Thank You from Georgetown Central

Dear Bath Farmer’s Market, Patrons and Community Members,

I wanted to take this moment and say a special thank you to everyone for supporting the Thanksgiving Basket Project for our students at Georgetown Central School and our community at large. The generosity of everyone involved was overpowering, and during these trying times in teaching children the importance of giving to the community, there was an outpouring of support to give a real life example of how people want to give to those in need. Our students were not only overwhelmed by the amount of food from the Farmer’s Market that was donated, but the monetary donations that were shared allowed our students to purchase over $500 of produce from the farmers to go directly into each of the 18 baskets created. Families and community friends were overwhelmed by these gifts. On behalf of our students who participated in this project, we hope that each and every one of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a delightful holiday season.

Deb Thibodeau,

Guidance Counselor,

Georgetown Central School

Be Wary What You Read

A letter from Gail Card in the Nov. 22 Times Record claims to quote from a text by Saul Alinsky entitled, “How to Create a Socialist State” and hints that there things on the list are actually happening. The list is bogus. Saul Alinsky did write a book entitled, “Rules for Radicals” in 1971, but someone else wrote “How to Create a Socialist State.” Wikipedia provides a list of Mr. Alinsky’s ten rules for radicals at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ru les_ for_ Radicals. A discussion of the fake list can be found at http://www.snopes.com/politics/ quotes/alinsky.asp

This story might be a useful way to tell whether an internet “news” source is dealing in real news or fake news. Just search for it online and see how it is treated on a particular site. Be very wary of anything you read on a site that suggests that Saul Alinsky wrote “How to Create a Socialist State”. I also recommend that the Times Record letters editor check out future letters on Snopes.com as a way to keep nonsense out of the Times Record.

Bruce Brandt,

Harpswell

AARP Supports Caregivers

I recently participated in a teletown hall hosted by AARP Maine on behalf of family caregivers across the state. 1,200 Maine residents participated during the hour-long discussion. Our goal? To raise awareness about the needs of caregivers and to start to examine the supports and services Maine caregivers need in their own communities.

With 178,000 family caregivers in the state of Maine taking care of a loved one every day, we know these issues are of paramount importance. When you are a caregiver, trying to balance work and other home and family responsibilities can feel overwhelming. The truth is that caregiving can take a toll on your family as well as your career. I was a caregiver for my mom for over a decade. I know how hard it can be.

That’s why AARP Maine is dedicated to working with family caregivers to ensure that the supports needed to care both for their loved one and for themselves are in place. As we head into a new year and the next legislative session, we hope to work toward meaningful solutions to effectively address these issues.

In addition, caregivers and their families now have access to a free publication called the Maine Caregiver Resource Guide. The guide is full of state-specific tips, tools and resources to help family caregivers at every stage of their caregiving journey. You can get yours today by emailing me@aarp.org.

AARP has also created a wonderful online resource center so caregivers across the country can join a network of support and find even more resources. Please visit www.aarp.org/caregiving for more information. Let’s work together to support caregivers in Maine.

Lee Ann Stearns,

AARP Maine Volunteer,

Westbrook