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Healthy Maine Talks
Stories from people across Maine working to make their communities healthier and safer. Hosted by Maine Public Health Association.
Logo design credit: Elias McEaneney
Photograph (in logo) credit: Don Donelson
Healthy Maine Talks
Ray Ruby from Maine Cancer Foundation
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As of now, cancer is the leading cause of death in Maine, and 1 in 3 people in the state will eventually receive a cancer diagnosis. In this month's episode, Matt sits down with Ray Ruby, Executive Director of Maine Cancer Foundation, to discuss their community led approach to combating cancer in Maine. Tune in to hear more about how you can help advance MCF's mission, including through the upcoming Tri for a Cure event on July 16th and throughout the rest of this month.
*This episode is supported by the New England Public Health Training Center*
Hey everybody, this is Matt Wellington. I'm the Associate Director of the Maine Public Health Association and host of the new monthly podcast Healthy Maine Talks. Thanks so much for joining us for our first episode. I want to take the opportunity to share a little bit about what we're hoping to accomplish here. And the idea is pretty simple. We want to feature and highlight people across Maine who are working to make their communities healthier and safer. So if it matters to Maine and it matters to our health, we're going to talk about it. And I'll be sure to ask each of our guests what can our listeners do to help. It's also a great excuse for me, who's relatively new in my role as associate director with MPHA, to meet a lot of different folks across the state and hear what they're working on. So I'm really excited and I hope you'll stick with us as we go through this process. And again, we'll be putting out an episode every month. So please tune in then. So without further ado, let me turn it to our first guest, Ray Ruby, the executive director of the Maine Cancer Foundation. I sat down with Ray to talk to him about what brought him to Maine, what he loves about Maine, which, spoiler alert, has a lot to do with the great outdoors. And what the Maine Cancer Foundation is doing to address the leading cause of death in Maine right now, which of course is cancer, though that might change soon, as you'll hear in the episode. So please stay tuned to hear all of the amazing work that Ray and his team at the Maine Cancer Foundation are doing and how you can help. Hey everybody. As I said earlier, we are here today with Ray Ruby, the executive director of the Maine Cancer Foundation. Ray is our first guest on the Healthy Maine Talks podcast, and I'm so excited to have him. Ray, thanks for being here.
SPEAKER_01Thank you, Matt. Um, very, very honored to be uh not only a guest, but the first guest. So uh I think um yeah, it's a it's a real honor and excited for the conversation.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you have to set the bar really high. Are you ready?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'm gonna do my very best.
SPEAKER_00I think you're gonna do great. Uh so Ray, I think a lot of folks in Maine know you either from your camping trips. That's how I actually found out about you first. My wife, who you know, we do a lot of outdoor activities, she sent me your blog, I think, and said, check out what they're doing. They're going to all the state parks with the Ruby family. Um, so they either know you from that or they know you from your intrepid travels around doing your work on uh cancer with the main cancer foundation. But for folks who don't know you, why don't you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself and give us some of your background?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, excited to um, you know, went to St. Joe's, very lucky to go to school there, met my wife there back when we were 18. Um, and um, you know, she's from Matawaska, and I was from Connecticut, and so Portland was an almost in between, even though it's still further to Madawaska than it is to Connecticut by a couple hours. Um, and so yeah, jumped right into police work at 21 years old, hit the streets of Portland, uh, was a Portland police officer trying to get back to my community and just really enjoyed serving my community and living in the city and working in the same city. Um but over time I was, you know, kind of watching these nonprofits and just seeing how much impact they had in the community and doing work so proactively, um, where I felt like I was always showing up afterwards and trying to fix a problem or put a band-aid on it. And though I really enjoyed my time, you know, and I'll see some officers actually later today, um, you know, I really enjoyed my time as a Portland police officer. I decided after seven years uh I wanted to move into the nonprofit world and and really try to um give that a go and and try to give back to my community a little bit more uh proactively. And so worked for a couple wonderful local nonprofits. I had a great chance to um get some great leadership skills and experience over time. And but I think what was missing is, and you nailed it, Matt, like we love Maine, both of our families do. Um, though I love where I live, I wanted to find something that fit a little bit better to I wanted to serve the whole darn state. I just wanted to figure out a way where I could work across this entire state. And so when a position at Maine Cancer Foundation, a new position opened up, that they wanted somebody to go out and about and tell people the good work that was being done by the foundation, help build partnerships, um, but do it all over the state. And then once I heard that, they couldn't keep me out. And so been here for the last five years, took over as executive director in November. Um, and I just work with the best, best, best people. Um, and the staff here are incredible, and I'm just so lucky every day that I I walk into the office.
