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V O L . X X X N O. X X I I G I V I N G G U I D E 2 0 2 4 – 2 0 2 5 10 GIVING GUIDE Resilience in the face of tragedy O ct. 25 will mark the first-year anniversary of the Lewiston mass shooting, which claimed 18 lives and wounded 13 others. In the immediate aftermath of the trag- edy, the Lewiston community and nonprofits such as the Maine Community Foundation and Community Concepts came together to create the Maine Resiliency Center. is organization has brought resources, advo- cates, and understanding to those who were directly impacted by the loss and devastation of the shooting. John Ochira, a community partner for MaineCF, says that after the tragedy, there was an urgent grass- roots movement to provide community support. While many plans and organizations came together to cre- ate a safety net for victims' families and survivors, the Maine Resiliency Center rose from the collaboration. "e Resiliency Center was, I think, the biggest of those efforts, and draws on the work that local organi- zations are doing, and support from the state and the Department of Health and Human Services, and so many others. It represents a big collaboration around community support and resilience," Ochira says. MaineCF stepped up to further support the Resil- iency Center through fundraising efforts which part- nered with multiple community partners. Local radio personalities, newspapers, political offices and private donors spread awareness about the effort and raised money for the families affected. rough the outreach, MaineCF raised $1.9 million, which was distributed to 29 nonprofits responding to the crisis. Another $4.7 million given to 162 individuals directly affected by the mass shootings. Ochira was proud of the fact that the fundraising efforts and disbursement were community-led through committees. ese committees included residents and locals from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives who came together to allocate funding in the way they thought Lewiston needed it the most. "We're supporting our communities that are on the ground and doing the work. ey are recognizing the challenges in the community, and they're really advocating for support to address those issues. We're supporting that group of people that are doing work," Ochira says about MaineCF's ability to uplift other nonprofits in their ability to help others. e Maine Resiliency Center was there immedi- ately in the aftermath of devastation and continues to be there for the community nearly a year later. Ochira encourages those who have not yet entered the Cen- ter to use the resources and support provided by the nonprofit. "at work that's being done at the Resiliency Center is really making a difference, and I hope that people continue to utilize it. ey've done a really good job at making that space welcoming and friendly, but still, some people who are impacted, who can benefit from the Center, still don't know that that's a place that they can go. And I think any way that anyone can get the word out would make a difference to the person that needs to get the help and needs to connect with people who could help them in that space. So, I hope that the word continues to go out." Quick response Community Concepts is a nonprofit focused on providing the community with housing, social services and economic development. e nonprofit was also the founding agency for the Maine Resiliency Center. Danielle Parent, director of the Maine Resiliency Center and senior director of Strategic Initiatives Community Concepts and Oxford County Mental Health Services, and Jim Martin, CEO of Community Concepts Inc. and executive director of Oxford County Mental Health Services, spoke about the grassroots development of the Maine Resiliency Center and its continued impact on the community. "When the Oct. 25 shootings happened and the response from the federal agencies happened, there was a need for an agency to step up to the plate to provide support to the families and the victims and the survivors of the shootings. So, the city of Lewis- ton turned to Community Concepts, given our his- tory, reputation, and quality, and asked if we would be the entity to take that on that responsibility, which, of course, we agreed to do," Martin explained. Resiliency centers can be found throughout the nation as places of support, but each community takes a different approach and offers services that fit the unique needs of their neighborhoods. Parent explained that at their cores, all resiliency centers are safe spaces for people in the community to gather. In the chaos that followed the shootings, the staff of Community Concepts were faced with decisions they had to make quickly, "What should the center offer? What are the needs of residents? Should they open urgently or take their time?". Instead of going slow with the develop- ment process, Community Concepts decided to meet the urgency of the situation. "We took the approach of just holding space and being present and creating a physical space that people could come to and share in their common experiences, We're supporting our communities that are on the ground and doing the work. They are recognizing the challenges in the community, and they're really advocating for support to address those issues. — John Ochira Maine Community Foundation PH OTO / C OU R TES Y M AI NE C OM M U NI TY FOU NDATI ON John Ochira, a community partner for Maine Community Foundation, says that after the Lewiston tragedy, there was an urgent grassroots movement to provide community support. Nonprofits supporting survivors of the Lewiston shooting. B y S l o a n e M . P e r r o n

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