Windham County Action Network (WeCAN)

"All of the great social justice advances that we ever had in this country have come not from people with big titles and not from people at the top, but just from everyday people getting together and saying, “Enough is enough. I’m going to change this, and I’m going to get involved, and I am going to be engaged.”
Nina Turner
Nina Hudson Turner is an American educator and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she was an Ohio State Senator from 2008 until 2014. She is currently running for Congress.

Happy Sunday WeCANners! Consider this your weekly reminder and invitation to Resist, Persist, and Insist. 

• Resist those ideologies that go against equality, equal opportunity, inclusion, and fairness.
• Persist in conversations with legislators, in solving problems, in your daily actions for change, and
• Insist on justice, accountability, and a voice for ALL, especially those that are often unheard. 

We look forward to seeing you at an event or meeting this week! 

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WeCAN Community Member Needs Assistance

Brenda Siegel, our dear friend and WeCAN community member, is recovering from surgery and in need of community support. You can use THIS LINK to access her meal train website where there are both food and light housework slots that need to be filled in the coming weeks. If you are able, please sign up! Check out the "Review All Instructions" yellow tab on Brenda's meal train homepage for more information on specific needs, allergies, and suggestions. Thank you! 

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HAPPENING THIS WEEK:
MONDAY, MARCH 21st, 2022-SUNDAY, MARCH 27th, 2022

Vermont Food Bank’s Veggie Van Go Upcoming Schedule
The First and Third Mondays of Every Month in the parking lot across the street from the main entrance to Brattleboro Union High School (131 Fairground Road, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 10am-11am. 
Veggie Van Go is a program through the Vermont Foodbank that gives out free produce and local food for people to take home.
March 21st, 2022
April 4th, 2022
April 18th, 2022
May 2nd, 2022
May 16th, 2022

Important information:

• Drive through model- please stay in your vehicles
• If you are walking there: see a Vermont Foodbank associate but please make sure to stay 6 feet back.
• There are no income requirements, registration or paperwork to participate
• You do not need to be present to get food: you may ask someone to pick up on your family's behalf.

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2022 Congressional Candidate Forum
hosted by Rights and Democracy
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022, Online. 6pm.
RSVP HERE.
2022 is a crucial election year for the future of elected representation in Vermont, from the State House to the halls of Congress.
Vermont's sole congressional seat is open, and there is a robust race between three qualified candidates. Right now, we have an opportunity to advance the vision of a government that works for all of us, reflects us, and is responsive to the needs of our communities. And it is vital that you are part of the process of getting us there!
Join us for a candidate forum, as we hear from congressional candidates Senate Pro Tempore Becca Balint, Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray, and State Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale. We will ask questions about issues important to all Vermonters -- such as housing access, public education, workers' rights, and immigration -- and take the time to dig deeper into each candidate's experience, approach, and vision for the future.

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Aquarela
hosted by 350 Brattleboro
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022 at Epsilon Spires (190 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7:30pm.
Take a cinematic journey through the transformative beauty and raw power of water. Aquarela is a visceral wake-up call depicting the sheer force and capricious will of Earth’s most precious element. This event is hosted by Epsilon Spires in celebration of World Water Day. 