SPEAKER_00Right. And we're both lucky to have partners in our lives who just happen to be from Maine and brought us to Maine. So we moved to Maine for love and we stayed for love.
SPEAKER_01Um we are very, we are very lucky in that way.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, for sure. So, you know, and I I've also I've taken a page out of your book because I just started with MPHA as their associate director, and I have been thinking, like, how do I get myself out there? And I remember one of our first meetings, you said just show up, you know, you got to get there. The value of being in person and meeting people, uh, just show your face, meet these folks across the state. There doesn't have to be an agenda to go into a meeting. And I've taken that to heart and I've been getting out there. I need to get out there more, uh, especially different parts of the state, but I've taken that page out of your book for what it's worth.
SPEAKER_01No, and I think you, and you know, and you connect with people so well, and and and you know, the computer does a wonderful thing. It helps uh help us can helps us connect it with people on a daily basis, which is wonderful, but I think we just can't rely on it um too much, especially here in Maine. People really value that face-to-face time. Um, and you know, like you, like you just you just nailed it, just showing up and being there um is huge. Uh, and then I always say coming back is even bigger. And so um, you know, that is that's when you when you really people start to realize, okay, this isn't a one and done. You didn't cut up, you know, show up to cut the ribbon and the open, you know, the open the front door, you know, at the grand opening and never return. Um, but really you're there for them when they call, um, when they need a zoom. You when you when you stop by for no reason just to drop something off, it means something to people because most often they're living in these communities too. So you and I are working with these people in a professional, you know, manner, but they live there too quite often. So you're showing respect to their community that they've chosen to raise their families and and and to live, and that means something. And you know, Brian and I were Brian, who handles all of our marketing and communications. We were up in the county uh last month um visiting with grantees in our last visit. Um, we went up to Fort Kent and then down into um, you know, down into Caribou. And then um our last meeting was in Prescottisle. And before we started our way back down Route 11, head down Route 11 to head home after an amazing trip. You know, we were in this meeting with with some folks telling us all the great work that they're doing. And it was just so wonderful to hear all the good things that they're doing and that they how much they value our partnership. And and that was wonderful, but it wasn't to the end. The quietest person in the room, quietest person in the room said, I got one more thing to say. And this gentleman said, you know, I work for this organization, um, but I live here, and I just want to say it means so much to us that you came.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01And so when Brian and I walked out into the parking lot, I said, It's been a busy three days. We drove 750 miles over, you know, two nights, three days, and you know, slept in campgrounds and did everything else. And um, I said, Wasn't it all worth it now? And he said, Abs, absolutely. And that's that's all you need to hear is that every once in a while.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, of course. And especially coming from someone who doesn't say a lot, what they do say tends to matter quite a bit. So I think that's really meaningful. So let's kind of zoom out a bit and talk about the Maine Cancer Foundation, your mission, what you're trying to address here in Maine. Obviously, it's in the name, cancer. So, first let's talk about cancer in Maine. Can you give me? I'm just curious, but also our list, the lay of the land on what cancer looks like in our state. You know, what are some of the top line statistics we should know? How do we compare to other states? How do parts of the state compare to one another? As much as you can can share, at least a topic helpful.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Uh the just the general overview is never it's it's never great to to talk about. It's important, but it's just um, you know, cancer is still, you know, at this time, uh, the number one cause of death in the state. And, you know, um, you know, that might change with heart disease. Sometimes it flip-flops back and forth. Um, most of the time, most states across the country, heart disease is the number one. Um, you know, lung cancer, and you you know this better than I do, and you could speak much better on this side of things. But, you know, lung cancer is the largest reason for that um unfortunate title of uh uh the number one killer in the state, and tobacco is a huge part of that, as you know. And again, um you can do many podcasts on that alone. Um, but you know, we've we've got high rates of smoking, and as healthy lifestyle choices play such a huge role, and then you look at the barriers across the state that drive those numbers up. You know, I it seems silly, but it's not. Last last March um or the March before took a picture of my front yard uh in the middle