During a Windham Town Council meeting on April 25, councilors approved awarding $6,675 from the town’s Substance Prevention Grant Program Fund to the Family, Fun, Fitness and Film Festival, held in August every year at Tassel Top Park in Raymond.
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| The Family, Fun, Fitness and Film Festival will be offered one again this year thanks to a grant from Windham's Substance Prevention Grant Fund. The festival will be held in August at Tassel Top Park in Raymond and is sponsored by Be The Influence and Windham Parks and Recreation to promote a healthy lifestyle. FILE PHOTO |
The ordinance requires that a marijuana business license applicant pay an “education fee” in an amount set by the council and funds are granted at the council’s discretion to educational institutions or nonprofit agencies for support of initiatives aimed at educating Windham youth regarding marijuana and other drugs.
The Windham Substance Prevention Grant Committee, established by the Windham Town Council on Sept. 8, 2020, reviews application requests for funding and makes recommendations to councilors on proposed fund disbursements. As of May 2023, the Windham Substance Prevention Grant Fund has a balance of $34,104, including three other grants awarded to local drug prevention organizations in March 2023.
This will be the Fourth Family, Fun, Fitness and Film Festival staged by Be The Influence and the Windham Parks and Recreation Department. The festival includes mindfulness sessions, yoga on the beach, scavenger hunts, resource booths and food, stage events with music, dance and other entertainment, giveaways, and a Disney twilight movie.
In its application for the grant, organizers say that in the past, the festival has provided a safe and much needed outlet for youth, families, and community members by providing healthy ways to have fun and relax as well as provide educational resources in prevention and recovery for those that need it. They say it provides an outlet for Windham and Raymond residents by reducing stress and isolation, allowing youth and family members to seek healthy alternatives to overcoming stress and adversity through a fair-like event at Tassel Top Park. 
During last year’s Family, Fun, Fitness and Film Festival, Be The Influence Executive Director Laura Morris said the event continues to grow each year with more vendors and participants.
“My mission is to create healthy ways for youth and community members to live without resorting to alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and pills,” Morris said at last year’s festival. “Together we created this event, secured sponsors, partnered with area resources and youth groups.”
Organizations that were present at the event in 2022 included The Options Program/Sweetser, Maine Behavioral Health, City of Portland Health Department, Alateen, Windham Library, Phyllis Warhol, Licensed Social Workers, Be the Influence, Vacasa, Cumberland County Federal Credit Union, Bangor Savings, Cumberland Title Services, Windham High School Cheerleaders, Unique Unknown Hip Hop, Rebecca Woodbury-yoga and mindfulness, Sebago Lakes Chamber of Commerce, Rent a Princess, and Maine Dance Academy.
The festival is free for participants and open to anyone - those in the Windham Raymond communities or summer visitors to the Lakes Region.
Windham Parks and Recreation Director Linda Brooks, who is also an active member of Be The Influence coalition, said at the event last summer that she was happy to be a part of the Family Fun, Fitness and Film Festival.
“One of the best aspects of this event is having young people from organizations such as the Windham High School Fall Cheerleaders and the Maine Dance Center participate in this event to demonstrate the healthy activities they are involved with and show a willingness to give back to their community to be role models to youth,” Brooks said. “Tassel Top Park is a beautiful park on the shores of Sebago Lake and having this event held in this setting is a great way to remind people about the benefits of nature and the outdoors.”
She said we are living at a difficult time and mental health issues and substance use is at an all-time high.
“Communities need engaging events that provide the tools to handle stress in healthy ways as well as where people can go for help,” Brooks said. “This venue does both.”
An announcement will be made soon about the date for this year’s Family, Fun, Fitness and Film Festival. <
During last year’s Family, Fun, Fitness and Film Festival, Be The Influence Executive Director Laura Morris said the event continues to grow each year with more vendors and participants.
“My mission is to create healthy ways for youth and community members to live without resorting to alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and pills,” Morris said at last year’s festival. “Together we created this event, secured sponsors, partnered with area resources and youth groups.”
Organizations that were present at the event in 2022 included The Options Program/Sweetser, Maine Behavioral Health, City of Portland Health Department, Alateen, Windham Library, Phyllis Warhol, Licensed Social Workers, Be the Influence, Vacasa, Cumberland County Federal Credit Union, Bangor Savings, Cumberland Title Services, Windham High School Cheerleaders, Unique Unknown Hip Hop, Rebecca Woodbury-yoga and mindfulness, Sebago Lakes Chamber of Commerce, Rent a Princess, and Maine Dance Academy.
The festival is free for participants and open to anyone - those in the Windham Raymond communities or summer visitors to the Lakes Region.
Windham Parks and Recreation Director Linda Brooks, who is also an active member of Be The Influence coalition, said at the event last summer that she was happy to be a part of the Family Fun, Fitness and Film Festival.
“One of the best aspects of this event is having young people from organizations such as the Windham High School Fall Cheerleaders and the Maine Dance Center participate in this event to demonstrate the healthy activities they are involved with and show a willingness to give back to their community to be role models to youth,” Brooks said. “Tassel Top Park is a beautiful park on the shores of Sebago Lake and having this event held in this setting is a great way to remind people about the benefits of nature and the outdoors.”
She said we are living at a difficult time and mental health issues and substance use is at an all-time high.
“Communities need engaging events that provide the tools to handle stress in healthy ways as well as where people can go for help,” Brooks said. “This venue does both.”
An announcement will be made soon about the date for this year’s Family, Fun, Fitness and Film Festival. <
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