Lifelong Maine - community connectors

Maine's Community Connectors: Neighbors Helping Neighbors Thrive

When older Mainers need help navigating resources for housing, food security, or simply finding ways to stay connected, they now have trusted neighbors to turn to. The Community Connectors pilot project, a signature initiative of the Governor's Cabinet on Aging, completed its first year—and the results speak for themselves.

A Year of Impact

From September 2024 to August 2025, 14 Community Connectors working across 12 age-friendly communities made a remarkable difference: 13,447 older Mainers engaged in at least one activity supported by a Connector, with 847 individuals receiving direct help accessing critical resources. Combined, these resource connections returned an estimated $540,000 to older Mainers through programs like the Medicare Savings Program, SNAP benefits, and home repair grants.

The Connectors didn't just link people to existing services—they built new solutions. Eighty-two new projects emerged across communities, addressing everything from transportation barriers to social isolation. In Harpswell, Community Connector Tom Mahoney launched "Retired Older Men Eating Out," which now attracts 50 to 75 men monthly for shared meals and conversation. In the Bethel area, weekly "Games On" sessions at the Bryant Pond Library provide a welcoming space where participants with mobility limitations or cognitive changes can connect and support one another.

Meeting People Where They Are

The Connectors' strength lies in their deep community roots. In Saco, one Connector established a collaboration between the local food pantry and Catholic Charities, arranging weekly transportation for New Mainers and translating intake forms into Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Lingala, French, and Spanish. In Sullivan, a Connector spent months advocating for an elderly couple whose furnace kept failing, coordinating tradespeople, fuel assistance, and home repair funding until help finally arrived.

"Policymakers make policy, but change really happens at the local level," observed one Connector. "If you don't have boots on the ground and people interfacing with other people, it's all for naught."

Building Lasting Partnerships

The pilot engaged 445 partners from multiple sectors—municipal departments, local organizations, businesses, and regional services—along with 383 volunteers. This collaborative approach proved essential. As one Connector noted, they became "the glue that's kind of pulling everybody together" for residents working toward aging in place.

The project also developed 18 free skill-building chapters that have been adopted by 33 organizations across four states, creating a lasting resource for volunteer training.

Looking Ahead

With support from AARP Maine, University of New England's Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program, AmeriCorps Seniors, and the Maine Community Foundation, the Community Connectors project is poised to expand. For communities interested in learning more, visit lifelongmaine.org/resources/community-connections or contact Patricia Oh at Patricia.Oh@Maine.edu.

As one site supervisor put it simply: "Building relationships—that's it. Having relationships helps you know that you've got a mission in life."

Read our Year One Report, Maine's Community Connectors: Neighbors Helping Neighbors Thrive 

Age Friendly Community Initiative, Bethel Region

The Community Connector Project strengthens and expands programs that serve older adults in our community. By building on what already works, the Connector projects reach more older community members to make a greater impact on aging in our area.

Our Approach. We use multiple outreach strategies to connect older adults with services and programs. This layered approach ensures that seniors can access support in ways that work best for them—whether through digital platforms, phone support, or one-on-one conversations.

Our Impact. Community Connector programs improve the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of older adults by providing information for aging in place and filling service gaps. Recent initiatives include a weekly "Games On" social program for people living with dementia, new partnerships supporting aging in the community, and in-home visits that connect family caregivers and individuals with dementia to essential resources. 

Community Connector -Melinda Remington

Age Friendly Coastal Communities - Healthy Peninsula (Blue Hill Peninsula, Deer Isle and Stonington)

The project goal is to build strong and sustainable community connections through Healthy Peninsula’s Age-Friendly initiatives, including the Bridging Neighbors community health outreach project and the Walk-in Café weekly social gathering.  These efforts engage and support older community members by providing resource orientation, companionship, and advocacy to improve their understanding of—and meaningful access to—resources that support health, independence, and well-being. 

Community Connector -Suzie Nutbrown

Age Friendly Bowdoinham

Bowdoinham Community Connections is a program that brings neighbors together to lend a hand with everything from navigating health, housing, and transportation challenges to simply navigating life. Our volunteer team draws on a wide variety of professional and personal experiences to offer friendly check-ins, light case management, social opportunities, and resource connections. We do this through one-on-one support, drop-in office hours, community events, and a weekly newsletter. Although many of our participants tend to be older adults, our program is open to residents of all ages. 

Outreach Coordinator - Sally Cluchey

Age Friendly Caribou & Limestone - Center for the Advancement of Rural Living 

Aroostook’s project will mainly focus on the central and northern parts of the county since they are the most rural and underserved. 