of March, and I had my father-in-law, Madawaska, take a picture of his front yard. Mine showed grass, his had snow up to the gutters, and their street was a one-way street um because of the snow on the sides. Um, this is still the same state. That's a completely different barrier that I'm not facing. Um, if he's driving down to Bangor or to Prescow for care or God forbid, Portland, um, all the way from there. Um, snow, something is seems silly, but it's not. You know, these are the these are the things that that make those numbers jump. Um, we have a big but big and beautiful state, but it comes with some extra barriers. You know, and when you look at and we're in the top tens, whether it's, you know, I think we're number eight in the country, you know, um, when it comes to cancer rates, um, and and um I think number eight for uh incidence and mortality, I believe. So definitely in the top tens. Um, you know, and all those all those stats uh are alarming. Um, but we all know, you know, one in three Mainers will be diagnosed in a lifetime. And and it's it's just, but then when you look around, I mean, we're we just posted something on our Facebook or on our social media today in LinkedIn, a wonderful, wonderful uh fundraiser for us. Uh gentleman has been, he's a survivor himself, but his sister's also a survivor, and his dad passed away from cancer. So again, you could throw numbers out there, but it hits different groups even harder. Um, and so it's just, it's just one of those things. You know, when I was a police officer, I used to have to wear a uniform. And you walk into a room and nobody's wearing a uniform, and you had to show that you had a personality, you were something outside of this uniform. So you tried so hard, I did, to try to show people I can relate to them. Unfortunately, with cancer, we all relate to it. I don't have to share my stories. I don't have to show you that we got this connection. Uh, we all have it. We all have this unfortunate connection to this disease. And and so often I just listen. Um, and and when you listen, this this disease has had a significant impact on Mainers all across the state.
SPEAKER_00I mean, that's the one that jumps out to me the most is the one in three will get a cancer diagnosis. I mean, that is just unbelievable. Because you still think, I mean, I have my my both my grandparents on my mother's side died of cancer. But even still, you know, there's this voice in the back of your head that says, that won't happen to me. You know, that won't happen to me. But then we hear that number, the odds are not as much in your favor as you would think. Um so yeah, for sure. And then you had said that lung cancer, you you mentioned that earlier. What what are some of the top cancers in Maine? Is it lung cancer number one? And then what are like the top three?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you've got you got um, you have lung, you got can't, um, you got lung, you have colon, you have uh breast, um, female breast. You know, those usually kind of round out a lot of times your your and and those kind of shift around. They're they're pretty close. Um and prostate is up there as well, and and that like one through four and and two, three, and four, or three and four kind of are quite close. So they kind of shift around, but you know, lung is definitely the number one killer. Um, and it's just it's it's again, you know, to tobacco is something that you can talk a whole lot better than I about, but it's there's it's there's important work being done. And I know that a lot of your listeners who are listening to this do this work day in and day out, um, and great efforts are going into it. But as you know, sometimes it's fighting against this current. Yeah. And uh it's it's tough, but somebody has to do it right now. I mean, we're currently reviewing a number of tobacco uh applications um, you know, for funding because that's that's what we do. Main cancer found like we're we're a fundraising foundation, so we're route there raising money to try to, you know, curb some of this uh the best we can here in Maine, you know, and nothing that's against being things getting done nationally, which is an incredibly important work, but we just talked about all these main numbers, so that's why we focus on what's here, you know, and and there's a lot to be done in our state. And so, and there isn't a lot of fundraising that's done that gets poured in the main by national groups. Um, and that's fine, that's okay. I'm not saying anything negative about that. It's just that somebody needs to lead the charge here, and so that's why we do it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and thank you for doing it. Um, so that's it's a good segue into what you are doing. So, can you tell me and and the listeners more about what is Maine Cancer Foundation? What are your priorities? You know, how do you how are you trying to address some of the issues in Maine? You know, what are the gaps that you're trying to fill? Uh yeah, tell me more about that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean, we're an independent organization, so we don't rely on state and federal dollars. So we rely on what our partners are telling us. And and so we try to create a work plan based off of that. So, you know, when I first started here, we were putting a lot of money towards um uh prevention efforts and detection efforts