Concert Beneficiary
2012 Concert Beneficiary
Restorative Justice Project of the Midcoast
Every year, the MCC Board chooses a community organization as the beneficiary of the proceeds of our June concert. We are proud to announce the beneficiary for the 2012 Spring Concert (June 16 at the Strom): The Restorative Justice Project of the Midcoast.
The Restorative Justice Project of the Midcoast (RJP) promotes fundamental change by acting as a bridge between the community, schools and the criminal justice system to engage community, build lives, and restore hope.
RJP regards that society’s response to crime has largely been punitive, ignoring the victim’s needs and the skills that offenders must have in order to avoid making destructive choices. Both the criminal justice system and, increasingly, our schools, focus on laws and rules that have been broken, rather than on the harm that has been suffered.
This is an adversarial approach to crime, generating shame rather than remorse, forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation. The limitations and failures of this approach are evident in our country’s high incarceration rates and vast numbers of repeat offenders.
Finally, our ever-expanding prison system diverts money from other societal needs, including health care, education, and affordable housing.
The Restorative Justice Project of the Midcoast addresses these issues by:
- Providing new alternatives that hold offenders accountable while avoiding court, jail, and suspension or expulsion from school.
- Providing caring, effective assistance to released offenders to promote healthy decision-making, reducing the likelihood of future offenses.
- Supporting enlightened systemic change in our educational and criminal justice systems.
- Creating community awareness of how crimes and other offenses affect victims and our broader society.
For more information on The Restorative Justice Project’s philosophy, programs, and trainings, visit their website at www.rjpmidcoast.org or contact RJP at P.O. Box 141, Belfast, ME 04915, (207) 338-2742.
Past Beneficiaries
2011 Concert Beneficiary: Maine Farmland Trust
www.mainefarmlandtrust.org
Maine Farmland Trust (MFT) is a statewide non-profit organization working to make farming more vital and viable. Since its founding in 1999, MFT has worked with over 200 farmers and farmland owners on multiple projects. MFT has protected over 20,000 acres of farmland, helped dozens of existing farmers stay in business, and helped over 60 young farmers get started.
2010 Concert Beneficiary: Five Town Communities That Care
www.fivetownctc.org
The mission of Five Town Communities That Care is to promote healthy youth development and to prevent problem adolescent behaviors such as substance abuse, suicide, violence, delinquency, school drop-out, and teen pregnancy in the five town community of Appleton, Camden, Lincolnville, Hope, and Rockport. We also seek to foster increased collaboration and cooperation in the community in order to best serve the needs of its youth.
MCC 2009 Concert Beneficiary: New Hope for Women
newhopeforwomen.org
New Hope for Women provides services to all persons affected by domestic and dating violence in Lincoln, Knox and Waldo counties (offices in Damariscotta, Boothbay Harbor, Rockland and Belfast). With domestic violence reaching record levels in Maine, there is strong need and demand for its services and programs. New Hope provides a 24-hour crisis hotline (594-2128), support groups for survivors, legal information and referrals, court and systems advocacy, community education and response training, outreach programs in schools, and a certified Batterers Intervention Program. It also operates a safe home network and six units of transitional housing.
MCC 2008 Concert Beneficiary: The Knox County Health Clinic
knoxclinic@aol.com / www.knoxclinic.org
The Knox County Health Clinic was founded in June of 1999 to provide primary medical care to the working people of the Mid-Coast region who cannot afford their own health insurance and do not qualify for Medicaid, Medicare or other programs. A Dental Program was added in April of 2001, with the help of a $20,000 grant from the Maine Department of Human Services. The Dental Program is able to serve patients who qualify for Medicaid, and can offer them improvements on the services offered under that program. In 2003, the Clinic began assisting patients in obtaining free medications through a Prescription Assistance Program (PAP). All the services are operated under the auspices of Mid-Coast Health Net, a non-profit corporation.