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Guilford Cares Food Pantry
Thursday, March 24th, 2022 at the Guilford Fairgrounds (163 Fairground Rd, Guilford, VT 05301). 3pm-4pm. 
If you have questions, concerns or would like to donate groceries or monetary gifts please contact Pat Haine 802-257-0626. For additional questions or more information call 802 579 1350 or email [email protected]. 
Guilford Cares Food Pantry has moved! The Pantry has moved to the First Aid building at the Guilford Fairgrounds. We will be fully stocked with all our usual grocery items.
The Fairgrounds are on Fairground Road, just off Weatherhead Hollow Road. From Guilford Center Road turn onto Weatherhead Hollow Road. Travel 1.7 miles down the road. The Fairgrounds are on the left and there will be a sign directing you up the hill for about .2 miles. The red building is on the left with a sign out in front. Please remain in your car; we’ll greet you,  and give you a shopping list as we have been doing for the past year.
If the Pantry will be closed for any unexpected reason, the closure will be announced on WKVT, WTSA, and Front Porch Forum.
If you cannot come to the Pantry due to illness or high risk, you can call also call Pat to arrange for food delivery by a volunteer.
We know that supplemental food can make such a big difference in one's budget. That is why we are stocking our shelves for our neighbors. All are welcome to come and take home fresh produce, staples, meat, dairy.
Guilford Cares welcomes anyone in need of supplemental food for themselves or their families.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Honoring the Seven Generations: Indigenous Identity in the 21st Century
hosted by the Atowi Project
Tuesday, March 29th, 2022, Online. 6pm-7:15pm.
Pre-register in advance for the Zoom link, please. https://zoom.us/.../tJcpcuGorzgiGdRyNfAcrHSDUdQmZSmj5kYa
Jim Taylor, Abenaki, will discuss indigenous identity in the 21st century. Identity informs all the decisions we make and how we walk in the world. Those decisions are based upon core values from the traditions that are passed down through generations and carried forward to our children. Recognition, blood quantum, and mixed heritage will be touched upon.
Part of an ongoing webinar series on contemporary Native perspectives within Ndakinna, Abenaki homelands.

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The Poetics of Girlhood and Womanhood in America
Partner: Middlebury College and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Underwriter: Anne Commire Fund for Women in the Humanities
Sponsor: The Friends of Brooks Memorial Library
Wednesday, April 6th, 2022, at Brooks Memorial Library (54 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm.
Poets and writers Diana Whitney and Shanta Lee Gander join Christal Brown, associate professor of Dance at Middlebury College, in a conversation that explores how girlhood and womanhood in America are manifested across the boundaries of poetry, dance, and lived experience.
About the Presenters
Diana Whitney’s edited work, You Don’t Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves, ranges across intersectional, intergenerational, and gender-fluid voices.To learn more visit: https://www.vermonthumanities.org/.../the-poetics-of.../

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Workshop: The Art of Pysanky (Ukrainian Decorated Eggs)
Saturday, April 9th, 2022 at The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (10 Vernon St, Brattleboro, VT 05301). 1:30pm.
Face masks required inside the building. Admission: $55, includes materials ($50 for BMAC Members). Space is limited and registration is required: Register online or call 802-257-0124 x101.
Acclaimed Pysanky artist and instructor Jenny Santa Maria leads a hands-on, in-person workshop in the traditional Ukrainian folk art of egg decoration.
Pysanky technique is similar to batik: Patterns are drawn on an egg with hot beeswax, which protects covered areas from subsequent applications of colored dyes. When the wax is removed, a multi-colored pattern is revealed. The finished product, with its intricate designs and symbols, belies the meditative process involved. The patience and concentration required to complete a single egg is rewarded when the wax is taken off.
This two-hour workshop will cover the history and traditions surrounding Pysanky, how to make your own egg, and an independent practice session. The instructor will provide a variety of eggs, many hard-to-find traditional and non-traditional colored dyes, and tools. Participants will leave with a beautiful colored egg. Ages 16 and up, no experience necessary.

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Rich Earth Urine Donor Kick-Off: Poets for Peecycling 
April 9th, 2022 at Vermont Jazz Center (72 Cotton Mill Hill Brattleboro, VT). 2pm-3:30pm. RSVP to [email protected]. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Please come vaccinated and with a mask to wear when not actively eating or drinking.
The Rich Earth Institute is hosting their 2022 Urine Donor Kick-Off at the Vermont Jazz Center on April 9, 2-3:30pm. Join us to celebrate a decade of reclaiming urine as a resource - for clean rivers and fertile farms in Brattleboro! We will be featuring readings from prominent Vermont poets on peecycling and related themes, in addition to the "Piss-off Awards" ceremony and updates about Rich Earth's work.

