Ever since his children were born there (happy and healthy, thankfully!), Joe has had a soft spot in his heart for the Maine Medical Center. One of the Bornstein family's favorite parts of the hospital is the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital (BBCH), which offers comprehensive, family-centered care from an exceptional team of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals. Find more about this nationally-ranked hospital at its website.  On Sunday, June 22nd, BBCH is hosting The Color Run- a five-kilometer, un-timed race in which participants are doused from head to toe in different colors at each kilometer. Participants begin the run with a white race shirt and end the race covered in color.  All products are 100% natural and safe. The Color Run is a unique experience, focused less on speed, and more on fun! This event is sold out, but BBCH still needs over 200 volunteers to make this event a success!  Sign up with your family and friends here. Joe hopes the event is as successful and colorful as BBCH deserves!

Few things inspire Joe more than seeing people better themselves through education. (One of Joe's heroes is his great-grandmother Esther, who graduated law school in 1935...at age 65!) In Portland, there is an organization that helps adults in the area to lead better and more fulfilling lives. Portland Adult Education, PAE, is a wide-ranging community program that brings people and resources together for academic courses, for job skills or personal enrichment, for special needs, or just for fun. Classes are held throughout the city at different times. You can find more about this amazing organization at their website. Since it's that time of the year, the Portland Adult Education graduation ceremony (PAE GRAD) is on June 12 at 6 p.m., where the 38 students who attained high school diplomas and the 152 students who passed the GED/HiSET test will be honored in a ceremony at Merrill Auditorium. Joe is sure it will be an inspiring event, and wishes the graduates all the future success!

Photography by Corey Templeton. See more of Corey's work 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. The Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals is an organization devoted to caring for our state's horses. 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 2014 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 at the official website, and donate to Buy-A-Bale here.

This Memorial Day, Joe is thankful for all of the brave veterans who have served our country. With the recent news about the corruption at VA hospitals around the country, Joe has been thinking quite a bit lately about the treatment of our nation's veterans. Joe says we all have a duty to take care of those who served our country.  One local organization that's taking steps to help our veterans once they've returned home is the Southern Maine Agency on Aging. With their Vet to Vet: Veterans Helping Veterans program, veteran volunteers are trained and matched up with another veteran in their area, serving as mentors and providing much-needed companionship. Joe applauds this wonderful program, and hopes that even more veterans take advantage of this service. Find more about this great program here, and if you're a veteran, feel free to get involved.

If there's one thing Joe likes better than lunch, it's lunch for a good cause. This Wednesday, May 21, is the date of this year's Leadership Luncheon, put on by the Maine Women's Fund. The mission of the Maine Women's Fund is to transform the lives of Maine women and girls through strategic grantmaking, community engagement and support to nonprofit organizations dedicated to social change. The Fund's vision is a just and caring society in which Maine women and girls thrive so communities prosper. Since 1989, the Fund has granted almost $1.7 million to organizations across the state. Find more about this great event at the official website. Joe wishes the Fund continued success, and hopes the event goes well. 

Too many of us know someone who has been afflicted by heart disease. It is the No. 1 killer of women over age 25, and more kids than ever before are developing high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. Given this dire situation, Joe is proud to support the American Heart Association, which works to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. This Sunday, May 18th, the AHA is hosting the 2014 Southern Maine Heart Walk. Find more about this fun event at its official website, and find more about the organization here. Joe wishes all the walkers good luck, and hopes the event is a great success!

As a personal injury attorney, Joe sees Mainers unfortunately injured in many walks of life, often in avoidable accidents. Joe says there's no such thing as being too safe. With summer fast approaching, Joe has been thinking a lot lately about boat safety. The United States Coast Guard is hosting an open house and BoatSMART event to commemorate National Safe Boating Week. This event includes tours of Coast Guard facilities and boats, boating safety seminars and displays, a kayak rescue demonstration, and more fun activities. The event is Saturday, May 17th, 10am-3pm in South Portland. Find more about this event and the US Coast Guard at the official website.

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

As you know, Joe often likes to spread awareness about services that are geared towards local youth. One of the more inspiring local non-profits doing such work is the Kids First Center. The Kids First Center's mission is to minimize the emotional and sometimes physical trauma children experience during the separation and divorce of their parents. Kids First's children's support groups provide a safe place for kids to explore their feelings and learn coping mechanisms with kids who are in a situation similar to their own. On Friday, May 16th, Kids First is hosting its "Kids First And All That Jazz" Gala at the Ocean Gateway in Portland. Fun activities include a raffle, auction, live music and dancing, and more, all for a great cause. Find more about this great event at the official website. Joe hopes the event is a success, and offers his thanks again to this great organization.

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