Joe loves to see Portlanders unite for a common cause, which is why each year he spreads the word about the Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's. The Association's mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. When you participate in Walk, your fundraising dollars fuel the mission-related initiatives of care, support and research. In addition, your actions, both through fundraising and participating in the event, help to change the level of Alzheimer's awareness in your community. The 2015 Greater Portland Walk to End Alzheimer's will be held on September 26, 2015 at Payson Park. For more information about this event, including how to register, go here. Joe hopes the event is a success and thanks you for your support!

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

One of Joe's favorite parts about managing the messages on the Time & Temp sign is that it allows him to introduce Portlanders to organizations, projects, and causes that they may never have heard of but that are nevertheless important to the city. The message on the sign now is promoting Portland ConnectED, a cross-sector partnership of Portland organizations, including the City, Portland Public Schools, USM, SMCC, the United Way of Greater Portland, The Opportunity Alliance, Portland Regional Chamber, Creative Portland, Portland Public Library, and more-all working together to improve educational outcomes for children and families citywide.

Portland ConnectED brings together a unique, cross-sector partnership of organizational leaders committed to building a citywide cradle-to-career infrastructure and culture to support high quality education-for Portland's youth, for Portland families, and for the Portland community at large.

June 19th of this year is National Summer Learning Day, which will be celebrated in Portland when over 400 children at Riverton Elementary School will take the Portland Pledge for Summer Success, and every student in grades PK-5 throughout the city will be invited to join them.

Learn more about Portland ConnectED here. Joe hopes Summer Learning Day is a success, and reminds all Portlanders, young and old, to never stop learning!

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

Lately Joe has really been showing off his animal-loving chops on the Time & Temp sign. Now he can add the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland to the list of non-profits he's promoted. The mission of ARLGP is to provide temporary care and shelter for stray, abandoned, confiscated and relinquished animals, and to place as many as possible into responsible and caring homes. Every year this organization takes in nearly 4,000 stray, abandoned, or owner-surrendered animals, and maintains committed to providing the best possible care for these animals by ensuring they receive the love, dignity, respect, and medical attention they deserve. Joe applauds the work done on behalf of animals by this local organization, and urges you to consider attending their annual Fur Ball fundraiser, held this Thursday, June 18th, from 6-9pm at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. The event fill feature live music, dancing, and a raffle- all for a great cause. Find more about the event and the organization here. Joe hopes it's a blast!

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

Who's up for some summer reading? Joe just might take a break from reading briefs and memos to pick up a book at the Friends of Portland Public Library Annual Book Sale. Friends of the Portland Public Library was created to further the Mission of the Portland Public Library and promote community engagement among Library patrons. Working in close partnership with the Library, the Friends organize an Annual Book Sale in which all proceeds benefit the Library. This year, The Friends of Portland Public Library are back with an even larger selection of books, records, CDs and DVDs for the 2015 book sale! The book sale will offer tens of thousands of books under $3, and other rare books and related items. The sale will take place in the Catherine McAuley High School Gymnasium located at 631 Stevens Avenue from Thursday, June 18th through Sunday, June 21st. Find more about this local organization here, and more about this event here. Joe hopes the event is a great success. Read on, Portland.

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

As readers of this blog know by now, Joe is always eager to help promote the cause of immigrants. The descendant of immigrants himself, Joe is deeply aware of the role newcomers have played and continue to play in shaping our country. He's also aware that many of these people left their home country not by choice but by necessity, which is why he's promoting World Refugee Day, when countries from around the world raise awareness of the situation of refugees. One of Joe's favorite local organizations, ILAP, is hosting events to commemorate the day, including a kick-off on Saturday, June 13th, 3-6pm, in Deering Oaks Park, an art exhibit on Friday, June, June 19th, at MECA, and a youth conference on Saturday, June 20th, at the YMCA in Portland. For more information about this event, go here, and for more information about ILAP, go here. Joe hopes the events are a success and extends his thanks to ILAP for their continuing hard work on behalf of refugees and all immigrants!

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

Some of Joe's favorite things about living in Maine are the rural landscapes you see throughout the state. With our beautiful natural land come lots and lots of animals, including a Bornstein family favorite: horses. The Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals is an organization devoted to caring for our equine friends. Horses who have been seized by Maine's law enforcement officials and placed by court order with the Society are kept for the entirety of their lives or placed in "forever homes". One of the largest expenses for this wonderful organization is the hay; believe it or not, each horse eats one bale a day- multiply that by 365, and that's a lot of hay! The 2015 Buy-A-Bale Campaign is a fundraising effort by the MSSPA to raise money to feed the horses they care for. Joe and his family feel strongly about these beautiful animals and hope that you can lend this organization a hand. Learn more about the cause here, and donate to Buy-A-Bale here. Every $5 feeds one horse one day's worth of hay- Joe hopes you consider lending a hand to this organization!

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

One thing you may not know about Joe is that he's a bit of an animal person. Never too far from his cat Theo, Joe's got a soft spot for all of God's critters, which is why he's promoting the Maine Animal Coalition's Vegetarian Food Festival, to be held this Saturday, June 6th, at the East End School from 11am to 3pm. Since 1989, with the help of dedicated volunteers, the Maine Animal Coalition has worked to promote compassion towards all animals and to instill this compassion as a guiding principle in the State of Maine. Their Vegetarian Food Festival is a fun event featuring vegan food, live music, exhibitors, vendors, raffles, a documentary, and interesting speakers. Joe urges you to find out more about the Maine Animal Coalition at their website, and more about this weekend's event here.

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

By now Portlanders should be able to decipher the "BBCH" acronym; the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital is one of Joe's favorite Portland institutions. From well-child visits to specialized medical and surgical treatment of complex, life-threatening illnesses and injuries, BBCH offers comprehensive, family-centered care from an exceptional team of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals.

As for the "pl8" part of this message, that represents a new program that you may not have heard of.

After 2-year-old Madison Westrich was treated for a brain tumor at BBCH, her parents wanted to somehow repay the hospital, so they decided to create a specialty license plate. To create a specialty license plate, the state of Maine requires 2,000 Maine residents with active vehicle registrations to sign up with a $25 payment. BBCH will receive $10 for every $20 new specialty plate purchased and $10 for every $15 annual renewal.

The push is on to reach 2,000 supporters. Will you be one of them? If you're interested in this program, find more info (including how to sign up) at their website, and find more about the inspiring Westrich family here and here.

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