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Housing for All
sponsored by Vermont Coalition for Disability Rights
Monday, April 11th, 2022, Online. 4:30pm-6:30pm.
Check out vcdr.org for updates.
This online forum is part of Disability Awareness Day 2022 and will focus on issues of affordable and accessible housing for people with disabilities. More info and registration coming soon.

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A Silent Vigil of Loving Kindness 
Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at Wells Fountain (298-250 VT-30, Brattleboro, VT 05301). 4:30pm-5:30pm.
For further information and to be on the mailing list for future vigils, please contact Tim Stevenson, [email protected]
Under a banner that reads, “Holding a Space of Loving Kindness for All Living Beings,” we conduct a silent vigil every other Wednesday, 4:30-5:30, @ Wells Fountain across from Brooks Library and the Municipal Building, downtown Brattleboro
Our purpose is to serve as a living reminder of the inherent goodness of each of us, as well as our inextricable connection with one another.
For a few minutes or the entire hour, all are welcome to join us in extending sentiments of loving kindness to all living beings: to family and friends, neighbors and strangers, kindred spirits and adversaries, human and non-human beings, alike. And to ourselves, as well. People may choose to stand, kneel, or sit in a chair they bring, or on one of the stone benches circling the Fountain.

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Spark Teacher Education Solidarity Film Series: Cowspriacy
Friday, April 29th, 2022, Online. 7pm.
Professional development credits available. For more information contact Spark Teacher Education Institute at [email protected]
Zoom Meeting ID: 829 4329 6979
This is a documentary that interrogates the meat industry’s contribution to the climate crisis. Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption, and pollution, and is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry; it is also a primary driver of rainforest destruction, species extinction habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean dead zones, an virtually every other environmental ill. Yet, it goes on, almost entirely unchallenged. Optional Reading: Creating an Ecological Society: Towards a Revolutionary Transformation (Chapter 1: The Social and Ecological Planetary Emergency), by Fred Magdoff and Chris Williams. 

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Green Up Day (Statewide)
Saturday, May 7th, 2022.
For more information, please go to https://greenupvermont.org.
Pick up your Green Up trash bags and get out in your community on Saturday, May 7 to clean up your neighborhood roads and waterways. As a volunteer, you make a huge difference for our environment. Please check back to the website during April for more information and for specific town information. Thank you.

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Spark Teacher Education Solidarity Film Series: The Boys Who Said No
sponsored by Brooks Memorial Library 
Friday, May 27th, 2022, TBD. 7pm.
Professional development credits available. For more information contact Spark Teacher Education Institute at [email protected]
Zoom Meeting ID: 829 4329 6979
This documentary profiles the young men and women who actively opposed the military draft in order to end the Vietnam War. The film shows how their personal and collective acts of nonviolent resistance, risking arrest and imprisonment for up to 5 years, were a critical part of the antiwar movement, intensifying opposition to the war and eventually forcing an end to both conscription and the war. May be in person, details available soon. 

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*POSTPONED UNTIL JUNE 1st, 2022 * From the Parlor to the Polling Place: Stories and Songs from the Suffragists
hosted by the VT Humanities Council
Wednesday, June 1st, 2022 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm. 
This talk has been postponed to Wednesday, June 1. Singer and historian Linda Radtke, in period garb and a “Votes for Women” sash, celebrates the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave the right to vote to white women. Linda Radtke, a classically trained singer, was a Vermont high school teacher for thirty-one years and now produces the VPR Choral Hour on Vermont Public Radio.

