Musical Storytelling, Songs, and Dance with Lisa Mayer and Rabbi Sruli Dresdner | 11:00 am

Luncheon featuring traditional Sephardic food | 12:30 pm

Songs of the Sephardim in Izmir, a documentary short, and conversation with filmmaker Brooke Saias. | 1:30 pm

The United States of Elie Tahari | 4:00 pm

Seven Blessings | 6:00 pm

Sephardic Music by Cantor Sheila Nesis, Seth Warner, guitar, and Eric LaPerna, percussion | 8:00 pm

RSVP: Here

This workshop is for startup founders and small business owners looking to understand the basics of financial projections. In this session, you'll learn how to create realistic revenue, expense, and cash flow projections to guide your business decisions and secure funding. Whether you're just starting out or refining your existing business strategy, this workshop will equip you with the knowledge to confidently forecast your financial future.

Instructor Whit Ford owned a small Maine company for 25 years, after working in industrial marketing, strategic planning, software development, and education. He has been a SCORE mentor for seven years.

If you are an immigrant entrepreneur and want to move your business forward, join us!

Register here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-immigrant-business-owners-guide-to-financial-projections-tickets-1041088322197?aff=oddtdtcreator

Do you have an idea for a new business but don’t know how to get started? Are you looking for financing for an existing business? Do you want to grow your business? In all three of these situations, a business plan is useful and, sometimes, required. In general, it is a tool for you to better understand your business and plan for the future.

For many people, writing a business plan feels overwhelming. This workshop will help you better understand:

• Why a business plan is important

• How it can help you plan and understand your business

• What the basic parts of a business plan are

• How to get started writing your business plan

• Where to find help creating your business plan

If you are an immigrant entrepreneur and want to move your business forward, join us!

Questions? Email us at bizhub@welcomeimmigrant.org or call the Business Hub at 207.517.3401 ex. 822.

We are planning to provide interpretation services. Please fill out your preferred language in the event registration form and we will be in touch.

Register HERE.

From Madeleine Saucier: I am pleased to invite you to Dancin' with Dylan, a fundraiser for Hope Acts to be held on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at Cove Street Arts in Portland. Dancin' promises to be a fun evening of live music, dancing, and light refreshments. All funds raised from this event will support our programs, allowing us to continue addressing the needs of the communities we serve. Tickets for the event can be purchased on our website HERE.

Hope Acts offers asylum seekers access to housing and basic needs, assistance in navigating complex immigration processes, and resources for learning English to help them successfully transition to a new life in Maine.

In 2023, our team provided a record number of services to clients:

• 2,833 new client intakes

• 5,081 client meetings

• 839 households received individualized housing education

• 106 households secured housing (268 people: 161 adults & 107 children)

• 20 adults (13 simultaneously) lived at Hope House

• 1,221 work permit applications completed (892 adults & 362 children)

• 327 households (380 adults and 166 children) completed an asylum application

• English classes for over 350 students

Please join us to build on this work and support asylum seekers who call Maine home.

From Pious Ali: “About a year ago, Portland Empowered partnered with the Maine State Parent Ambassadors (KVCAP) and DHHS to train immigrant parents from Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook on the resources available to them in the state.

Last week, our Parent Ambassadors from South Portland hosted a Shared Space Cafe where they shared what they have learned and the resources available to other parents. This coming weekend, we will be holding another Shared Space Cafe in Westbrook. Please share this flyer with any parents you know who have children aged 0-8.

For those of you who speak only English, here is what you’ll find on the flyer:

"Raising children in America can be challenging. Meet with community parent leaders! Get the help you need, make your parenting journey easier, and learn about the supports available in your community."

Other languages of the flier are available as well.

IWC will be hosting a table right outside our building for Portland Park(ing) Day! See details below.

Mark your calendar for Friday, September 20, 2024! On this exciting day, parking spots across downtown Portland, Maine will transform into vibrant community parks. Join us for a celebration filled with connection, creativity, and fun!

Portland Park(ing) Day is part of a global movement where cities reinvent public spaces. Portland Downtown and the City of Portland Sustainability Office, together with local nonprofits, organizations, and businesses, will create dynamic parklets that inspire and engage. Last year, we delighted visitors with the “Where’s Slugger?” photo gallery and a Baxter Woods replica. This year promises even more creativity!

For updates, follow @PortlandDowntown on Instagram or Facebook.

Here’s How to Join the Fun:

Grab Your Map & Card: Pick up your event map and participation card from various locations in Portland, or download them closer to the event. The map will show all participating parklets.