around colon cancer. Because at the time the state wasn't spending as much money on it. So we kind of, from what my knowledge at the time that I kind of walked into was that's where we were directing a lot of those funds, a specific cancer. As where since COVID coming out of that, we've tried to increase screenings. Well, we're not trying to do that just with one type of cancer. It's so the RFP is the top cancers can apply for whether it's you know skin cancer, which I should have thrown in there in the top five as well, um, in our earlier um discussion. But um, you know, whether it's you know, we might have the uh applications come in for something around melanoma, it might be lung cancer, it might be there was, I think, when we just um awarded uh I think six grants, um, two of them were around female breasts as well. And so it was like we can't just focus on one right now coming out of COVID. And we could do that because we're an independent organization. We get these wonderful donations and these funds from the public who say we trust you to invest this money wisely. And so that's what we do. We look at the gaps each year. Um, and sometimes that could be, you know, a number of things. Um, you know, and so one thing that we are trying to um do is kind of sharpen that a little bit. So we do rely heavily on our partners, but we are creating first Maine's first like comprehensive like cancer blueprint, um, is what in what we're calling it. And that blueprint hopefully is almost like a, I guess an easy way to explain it would be like a heat map, but much more intense. And so, for example, what this blueprint should do is provide us with enough information that, say, we if we did put out, well, right now, so say the tobacco applications that are being poured in, we might have put a certain amount of money in the budget that year for an RFP for tobacco, but we might actually have taken a chunk of that in our budget and reached out to a specific partner in a specific area in the state and proactively approached them and partnered with them on a project based off of what this blueprint has told us. You know, a certain population, age, sex, whatever it might be, these are the rates. This is we don't need to necessarily know exactly why that time, but it's it's starting that conversation with a partner and then how do we work together to help? And so we're at a point where we have such, we have a lot of wonderful relationships where we can have a lot of these discussions. And it's not for us to walk in and tell people what to do. That will never be the case at Maine Cancer Foundation. Our office happens to be in Falmouth, um, but we're a statewide group. We rely on communities to tell us what they need and how things work in their community. We do not tell them how they should do it. Um, they know their communities best. We just try to partner with them. And I could read through our long, you know, our missions got all this great stuff in it, but really what I say is we get behind people in Maine doing good work and we give helping give them a push. And that's that's what we're trying to do, not trying to force something that might not fit. And I got countless examples about that. But really, that's what we're that's our goal is to invest this money wisely because people trusted us, you know, when they still do as they donate it.
SPEAKER_00Right. So you mentioned the cancer blueprint. That's not out yet. Is it about to when's when do you think what's the timeline on that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so phase one will be focused just on lung cancer. The other top cancers will follow in phase two, but um there will be a tool that the public will be it'll be accessible to you. Hopefully, it will be a useful tool for you and your organization, as is others. Um, it is not for main cancer to hang on to and hold. Um, like all we do, we try to make sure that all of our partners could utilize this information. But hopefully in July, it'll be something that you can start to click through and get a better understanding um of how uh cancer is affecting different parts of the state and and um and then hopefully inform all of us and how we can now work together to to try to make a not a bigger difference, but maybe just just trying to be more targeted. And and I think that's the goal with this blueprint is how can we, you know, what is it telling us that you know where we can make um have a greater impact with the funds raised.
SPEAKER_00Right. So one thing I know you and I discussed in one of our earlier meetings was like cancer navigators for patients. So that's the moment. And I was at the the um Maine Cancer Action Network.
SPEAKER_01Is that the yeah, the main yeah, Mike and the Impact Cancer Network? Yep.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I was at that conference and I just kept I was so struck by people's stories, survivor stories about what it felt like when they were first diagnosed, when they got that news and like the panic of what do I do? So can you speak to that? Is what is Maine Cancer Foundation doing to help address that part of the problem? Because I I I just couldn't even imagine like how do you navigate that yourself as a uh someone who's just gotten terrible news, yeah, who has a family who has a job, like how do you so tell me more about that? Because that's one of the things that's really scares me the most, I think.