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Groundworks Collaborative and Foodworks are Hiring!
Please help us spread this news!  Groundworks Collaborative in Brattleboro, Vermont, is recruiting two seasoned and dynamic senior leaders to oversee and lead change in its shelters and food distribution center.  Reporting directly to the executive director, both positions will have the creative opportunity to enhance programmatic and operational excellence, while building a great place to work and volunteer. 
This is an exciting time to join the Groundworks team.  After tremendous growth in recent years, these leaders will play a key role in helping enhance organizational effectiveness and long-term sustainability.  Both leaders will embody Groundworks’ values and philosophy of non-judgment and compassion while implementing high service-delivery standards, supporting clients, building a collaborative team environment, and facilitating seamless integration of Groundworks’ programs and services to maximize impact.

• The Director of Shelters, a new position, oversees Groundworks’ two shelters—each operating 24/7 and serving roughly 250 individuals each year.  The ideal candidate will have an extensive track record in enhancing systems, continuous improvement, and excellence in programmatic, operational and people leadership.  For more information and a full job description, click here. 

• The Foodworks Coordinator oversees our extensive food distribution center serving 2,000 individuals monthly. The ideal candidate will have an extensive background in food-related services, fostering operational excellence, and working with people in vulnerable situations.  For more information and a full job description, click here.

Additionally, we are looking for a Clinical Consultant to support Groundworks staff in gaining insight and practicing self-reflection regarding the challenges of our ongoing work. The Clinical Supervisor will provide information and education around specific issues (e.g. substance abuse, schizophrenia, domestic violence, etc.). The time spent together each week with a Clinical Supervisor is extremely valuable, and viewed as an important time and space for team building for various Groundworks teams. For more information and to apply, click here.

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ONGOING EVENTS

Recovery Families
hosted by Turning Point
Fridays at Turning Point of Windham County Recovery Center (39 Elm Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 10am-11am. 
Young children welcome!
Join other caregivers for connection and support of your own recovery journey or that of someone you love. 

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Taking Steps Brattleboro, a program of Brattleboro Area Hospice is offering Advance Care Planning Weekly Zoom Information Sessions on Wednesdays from 10am-11am.
If you are interested in attending the Zoom info session, or want more information about Advance Care Planning, please contact Ruth Nangeroni, Advance Care Planning Program Coordinator at 802-257-0775 ext 101 or [email protected]
Advance care planning ensures that your loved ones and health professionals know what you  want in a medical emergency when you are unable to speak for yourself. It’s a process of creating a written health care plan(advance directive) that tells others what you would want if you couldn’t tell them yourself.
Advance Care Planning includes discussing choices about end-of-life (EOL) care with your medical provider, family and others. It involves choosing and educating your Health Care Agent and making informed decisions to complete an Advance Directive. Join us and learn more. Find out if adding a COVID-19 or Dementia provision would be beneficial to include or add to a previously completed Advance Directive.
Brattleboro Area Hospice (BAH) is an independent, non-profit organization that provides non-medical support to dying and grieving community members and volunteer-staffed assistance with Advance Care Planning. BAH is 100% locally funded, and provides services free of charge. Services are available to anyone living in southeastern Vermont or bordering New Hampshire towns.
Advance Care Planning: It’s how people care for one another.

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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESOURCES

HEART PROGRAM AT OUT IN THE OPEN

My name is Jake McBride (he/him) and I am the Health Justice Organizer at Out in the Open. I am coming to you today with some good news! This week, Out in the Open will be publicly announcing our new HEART (Health Equity & Access for Rural TLGBQ+) Program, formerly known throughout the planning process as the Health Buddy Program. 
This program, made possible by funding and support from Windham County’s Consortium on Substance Use (COSU), aims to address common healthcare barriers faced by TLGBQ+ (Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer) people living in and/or receiving care in Windham County, Vermont. A team of trained volunteers will work alongside community members as Essential Support People to ensure access to safe and supportive healthcare. Our goal is for participants to feel supported while remaining in control of their own health decisions. 
We are looking forward to working in partnership with providers to ensure the needs of our community members are met. The program is now accepting volunteer applications and will begin providing support to community members in early May. Please share the good news and learn more about the HEART Program through our website or the attached PDF. Thank you for your support!
Best Regards,
Jake McBride

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In Home Covid 19 Vaccines and Boosters

If you are homebound and not able to leave your home for medical services, you can get your COVID-19 vaccination and booster in your home.