This initiative will address the needs expressed to us by the community of older adults, their caregivers, and healthcare professionals who care for them. These needs include more prepared meals, opportunities for social events specifically for them, transportation, and significant assistance in understanding and navigating the healthcare system. 

In the initial phase of our project, retired healthcare professionals will have the opportunity to volunteer as Health Navigators. As the program develops, we plan to recruit and train non-professional community members, especially bilingual individuals, who wish to assist older adults who are more comfortable speaking French. All of our Navigators will literally walk alongside the person they are helping, if requested, to ensure they understand their diagnosis, and will even accompany them during visits to other agencies for services, if they wish. Our goal is to build a network with at least one Navigator in each community to serve its needs. 

Click here for a complete description of the Community Connector site in northern and central Aroostook County.

Community Connectors - Dottie Sines and Marie St Pierre

Danforth Livable Communities

The pilot will identify the needs of older adults and pair them with resources: financial, wellness, housing, medical, transportation, safety, food insecurity, and social. The project will include developing social programs to connect people with neighbors and friends. The goal is to not only help people find what they need to thrive but to make it more comfortable to accept help or to participate in social opportunities. The work will be community driven with a focus on the priorities of our age-friendly plan. 

Community Connector - Aldene Saucier

Building Livability in New Gloucester - Age Friendly Gray/Age-Friendly New Gloucester

The pilot goal is to enhance the well-being and quality of life for older residents and others in need in Gray and New Gloucester. The Community Connectors

• provide social activities where neighbors can meet and chat with neighbors

•  help family members and older adults access area resources and services

•  provide informational sessions on topics of interest and relevance to older adults.

Community Connectors - Lori Fowler and Sheila Giancola

Harpswell Aging at Home

Harpswell Aging at Home Community Connector aims to provide Harpswell’s older residents with information, links and access to supportive resources and social opportunities that can help  thrive at home.

Many people want to stay in their homes for as long as possible. It’s familiar and we have our routines.  We know our town, our friends, our neighbors. And to do that, we may sometimes need a helping hand.

Harpswell Aging at Home provides programs and services from companionship to meals, fall prevention to a free ride to your doctor’s office, to lunch with friends, and technology support. The Community Connector links people with HAH services and regional resources that keep community members safer and more comfortable in their homes.

Community Connector - Tom Mahoney

Grateful Undead (Sacopee Valley)

The project goal is to build and maintain relationships with area seniors to understand local needs, develop new ways to communicate and promote social and educational events offered in the area, and to increase access to benefit programs. 

Community Connector - Jamie Gleason

Age Friendly Saco

The Community Connector will build effective relationships and partnerships with agencies/ organizations in the Saco region with a focus on aging.  In-home assessments will direct HandyNeighbor program participants to community resources/ programs that help residents remain safely in their homes and engaged in the community.  

In addition, the Connector will coordinate rides for New Mainers to the food pantry and develop a program that allows New Mainers to develop job skills (including practice speaking English) by volunteer with Age-Friendly Saco. This Connector will work directly with the Mental Health First Responder in the City of Saco’s Police Department as well as the EMS Director for the City of Saco. 

Community Connector - Joe Moreshead and David Steed

Age Friendly Sullivan

This project is dedicated to helping older adults in Sullivan and nearby communities live fuller, more connected lives. We do this by:

• Bringing people together through community activities and programs that foster social connections and civic involvement. 

• Bridging the gap between residents and the services they need—whether that's connecting someone with home repair assistance or linking them to valuable local and regional resources. 

• Partnering with other organizations in the area and building a stronger network to support the health, safety, and well-being of older people in our region. 

Community Connector - Misty Gleason and Kim Brooks

Age Friendly Windham: The project promotes the well-being and quality of life for older Windham residents, recognizing that with supports and resources, older community members can live healthier, more connected lives. . The Windham Connector adopted the following approaches during Year One of the CC pilot:

• Connecting People: Fun community activities and programs bring people together and help fight loneliness.

• Staying Safe: The disaster preparedness program helps older people plan ahead and stay safe during emergencies.

• Volunteer Transportation Program: Volunteers provide rides to medical appointments for those who can no longer drive.

• Learning Together: Our lunch and learn sessions combine good food with interesting topics, from health tips to local history.

• Community Partnerships: Collaboration with local and regional organizations ensures that older community members have access to the full range of support available in our area.

Community Connector - Erica Bell-Watkins

Age Friendly York - York Community Service Association

The project will provide programming, services, resources, and case management to address social isolation, quality of life for both volunteers and recipients of support and services, and other community needs including access to food, housing, fuel, and regional social services.