Next up on the Time & Temp Sign, Joe is promoting a more global cause: the Konbit Sante Cap-Haitian Health Partnership. This organization started in Portland as a group of health care professionals, business people, and other interested parties who shared a desire to work on building a sustainable health system in a community somewhere in the developing world. In 2001, a Haitian doctor doing his residency at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine told them about Cap-Haitian, Haiti. Following a May 2001 site visit to Cap-Haitian, in November 2001, they formally established a partnership with Justinian University Hospital ( JUH) in Cap-Haitian, the second largest teaching hospital in Haiti. Today, Konbit Sante continues its established relationship with the Haitian Ministry of Health, partners with four health facilities in Greater Cap-Haitian and supports initiatives in women and children's health, infrastructure improvements, supply chain, emergency response, and quality improvement, training and management.  Joe urges you to learn more about this inspiring local organization by going to their website.

Saturday, May 14th, is the Partnership's Seventh Annual Maine Walks with Haiti + 5K Walk/Run. Find more about this fun Portland event here. Joe hopes the weather cooperates and that the walk/run goes off without a hitch!

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

Some of Joe's favorite local charities are those that offer assistance to veterans, as he's so grateful for those who put on a uniform and risk their lives to serve our country. Since its inception, the Goodwill Veterans' Fund has assisted nearly 250 veterans in Maine with everything from car repairs including tires, heating fuel and transportation needs. Joe hopes your schedule is clear on Thursday, April 28th from 6-10pm, when Goodwill Industries of Northern New England is hosting its fourth annual Little Black Dress Event at the Ocean Gateway in Portland to raise funds for Goodwill's Veterans Fund. With hors d'Oeuvres provided by Black Tie Catering, a fashion show, a live auction, and a silent auction, this event is sure to be both a good time and a worthwhile cause. Find more about the event here. Joe wants to thank Goodwill for the work they do on behalf of veterans, and hopes the event is a great success.

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

One of Joe's favorite things about the Time & Temperature sign and this blog is that he gets to inform Portlanders about local non-profits that they may not be aware of: Furniture Friends is a nonprofit organization dedicated to acquiring and providing donated furniture to people in need throughout Greater Portland. From the organization's website: "we find our clients living in apartments with no beds, no tables, no chairs, and/or no place to store the few possessions they do own. We provide people who have next to nothing with dignity, stability, comfort and a sense of ownership." If you want to help out this local organization, you'll have the chance to do just that on Sunday May 15th, when Furniture Friends hosts Multi-Cultural Music Fest at Portland House of Music from 2 pm to 6 pm. Joe hopes you consider attending this great event, where you'll be able to enjoy food, refreshments and lively world music, and support a great local cause.

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

Given Joe's line of work, he's seen disaster strike in many different ways. Emergency situations are exactly when the Red Cross steps up. The American Red Cross of Maine, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its congressional charter and the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. The Red Cross of Maine is led by an all-volunteer board structure, and raises 100 percent of the funds necessary to carry out our mission from local individuals, corporations, and foundations within Maine. With offices in Bangor, Caribou, Lewiston, Portland, and Topsham, the more than 650 volunteers that make up the American Red Cross of Maine serve the needs of our state in every community, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.Find more about this organization here. Tomorrow, April 21st, is this important organization's Giving Day, where they ask Mainers like you to chip in and lend a hand to an organization that may one day lend a hand back. You can donate to the Red Cross here. Joe hopes you consider giving, and offers his thanks to the folks doing the great work at the Red Cross.

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

This was a tough message to decipher, even for Joe.  If you couldn't figure it out, good thing you know about www.PortlandTimeTemp.com! Portland Public Library's second annual Maker's Fair is a special event to celebrate maker culture, and bring together the talents and creativity in the community to share ideas and projects with others. Mark the day on your calendar - Saturday, April 23, 10 to 5 - and come ready to learn new skills, experiment with tools and materials, and observe stuff used in ways you never thought possible! Regardless of your background or expertise, this event will show you that everyone is a maker; after all, humans have been inventing and experimenting for hundreds of years. Learn more about this event here.

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

As an attorney with decades of experience in the law, Joe puts great stock in the legal rights of Americans. He also knows that these rights can't be taken for granted, which is why he's a big supporter of theAmerican Civil Liberties Union of Maine. The ACLU of Maine is the state's guardian of liberty, active in the courts, the legislature and the public sphere to defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights for all Mainers. On Thursday, April 28, the ACLU will be hosting its 28th Annual Justice Louis Scolnik Award Dinner at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport. Find more about this event here, and this vital organization here. Joe hopes the event is a success and thanks the ACLU for its tireless work on behalf of all American citizens.

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

Joe's mission as an attorney is to provide all Mainers with access to justice- above his desk hangs a sign with the words "Justice justice shalt thou pursue". Justice for all Mainers means equal rights for all Mainers, which is why Joe is proud to promote EqualityMaine's Annual Gala, which is Saturday, April 9, at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. EqualityMaine works to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Maine through political action, community organizing, education, and collaboration. Hosted by Blake and Eva from Coast 93.1, this year's annual gala will feature dinner, dancing, and a silent auction. Find more about this great organization at its official website. Joe hopes the event is a success and fully supports EqualityMaine's vision of the day when lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons and their families have full equality in the hearts and minds of Maine people and in all areas of the law.

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

As a graduate of Deering High School, Joe is a proud alum of the Portland education system. That's why he's promoting the Portland Education Foundation, an independent nonprofit 501(c)3 organization aligned with Portland Public Schools whose mission is to raise philanthropic support to enhance educational opportunities for present and future students in Portland's public schools. PEF Board and staff work closely with Portland Public Schools in order to identify opportunities for investment that will yield enhanced learning opportunities, and outcomes, for students. Learn more about this important local organization here, and please consider donating. As a product of the Portland school system, Joe thanks you!

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