• If you are in the service of a local home health agency, the agency will reach out to you to schedule an appointment.
• If you are not in the service of a home health agency, you may request an appointment by calling 802-863-7240 (toll-free 833-722-0860) Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

www.healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine

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Covid 19 Pop-Up Testing and Vaccinations
Testing and vaccinations are available for all. 
If you need testing or a vaccine, there are a variety of options available to you: your primary care provider, pop-up sites and pharmacies. The Test Site Finder below can help you find other testing near you.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT POP-UP TESTING LOCATIONS
Here are the steps to set up a testing appointment at a pop-up testing site:

• Register to get an account
• Receive an email with your patient ID and use that to confirm your account (check your spam folder if you don't see the email)
• Log in with your patient ID
• Set up an appointment

Register for Pop-Up Testing Here

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The Village Closet
on the Wintson Prouty Campus (60 Austine Drive, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in Croker Hall.
Open Wednesdays from 4pm-6pm and Saturdays from 10am-12pm, or
by appointment. For more information, please email [email protected]
Your source for free baby, children, and pregnancy clothing/items. Donations of gently used items accepted. We are collecting new and "like new" children's coats and winter gear for our Kids in Coats partnership with United Way of Windham County.  If you have items to donate, please stop by today if you are able!
On Wednesdays, Everyone Eats will be distributing free dinners on campus from 3:30pm-4:30pm.

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FREE HEALTHY AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD IN WINDHAM COUNTY

Brigid’s Kitchen, St. Michael’s Church, 47 Walnut Street, Brattleboro 802-254-6800 or 802-558-6072 
Grab-and-go lunches and fruit/nuts on Mon, Weds, Thus, and Sat, 11:30am-12:20pm.

Loaves and Fishes, Centre Congregational Church 193 Main Street, Brattleboro (802) 254-4730
Grab-and-go lunches on Tuesdays and Fridays at 12pm.

VT Foodbank and Veggie Van Go will be at Brattleboro Union High School (Fairground Ave, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in the parking lot, on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month, from 10am-11am. Drive up, touchless pickup. Walkers welcome, too. Call VT 211 for more information. 

Foodworks, the food shelf program of the Groundworks Collaborative https://groundworksvt.org (802) 490-2412, [email protected] 
Foodworks has open hours for curbside pickup on Mondays 11am-4pm, Wednesdays 1pm-6pm, Fridays 12pm-4pm, last Saturday of each month from 9am-12pm. Deliveries are available onTuesdays across Windham county. Please email [email protected] or call 802-490-2412 with any questions!
Households in need of food are asked to call or email to coordinate delivery. There is an urgent need for volunteers, and Foodworks has set up protocols to keep staff, volunteers, and clients as safe as possible. Please email us at [email protected] if you are able to help.

Marlboro Community Food Share
hosted by the Marlboro Community Center
Wednesday 10am-2pm; Thursday 10am-5pm; Friday 10am-12pm; Saturday 10am-12pm at the Marlboro Community Center (524 South Road, Marlboro, VT, 05344). 
The Marlboro Community Center invites you to fill a bag with non-perishable grocery items. Food is set up in the main space and is available during our open hours. Eggs and produce on Thursdays as available. No registration or eligibility required. Deliveries can be made through Marlboro Cares for those needing assistance. Please call Marlboro Cares at 258-3030 in advance to arrange a delivery.
To donate food:
Leave non-perishable food in the donation box at the Marlboro Post Office. It will be collected on a weekly-basis. (Please note that this box previously supplied the Deerfield Valley Food Pantry, which is now distributing food exclusively from VT Food Pantry) 
Gardeners and farmers are welcome to donate produce. Wear masks and wash hands when harvesting and handling food. Fresh produce can be dropped off at the Community Center on Thursday between 1pm and 4pm. (Any leftover produce will be taken to FoodWorks the following morning)