SPEAKER_01You know, when you hear folks who've dealt with cancer, especially when it's been 10, 15, 20 years, um, and you talk to them, and usually the first thing they say is, I wish I had a patient navigator during during all of this. And it comes in many different forms. You know, there's it's the clinical side of it, and then there's social work navigation, and then there's financial. So it's kind of like it encompasses many things depending on the location. But Maine Cancer Foundation is, you know, we believe in this work, we know it, it is, it's extremely valuable for patients. So that's why we've invested $2.5 million. In the last seven, eight years alone, just around patient navigation alone. So funding humans, people, and quite often, you know, at these locations across the state to do this work. And it's significant. And of course, like any navigator, where that's you're often, you're often doing things that aren't in your job description. Um, and that's what's you know important for me is that when you go, when you go to a site, it's not to walk in and try to be like, okay, what is show me all the wonderful things you're doing. Like, that's not it. I never want that. I always say, please do not like feel just just come by to say hi. And I just want to see meet you face to face. And and then you start to look around, you're like, gosh, they do way more than anything that was written in a grant application. They do way more than, you know, I was talking to somebody the other day who's you know, booking Ubers for people through their own. Like it's just it's it's incredible what folks do. And quite often it's the frontline staff who are, you know, who are locked arm in arm with these patients. And you know, it's it's it's just really special. And these navigators you hear constant stories over and over again, and you hear it from providers too, is just they they know how valuable um the service quite often is. And so I think for us, we've made a major investment around it. Um it's something that we would, you know, as we we always kind of assess and re-evaluate and which we're doing right now, and um I'd be shocked if anything changes around that. If anything, it's it's something where um you know people are gonna need more and more of. And it's is what's wild about it too, is sometimes it's these people are facing cancer, but there's also all these other obstacles and basic needs, and and we just don't often take it into account. And and these these are the people who often help them work through some of those basic needs just so they can start their cancer treatment. And so um incredible work, always extra, you know, in fundraising, it is uh I know you've chased around money before too, it is exhausting and it's rewarding and it's all kinds of things, but it it is, it's it's it's hard for for anyone, you know, in the fundraising world. But gosh, when you're around people that you you've seen where the money is going, there's nothing more motivating. I always say I always drive home tired and more motivated um from whenever I had a chance to sit down with one of our partners because you see how the money's being spent and you know it's making a difference.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean it's incredibly important work. So, speaking of raising money, I wanted to talk about try for a cure because the episode should come out just before the official event, which is July 16th, right?
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_00So tell us about try for a cure. What is it? What's the history and what's the goal?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, try for a cure was first founded as an all women's triathlon, you know, over 15 years ago. Um, it's it's morphed into this incredible event where um participants have raised they have raised so much money for people in Maine, it is unbelievable. 20 million dollars in 15 years. And um that's not counting what's been raised this year. And it's just it's it it's interesting. I think as you it's hard to bike, you know, to swim, bike, and run all in one morning. Um but I think these people have been impacted by cancer in so many different ways. And I think where the fundraising really started to pick up too was they're seeing how it's being spent. And you you you understand that hey, if I go out and I raise fifteen hundred dollars, um, yeah, I might get some cool things. Um SA try for a cure on them. But this is finding somebody to sleep at Sarah's house and you know, outside a brewer, and while they get treatment and they're from Machias or they're flying from Fort Kent down to Boston for treatment through PALs or angel flights, and they're seeing how the money they raise 500 bucks. Somebody was in here the other day and just said, I'm not one of the big fundraisers, I'm I'm just doing my $500 minimum and I'm almost there. I'm like, five hundred dollars is a lot of money, and thank you so so much. Because when you stack up all these participants who are raising $500 or more, you're now raising millions. And so um it's it's significant, it really is. Um, it's unlike anything like I've ever been at, or it's not a racist an event. Um it's very emotional. There's always, you know, the survivors go first. So anyone who's signed up for the race, um, they get a pink cap and they go in the water first. Um they have that right and and privilege. And so they get the start, kick off the race. It just sets the tone from the beginning all the way to the end. We have a we have a designated last place finisher, so nobody ever has to worry about coming in last, and it should never enter your mind.
SPEAKER_00Is it you, Ray? Are you the last place?
