Joe has been active in Maine's Jewish community since he was a young boy, when he could be spotted hanging out at the Jewish Community Center after school. One of his favorite local traditions is the Maine Jewish Film Festival, which is taking place this week, March 18-25. MJFF curates a program of films that explore the Jewish experience through drama, comedy, documentary and short film formats. The festival has grown to be one of the best-attended, most well-respected, and highly-anticipated cultural events in the State. You can catch showings of great Jewish films at local theaters from Portland to Augusta and multiple places in between. For more information about the MJFF, visit the official website, and for the day-to-day schedule click here. Joe hopes this festival has another great year and continues to contribute to the rich cultural fabric of Maine!

Photography by Corey Templeton. See more of Corey's photos here and here.

Ever since Joe's days as a young DJ (true story), he's had a soft spot in his heart for student-run radio stations; fortunately, Portland is home to such a station. WMPG, 90.9/104.1, empowers University of Southern Maine students and community members to create diverse, innovative, high quality media, foster the exchange of ideas, and celebrate the many cultures of USM and surrounding communities for broadcast to the world. As we all know, it takes charitable donations from Portlanders like you to make such an operation possible. WMPG's Spring Begathon is currently taking place, so be sure to donate here. The WMPG volunteers and managers will be asking their listener-supporters for donations totaling $50,000 to meet the station's operations budget. For WMPG volunteers and listeners, the week of Begathon is a 7-day celebration of the unique opportunities that community radio offers. "Regular people, with and without previous media experience, come to WMPG to learn how to make radio that is important to them," explains WMPG Program Director Lisa Bunker. "We teach them the skills and responsibilities of how to do it, and then the music that is played and the topics that are discussed are completely up to them." Find more about WMPG at its official website. Joe hopes you chip in to WMPG and help support this important asset to the Portland community!

                    Photography by Corey Templeton. See more of Corey's photos here and here.

As a young Portlander, young Joe was lucky enough to enjoy his early summers right here in Maine. One experience that is essential to so many young Mainers' summers is summer camp. Whether it's day camp or sleepaway camp, trip camps or sports camps, Maine is famous for its summer camps. On that note, Maine Summer Camps is a non-profit organization that represents 130 Maine summer camps. Each year this group organization hosts a free camp fair for families in the greater Portland area. This is a special opportunity for families to explore more than 70 day and overnight camps in Maine. The folks at MSC have provided this important resource for many years. The 2017 camp fair will be on Sunday, March 19th, from 1-4pm at the East End Community School. Joe hopes you consider attending- don't forget, summer's just around the corner!

Find more about Maine Summer Camps here.

              Photography by Corey Templeton. See more of Corey's photos here and here.

A perennial favorite message of Joe's, "STRV RCKS" is once again flashing on the Time & Temp to promote Strive Rocks, an annual dance marathon at the Maine Mall that benefits Strive U, a comprehensive program providing post-secondary education and training to young adults with developmental disabilities in the realms of residential, employment, and community skills with the goal of enabling its graduates to live and work as full community members with maximum independence, productivity, and dignity. Strive U will host the marathon overnight at the mall running from 8pm Saturday, March 11th, to 8am on Sunday, March 12th. In addition to the all-night marathon, STRIVE will be rocking all day on Saturday from 10am-6pm. There will be bands, DJ's, tons of food, games, and excitement! Find more about the event and the organization here. The goal is to have as many people as possible participate in the overnight marathon and to raise the most money of any Strive Rocks marathon yet. Joe hopes Strive U reaches these goals and continues to do the amazing work on behalf of young adults!

               Photography by Corey Templeton. See more of Corey's photos here and here.

As a descendant of immigrants himself, Joe is proud each year to sponsor and promote the CeleSoirée, a celebration of immigration through the arts, held by the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP). ILAP is a non-profit organization that helps low-income immigrants improve their legal status and works for more just and humane laws and policies affecting immigrants. Find more about this great organization here.

If you're a fan of immigration and a good party, come to the Ocean Gateway on Commercial Street on Friday,March 24, at 5:30PM, where there will be a salsa dance party, a sumptuous international buffet, and incredible raffles and musical guests. Joe wants to thank ILAP for all the great work they do, and hopes to see you there!

                  Photography by Corey Templeton. See more of Corey's photos here and here.

Like anyone who's been through the grieving process, Joe knows that it can be made more bearable with companionship and support. The Center for Grieving Children, based in Portland, serves more than 4,000 grieving children, teens, families, and young adults annually through peer support, outreach, and education. Offering services for free, for as long as people need them, the Center's mission is to provide loving support that encourages the safe expression of grief and loss and fosters each individual's resilience and emotional well-being. Joe is happy to promote the "Love Really Counts" Gala, CGC's annual fundraiser that generates substantial community support to help keep the Center's services free for children and their families. This year's event will be held at the Holiday Inn by the Bay on Friday, Friday, March 3, and will feature auctions, raffles, entertainment and more, all for a noble cause. Joe hopes the event is a great success for a wonderful organization, and urges you to find more about the event here and about the organization here.

                Photography by Corey Templeton. See more of Corey's photos here and here.

Every Mainer knows of Joe Bornstein, but not as many actually know the man. Those who do know Joe personally know that he usually has a smile on his face. Maintaining a sunny disposition is one of his trademark attributes, and he thinks its an important part of living an overall happy life, which is a belief shared by Flex your Face, a movement based on the idea of building the community around the simple concept of celebrating the small moments in your day, like a smile. FYF's goal is not only to recognize and celebrate these small moments in your life that make you smile but to help create them, every single day.

Learn more about Flex Your Face here, and Joe says keep smiling, Portland!

                 Photography by Corey Templeton. See more of Corey's photos here and here.

Joe has been blessed with many amazing women in his life, some of them immigrants, so he's honored to spread the word about Women United Around the World, a nonprofit organization that helps female immigrants acclimate into a new environment and reaches out to women globally to give support and education. Women from over 30 countries who now live in Maine will gather tomorrow, Saturday, March 4, 2017, to celebrate International Women's Day. In honor of our global sisters, Women United Around the World ("WUAW") will hold its 8th Annual International Fashion Show Gala and Fundraiser from 6pm to 10pm, at the Italian Heritage Center.

Joe applauds WUAW for the noble work it does, and hopes you consider attending what's sure to be a fun event! Learn more about WUAW here, and more about the gala here.

         Photography by Corey Templeton. See more of Corey's photos here and here.