Guilford Food Pantry 
Every Thursday at the Guilford Fairgrounds. 5pm-6pm.
We know that supplemental food can make such a big difference in one's budget. That is why we are stocking our shelves for our neighbors. All are welcome to come and take home fresh produce, staples, meat, dairy. Guilford Cares welcomes anyone in need of supplemental food for themselves or their families.

Putney Foodshelf Weekly Open Hours 
Fridays at Christian Square, Putney, VT, 05346. 1:30pm-3:30pm.
Saturdays at Christian Square, Putney, VT, 05346. 9am-10:30am. (NEW HOURS!)
We also have a food drop at the Putney Meadows parking lot every 4th Thursday, from 9am-9:45am.
Message us on our FB page HERE, call 802.387.8551, or email [email protected] with questions. www.putneyfoodshelf.org
Curbside Open Hours. All are welcome - we just ask you to provide your town of residence and number in household for our data tracking purposes.
Stay in your car, please. Volunteers will take your order and bring out boxes of food, including nonperishable items, fresh produce, paper goods, meat, and dairy products.

Everyone Eats continues, including grab-and-go meals at these times and locations: 

• There is no longer an Everyone Eats distribution at Turning Point on Sundays, as Edible Brattleboro is dormant in the winter.
• The meals at Retreat Farm are stocked in their farm stand for pick up anytime, first come first serve. We are planning to stock on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Folks receiving services through Foodworks, Loaves and Fishes, and the Brattleboro Community Justice Center can obtain free meals through those organizations.
You can also order Everyone Eats! meals directly from participating restaurants using the Localvore App.

Our Place Drop-In Center at 4 Island Street, Bellows Falls, VT, 05101. Call us at 802-463-2217 for assistance. Email at [email protected] Please wear a mask to keep our employees and yourself safe.
Hours of Operation:
Monday-Wednesday: 8:30am-4pm
Thursday: 8:30am-1pm
Friday: 8:30am-4pm
Saturday and Sunday: Closed
Our Place Drop-In Center operates a food pantry and meal site where they serve breakfast with to-go meals that are ready for pickup by 9am. Lunch is ready by 11:30am. 
Everyone is welcome to stop by to get a meal. At this time we are allowing only employees in the building.

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ADDITIONAL COVID 19 RESOURCES CAN BE FOUND AT THEIR PERMANENT HOME ON OUR WEBSITE, HERE: https://www.wecantogether.net/covid19_resources

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RESOURCE FOR WeCAN

Rapid Response Text Alert System

When WeCAN began, Song & Solidarity set up a Rapid Response Text Alert System for WeCAN Groups. Directions for signing up are on WeCAN's website, here: https://www.wecantogether.net/rapid_response. We are grateful to Song and Solidarity for providing this service.

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ONGOING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING 

Indigo Radio
Sundays at 12pm on Brattleboro Community Radio 107.7FM. To stream live, visit: www.wvew.org 
Indigo Radio, deepening understanding and making connections! IndigoRadio is a group of area educators seeking to learn through engaging with others in our community and throughout the world. We will be talking about educational and social issues both globally and locally and connecting them to our lives and Brattleboro community. Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indigoradiowvew/. For archive recordings of past shows: https://soundcloud.com/user-654648353. 

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With so much happening in the world, we wanted to take a quick moment to remind you to drink water, move around, and get some fresh air and sunshine. If you are struggling and need someone to talk to, Text "VT" to 741741 and a crisis counselor will be happy to chat with you. You are not alone. 

Your Friendly WeCAN Editors,

Joanna and Sam