SPEAKER_01It's it's it's one of those things that it is not me, it's Meredith Burgess. She's she's been doing it for years, and it's it's wonderful. And there's everyone is, you know, Julie Marcese, the race director, is uh just outstanding to to work with and and you know, it's just it's it's this event is the largest, it's always it's been for a long time the largest one-day fundraiser in Maine. But here you have the event manager, Allison Richards, and or myself and Julie Marchese, the race. We're unloading trucks and putting water out and sweeping bike courses the night before, because this is what people in Maine do. And so even though you take the biggest fundraiser, this is what we do. And and we couldn't do it without about 400 volunteers as well, uh, four to five hundred volunteers, and in the incredible rest of the staff that are here. Um, but it's just there's nobody's above anything. And and that's what's what's you know makes Maine so great. But um these participants, they deserve all the credit. They're out there, they're doing bake sales, they're doing all kinds of creative different things. Um, but they raise a lot of money and they're very proud of it. And they've all been impacted by cancer in different ways. And you sit there and you listen to these stories, and you know, I think that's what was missing for a couple of years, especially during the pandemic, is people stopping in, dropping off checks, and then hearing the why. Um, and that was hard for a bit and losing that connection, and it is back. And gosh, it's sitting in a room full of survivors or sitting in a room full of fundraisers, and you're hearing why they're grinding, why they're out riding their bike, and you know, sitting on a trainer at night when their kids go to bed and you know, and and riding away and putting miles in or getting up early and swimming. Um, it's it's incredibly motivating. And I'm just so proud to play a small part in it and and be there and be a loud spectator that day.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's amazing. So of course, when people sign up for the race, they're raising money, but anybody can donate, right? So anybody can donate to Triferric Cure up until and maybe even after the race. How's that work?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, all the way through July, try forcure.org. Um, you can donate. Odds are you probably know somebody participating. So just jump on the page and type a name, you know, type their name in if you know that they are, and you can donate to their page, but um, or you can donate right to the event. You know, the goal is to try to raise $2 million this year. We're past the halfway point, um, which is phenomenal. And, you know, and this this event is is amazing. Um, but there's a lot of events throughout the year that happen for us. And we're just so we're so lucky that, you know, as we've continued to do this work across the state, we just have so many community fundraisers that happen. And um, you know, it's amazing. You know, our and whether it's a lemonade stand or a cocktail party or you name it, you know, people have found creative ways to try to raise money for us throughout the entire year. And I'll tell you, during when we could not put on events for a bit, this really kept our head above water, you know, people putting on different creative events for us, whether it's a floatilla in Casco Bay where boats are all tied together and uh Don Campbell band is playing live music. And um, you know, it's just on two lobster boats. What's more main than that, you know, to it's uh, you know, there's just incredible cancer cure, and it's just these events have all stacked up. Um and and they've and you know, for quite often, just like with you, you know, we live in areas that we love and we cherish, but we're connected to lots of parts of the state that mean a lot to us. So I always say if there's a local group that you work with and you donate to, great. Don't don't stop. One of our partners, please support them. Um, but you know, when you're looking at the whole state, you want to invest money across the state, you know, then that's we we lead, you know, we lead that effort, but donate to both of us. How about that? You know, and so that's the way I look at it. You know, I never want to take away from what our partners are doing in their communities, we just do it across the state.
SPEAKER_00Right. So folks can donate to try for a cure all the way through July. And then what is uh Maine Cancer Foundation's website? I was trying to pull it up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so if you just go to main cancer.org um and you could donate on there as well. Um, you know, we have a number of uh different events. I'd go on there. I honestly I'd go on there and sign up for our newsletter. Our newsletter, again, I already mentioned him once, Brian. Um, he uh our click rate is is is setting records these days just because it's there's a lot of great useful information in there. Um, and then a number of our events and how you could participate. And then we know not everyone can give money, and and that's okay. You know, there's opportunities to to volunteer. And then sometimes it's just awareness. Sometimes you see information that's put out there that could be important for your groups and that you could reshare or or or push along. Um, that's that's just as important as well, you know, especially on the prevention side.
SPEAKER_00Of course. Yeah. And if there's a group who's doing related work and you know, they're listening to this thinking, you know, I'd actually really love to see if Maine Cancer Foundation could support our work. How would they go about doing that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they could always reach out to us. I mean, going to the website and seeing how we're, because we usually we put out our granting cycle for the year of what the kind of the topics, but we do have discretionary uh opportunities um that are ongoing throughout the year. So that always has to start with the, we always ask that folks start with the discussion. But let's be honest, there's seven people who work here. Um, you know, it's it's it's you know, some of it's funny. Somebody asked um one of our supporters asked, Who like, who do I address the mail to? I was like, odds are I'm opening it. So it's fine. I'll I'll see it coming in. You know, foundation, I think, throws people off. I think they think this like big thing, and that they also think I think sometimes you're sitting on this large endowment, but we're not. We're a fundraising foundation. We raise the money to put it right back into the community. And there's seven incredible people here. Uh, I guess I had just included myself. That's not I shouldn't have said that. There's six really incredible and one okay person here. Um, in that uh, you know, they work tirelessly. And but the biggest thing that they believe in is partnerships and and providing the best service possible. And so, yeah, we'll talk to you. You talk to real people, you know, because it that's what this office is full of.
