportunity for you to share your critical knowledge about what it is like to be a utility customer. Please preregister if possible for planning purposes.

The entire process of purchasing a home is covered in this ME hoMEworks course, including making the decision, setting a budget for homeownership, improving credit, getting a mortgage approval, working with a realtor, inspections, insurance, the closing process, energy efficiency and avoiding predatory lenders. Learn about closing cost and down payment assistance programs available for first-time homebuyers, veterans, and others. Attendees will earn a Certificate of Completion required by USDA, ME State Housing Authority, and other mortgage lenders. Free individualized counseling is offered after the class. Please have pen and paper available. Registration closes at 10 a.m. on 2/5. Note: You must reply to the email that will be sent to you from YCCAC to complete registration and receive the Zoom link. Register the person with whom you are buying your house at the same time and receive a $10 refund. Pre-registration is required to receive online link. 

Lee Sullivan is the Homebuyer Education Coordinator at York CountyCommunity Action Corp. In addition to experiencing the  homebuying process multiple times, she is Certified by hoMEworks, HUD and the USDA RD Direct mortgage program.

The Brown Family or their caretakers owned Valley Lodge for 181 years until 1973. Brothers David and Ephraim Brown came to Flintstown (now Baldwin) with their father, Captain David Brown, from Concord, Massachusetts, in 1783. Captain David Brown helped lay out the plot plan and worked on the roads in Flintstown. He never lived in Maine, but his son Ephraim built Valley Lodge. Ephraim's brother David built Saddle Back Farm (now gone) right above Valley Lodge. Ephraim had seven children who all lived to be adults. Thus, in the early 1800s, he added to the original cape by building a Federal Colonial over the front half of the cape. However, none of the early features of the cape were disturbed. It is possible to see the evolution of architectural styles from the mantels. From pre-revolutionary to the late Victorian periods, 95% of the original features are still present. Valley Lodge was featured in the April 2011 issue of Early American Life; a copy is at the Brown Memorial Library. Valley Lodge is located at 67 E. Saddleback Road, West Baldwin. Take Brown Road, which goes up behind Limington Lumber on Route 113. Take the first right, which is E. Saddleback. Valley Lodge is the first house. Please note: There is no charge for this tour. The $5 registration fee will be donated to the Baldwin Historical Society. If you would like to contribute other funds to the historical society, you may do so at the time of the tour. Pre-registration is required due to spacing and safety issues. Extra sessions will be available as needed.

Bring your favorite quick and easy summer recipes for desserts, main dishes, appetizers, finger foods, candy, dog treats, or anything else you like to make that makes summer easier. We will photocopy all of the recipes so everyone will bring copies home to try out for themselves. You may bring pictures of them or even samples of some, too, if you wish for us to give them a try. This will be a fun way to get a new mix of recipes to try out on our families. Be bold! Let’s get together and swap ideas to make summer easier for all of us. Please pre-register as space is limited.

Topics covered include: industry overview/organization, Maine Real Estate Commission, agency relationships, product knowledge, property valuation, the appraisal process, financing the transaction, contracts, closings, and federal and state laws. Fee includes textbook PDF (hard copy available from Center for Real Estate for an additional fee), one year of access to the course, instructor feedback after the three quizzes and the final exam, and twice monthly Q&A drop-in sessions via Zoom. A certificate of completion is awarded with a grade of 75% or above, required for the state licensing exam ($85 fee), which must be taken within one year of satisfactory course completion. When you affiliate with a real estate agency and apply for your license, there is a $100 fee, along with a $21 criminal records check fee (some companies may offer to pay this fee when you affiliate with them). Required: Attendees must be 18 or older and have a high school diploma or equivalent to get a license, but a diploma is not required to take this class. Pre-registration is required to receive online link.

     Time Varies: Course is “At Your Own Pace” but must be completed 

     within one year

Bob Joslyn has been a licensed real estate broker in ME since 1988 and a solo agent at Keller Williams Realty for the past eight years. He has enjoyed helping many buyers and sellers make informed real estate decisions. Bob has been an instructor at Husson University for more than 20 years, teaching numerous business courses.