RUMFORD — The River Valley Rotary Club fellowship luncheon was held on Nov. 20 at Hope Association, 87 Lincoln Ave. Guest speakers included Melissa Wakefield, Brendan Schauffler and Barb Radmore.

Wakefield is manager of Community Concepts Maine Families home visitation program in Oxford County, as well as the Oxford County Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Council. She is a licensed social worker who has worked in child abuse and neglect prevention since 2004. She is also a member of the Maine Resilience Building Network, Oxford County Wellness Collaborative and a board member for the Oxford County United Way. 

Schauffler is the network facilitator for the Oxford County Wellness Collaborative based out of Healthy Oxford Hills. In this role, he helps support collaboration among numerous partners, including those serving in the collaborative’s work groups. He helps boosting the capacity of the group by aiding in strategic alignment and supporting the collaborative’s steering committee.

Radmore is with Western Foothill Kids Association, which provides after-school programs for multiple schools in RSU 10 and offers summer learning and enrichment programs. The group also offers the Future of Maine Scholarship Program — a college essay contest for third to sixth graders.

The three discussed adverse childhood. They talked about experiences and how to coordinate their programs to educate the public and provide a better informational program to assist those affected.

The River Valley Rotary Club heard three speakers discuss adverse childhood at a recent meeting. From left are Melissa Wakefield, Brandon Schauffler and Barbara Radmore, speakers, and Randy Therrien, River Valley Rotary Club president.