SPEAKER_00Great. Well, uh, I don't want to keep you, Ray. You've got important work to do. I'll just say what I value. There's many things I value about Maine Cancer Foundation, but especially the accessibility of it. Like you said, you're always, you know, open to having meetings with folks who have ideas about how to make a difference on these issues, and that you're taking the lead of groups that are doing this work. So, of course, MPHA has benefited from your support greatly and continue to appreciate that. And uh yeah, I just really, really thank you for the work you're doing.
SPEAKER_01Well, I think and I appreciate that. And I think one thing I've learned is nothing good in Maine gets done by yourself. And um you just, I don't care how big you are, um, it's just not going to be able to go it alone. And so why not look out for each other once in a while, give each other different platforms, and PHA has done that for us. So, you know, when we had that recent chamber webinar, it was like, shoot, we could talk for this whole 45 minutes um or hour and a half, but how about we try to carve out some time for some of some of our partners? And so um, you know, I don't know too many organizations that often do that kind of stuff of just being like, let's take this unique platform that we don't ever really get and try to share it. And that feels pretty cool. I mean, you get to go home. I mean, it just happened this week. Uh a grant opportunity came along for it was significant, $12,000 to $15,000. Looking at the application, and we were invited to apply and could have forced it, probably would have worked out. Um, but Caitlin, our director of programming, said, I don't know, I feel like this partner could utilize it better and maybe come up with a specific project for it. You know, that'd probably be the better way to say it. They instead of us kind of like having a general idea, they had they probably would have a specific project for it. I'm so happy she said that because then I connected those two. And think of how excited the group the partner was. I mean, wait a second, you you just told somebody about us, and now we can actually ask for it. And again, that's how things need to be done. We need to look out for one another. And if we're gonna do this work across the state, um it we have to, you know, and that that's how that's what I love about this organization. And and uh and it's something that I'm very, very proud of, and we will continue to do is people need to be treated a certain way, whether they're giving us money or or or we're giving it to them. Um and and right now I think we're doing that the right way, and that will continue.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and again, we certainly appreciate it. Um, I would just emphasize what you said earlier. You're out there busting your butt to raise this money and you're not sitting on it, it's gone straight back into the community. Uh so yeah, thanks again, Ray, for joining us and for everything you're doing. And uh, of course, we'll be in touch. And yeah, thanks for being our first guest on Healthy Maine Talks. Appreciate it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I think, you know, we talked about a lot of heavy stuff today, but we can't forget that we live in Maine and and we we choose to live here because it is incredible and beautiful. So just like your family, just like my family, I hope all the listeners are taking as much time as they can to camp, hike, get outdoors. You should do it all year long, but really make sure you jam as much as you can in here because if people are coming from all over to use their vacation time here, we better be taking advantage of it ourselves.
SPEAKER_00I wake up every day thinking how lucky I am and how lucky my daughter is to grow up here. This is it's an incredible place to to grow up and to live. And I would just add, bring a raincoat, you know. Bring a raincoat when you're out there because you never know, uh, given how things are going, you'll probably get a little sprinkle at least.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I was just saying the other day, I think I have a doctorate in TARPS and at this point, in in angles and ropes and everything else at this at this point. Yeah, no, yeah, you definitely, yeah, you need to get out there no matter what. Um, well, it's been a great conversation, Matt. I really appreciate. And again, you guys are a phenomenal partner that do critical, critical work in an area that in an area, especially that most of us in the nonprofit world are quite uncomfortable of the unknowns and not knowing our way in and out of there. So knowing that we have a voice as trusted as yours and as knowledgeable, it feels pretty darn good. Um, so we really, really appreciate all that you do.
SPEAKER_00Awesome. Well, thanks, Ray. I'll talk to you soon.
SPEAKER_01All right, take care.
SPEAKER_00Bye. Thanks for listening to Healthy Maine Talks. We'd love to get your feedback. So if you have questions or suggestions, please shoot me an email at mwellington at mainpublichealth.org. And thanks again for listening.