danforth -
a small town with a big heart

Danforth’s Age-Friendly journey began in 2018 when Town Manager, Ardis Brown, attended an Aroostook Agency of Aging meeting and met Patricia Oh.  From there, the smallest town in the NAFSC forged ahead in making an isolated, rural community inclusive for all.  

The Early Days

With a focus on the area’s older population, which includes not only 53% of Danforth residents but the older citizens of several other communities in northern Washington and southern Aroostook counties, Danforth quickly started with a “Senior” Expo, forming the Coffee Time Gang (a social and crafting group for 55+), hosted Danforth history discussions, and joined the Age-Friendly Network of States and Communities.  

In 2019, the Danforth Livable Communities Committee (DLCC) was formed, comprised of local partners and residents. In 2020, working with Karen Campbell, a Lifelong Communities Fellow from the University of Maine’s Center on Aging, the team developed and submitted an Age-Friendly Action Plan based on the 8 domains of livability using responses from two community surveys - one from Danforth taxpayers and another from the area’s older inhabitants.  The ambitious plan included fostering social and civic opportunities; developing a volunteer transportation program; planning for improved walkability; opening a community center; developing a home maintenance assistance program and exploring affordable housing; implementing social media communication between the age-friendly movement and residents; extending access to local resources; and expanding food security.

The Programs

Within a few months, the committee was able to introduce a volunteer driver program, Bingocize, and Community Cafes, re-establish area Meals on Wheels, start the Danforth Farmers’ Market, and begin preserving local history with a filmmaker collecting individual interviews (later made into a 30-minute video aired on MPBN).   Things were going well, then, like everyone else, the DLCC hit a bump in the road - the pandemic.  

The Community Center

But in the fall of 2020, an opportunity arose that would propel Danforth’s Age-Friendly movement.  The New England Methodist Conference had recently retired a local church and offered the town the building for $1!  Later that year, the townspeople voted unanimously at a special town meeting to accept the offer and use the retired church as a community center with the stipulation that the center must support itself with minimal funding from taxpayers.  Danforth’s age-friendly programs and services would now have a centralized home.  

With two University of Maine’s Center on Aging AmeriCorps members to facilitate, the DLCC was awarded numerous grants and fundraised during 2022 to add ADA accessibility and renovate before finally being able to open the doors to the area’s very first community center in the fall.   A commercial-grade kitchen was installed, a community resource office opened to help residents navigate social assistance programs (e.g., LIHEAP, etc.) and free meals were offered once a week.  

At the same time, the DLCC was honored to be named as the second recipient of the AARP Maine Beacon Community award!    

Added Programs

Since their start, Danforth Livable Communities has introduced various programming including a sand bucket program, tech help, Handy Helpers, Breaking Bread with Others, Zumba, Drum Fit, the Clothes Closet, and even sending holiday cards to all residents 65+ in the area (not just Danforth).  Many programs have been successful but not all and the DLCC frequently re-evaluates what is and what is not working. Additionally, the group works closely with the Town to ensure any new projects are inclusive.  A large downtown revitalization project consisting of a fishway, riverside park, and open-air pavilion will include walkable paths, handicapped parking, accessible viewing areas, dementia-inclusive signage, and expand outdoor programming for all is in the planning stage.  Another project will replace aging downtown sidewalks.   

Danforth Livable Communities has been blessed with support, locally, regionally, and state-wide.  The municipally led initiative has accomplished much with grants, continuous fundraising, and donations.  They have hosted everything from public suppers, a Murder Mystery dinner, and even a pig roast to an annual plant sale, raffles, cookbook sale, and a recyclable drive.  Partners from the Age-Friendly sphere and Maine have endowed Danforth Livable Communities with abundant awards over the last 4 years and several neighboring communities include an annual contribution to the center to help keep the doors open and the lights on.  

The Future

With many of the goals in DLCC’s Action Plan achieved, the group now turns its focus to the one area of livability with still much to do - housing.  The town is leading the exploration of affordable housing options and has included a DLCC member to join the process by becoming an active voice on the Comprehensive Plan Committee and engaging in a Grow Smart Maine cohort.  

As the renovations at the Danforth Livable Community Center near completion, this year will see even more activities become available.  The excavation around the building delayed the use of the outdoor areas but this spring a community raised bed garden is set to finally open with safe outdoor gathering areas.  The center has also become a pilot satellite office for Aroostook Agency on Agency offering more services closer to home for the area’s residents and will allow the DLCC to offer all of AAA’s programming via a new media center.  Currently, several citizens from Danforth, Bancroft, Weston, and Brookton are participating in AAA’s Civic Academy to expand age-friendly awareness and empower more people, not just the DLCC, to make positive change in the little town with big ideas!