1. Discover the Parklets: Wander through unique, interactive parklets around the city. Each one offers engaging activities designed to inspire and connect.

2. Collect Stamps: Visit each parklet and get your card stamped. The more stamps you collect, the greater your chances to win a prize!

3. Enter to Win: After gathering all stamps, return your completed card to enter a drawing for a $100 gift card to a downtown business of your choice, courtesy of Portland Downtown.

Stay Updated: We will share a digital map with parklet locations and printed cards for pick-up or download. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram or Facebook @PortlandDowntown.

Don’t miss this chance to experience Portland in a fresh, creative light! For more information, email us at info@portlandmaine.com with the subject line “Park(ing) Day.”

Please join us on September 17th from 1:00pm-4:30 pm at the DoubleTree Hotel in South Portland for ProsperityME’s first Housing Forum:

The Housing Journey & Challenges of New Mainers.

ProsperityME is proud to host a panel of experts, advocates, local leaders, and new Mainers to discuss housing solutions and highlight the challenges that immigrants and refugees face to secure housing when they arrive in Maine.

Program Schedule

12:30-1:00pm Registration

1:00pm Welcome and Opening Remarks

Panel 1 Our Housing Journey: The Immigrant Experience

Panel 2 The Highs and Lows of Affordable Housing Services

Panel 3 How can we better respond to the housing needs of new Mainers?

Closing Remarks

Location Address

DoubleTree Hotel

363 Maine Mall Rd
South Portland, Maine 04106

This is an invite only event. Seating is limited so early registration encouraged. Please RSVP at the link below. For more information, contact our Deputy Director, Ellen McFarland at emcfarland@prosperityme.org

The Maine Coalition for Palestine is hosting two Community Days in September! Portland Deering Pavilion Sept 8th and Bangor waterfront Sept 29th! Food vendors, dance, art, and discussion! We are intending this day to platform people from the Palestinian, Sudanese, Somali, and Wabanaki community. we'll have singing, debke, and kid activities along with community discussion on how we grow our awareness in a multi-crisis world while also helping bring the genocide against palestinians to a stop. we understand that together our efforts can accomplish great things with voices from all communities.

Join us for a restorative day where you will connect with others, explore self-care practices, and learn from mental health professionals!

RSVP here:

Join Generational Noor, Black Owned Maine, and the Black entrepreneurial community to network and discuss foundational elements for a strong business. This event will welcome our youth into the mix and allow for connections to be established between the younger generation and the older, more established generations. Programming will be suitable for high school seniors up but younger teenagers as well as younger kids and their parents are always welcome.

Our most recent event attracted nearly 80 Black entrepreneurs, and the resounding feedback was: "Please make these events monthly!" We welcome you to Lewiston to continue this journey.

What to expect

Fellow Black entrepreneurs to network and build with

Free headshots by Firdaws Hakizimana

Interviews to discuss the entrepreneurial landscape in Maine

Halal food + variety of drinks

Post-event raffle for three $100 gift cards to local Black businesses

Vibes by DJ TBD

Black excellence!

We cannot build a Black entrepreneurial ecosystem if we do not partner and keep our money in the Black community! Join us to make this vision a reality.

This event is ONLY for Black entrepreneurs currently in the BOM network and those who are eligible to join now or in the future. If you are unsure if this event is for you, please reach out to us at the contact info below.

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About Generational Noor

Generational Noor is dedicated to addressing the opioid epidemic and fostering open discussions around substance use disorder (SUD) within Maine’s BIPOC and immigrant communities.. Generational Noor provides culturally competent support, fosters dialogue, and offers resources tailored to these communities' needs, aiming to save lives and break down barriers to seeking help.

About Black Owned Maine

Black Owned Maine (BOM) is a dynamic Black-led and Black-serving nonprofit organization based in Portland, Maine. Founded in June 2020, BOM operates at the intersection of race and socioeconomics, driven by a commitment to business education and advocacy. BOM provides Black businesses with the critical support they need to thrive and grow, fostering an ecosystem that empowers Black entrepreneurs with the tools and resources necessary for success. Our mission is to sustain and innovate an ecosystem of Black entrepreneurs in Maine. Our vision is a world where Black entrepreneurs have the same access to business resources as their non-Black counterparts.

Questions? Reach out to Rose Barboza at rose@blackownedmaine.com, via text or whatsapp at (207) 849-0008 or via Linkedin or Amran Osman at amran.osman@generationalnoor.com, via text or call (207) 405-7225