Give Where You Live: Meet Friends of Long Creek

Portside’s 1% Back to Maine is proud to share it has granted Friends of Long Creek (FOLC) a $10,000 grant to support programs directed toward returning youth in the Maine criminal system to their communities as productive citizens.

Friends of Long Creek was established in 1995 to support youth who are at risk of or have been in the Maine criminal justice system and are returning to their communities. FOLC offers several different programs to foster goals that youngsters in the system want to achieve including college prep classes and regular college classes in conjunction with Southern Maine Community College, vocational education, and access to music, extracurricular activities, and library books. Portside’s grant funding will specifically support the FOLC Juvenile Community Corrections Officers (JCCO) program to expand beyond the Long Creek facility. 

The JCCO program covers three primary regions in the state of Maine and is designed to provide rewards for youth who are demonstrating good behavior in the communities they are reentering. Each region has dedicated correctional case managers who serve as a support system and guide the youth in the system.

“Because of the 1% Back to Maine grant from Portside, we will be able to greatly expand our reach beyond the walls of Long Creek to probationary youth statewide! We are receiving requests for help from Juvenile Community Corrections Officers (JCCOs) to aid underprivileged probationary kids with educational and vocational help, housing and nutrition assistance, and other needs. Your grant will vastly expand our ability to help,” shares Friends of Long Creek Treasurer and volunteer, Jim Willey.

Members of the 1% Back to Maine Committee were fortunate enough to visit Friends of Long Creek on October 24. During their visit, they received a tour and got to meet beneficiaries to hear first-hand about the impact grant funding has made on their experience)

 

To learn more about Friends of Long Creek, including how to volunteer, please visit their website.