Pine Tree Society

News

Pine Tree Camp announces summer camp plan for 2020

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We have a saying in the camping community: 10 for two. Ten months of planning and preparation for two months of incredible summer programming.  And now, we have a new saying:  one for 75.  One summer of being creative in how we connect and engage in order to preserve and continue the traditions of Pine Tree Camp for the next 75 years.

After consulting CDC, the State of Maine, American Camping Association at the national level, as well as the industry that serves others with disabilities, we have made the hard decision to cancel all traditional Pine Tree Camp sessions for the summer of 2020.  We do this with the safety and health of our campers, staff, and our community as a whole.

We have gotten creative over the past few months offering Pine Tree Camp to You to keep our community engaged, connected and active.  We will continue this remote Pine Tree Camp to You programming on Facebook and invite our community to join us there.

We know access to the outdoors is important.  We are planning to launch, starting in July, Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass.This program will open Pine Tree Camp’s campus on a day pass capacity to a limited number of people at a time. Pine Tree Camp Adventure Days offers the opportunity for Maine people with disabilities to experience the magic of camp while continuing to adhere to the physical distancing policies.  People will experience hiking on our nature trails, boating, kayaking, fishing and swimming – in a safe manner.  Stay tuned for more information!

From all of us here at Pine Tree Camp and Pine Tree Society, we appreciate your commitment to Pine Tree Camp and our mission of discovering abilities together

Out of this time of uncertainty has come great acts of kindness, innovation, creativity, and strength. We are looking as what we can gain from this experience to improve and expand what we already do and make it stronger.

 

 

Pine Tree Society’s telepractice speech services bridge distance learning gap

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As educators and families adapt to distance learning to help stop the spread of Covid-19, Pine Tree Society quickly evolved to offer speech and assistive technology for learning services via telepractice to support schools and students.  These video-based speech/language therapy sessions allow students to maintain and work on their speech and language goals and help prevent regression.

“We’re providing a service that is as close as possible to what a child would normally receive for therapy intervention,” said Linda Bonnar, director of Speech/Language and Assistive Technology Services at Pine Tree Society. “One of the biggest things I hear is how lonely and sad kids are about not being at school.  By connecting face-to-face via video, in addition to providing continuity of services to help students retain the skills they’ve worked so hard to build, it gives them a feeling of social connectedness and a sense of security that we are going to get through this together.”

“His teachers and therapists are heroes,” said a parent describing her son’s telepractice speech session. “Both my mind and heart are at ease seeing my son adapt to change and his willingness to try something new without being able to understand why this is all happening.”

Maine is a big state and Pine Tree Society has used technology to bridge distances for years.

“Pine Tree Society has the technology and the expertise to help schools meet the very unique needs being presented to us all right now, including schools in rural areas or those that don’t have speech therapists at all,” Linda continued.

Pine Tree Society offers individualized services, including:

  • Ongoing therapeutic intervention
    • Articulation
    • Language development
    • Social language and expectations in a distance learning environment
  • Educational coaching
  • Consults for Assistive Technology for Learning to support children who may have more challenges accessing the curriculum during social isolation

“Sessions are typically one-on-one,” said Linda. “However, we’re working on ways to implement group sessions as well so students can get to see their friends too.”   

Sessions may also incorporate other supports in a child’s life, such as behavioral consultants.  A recent session with a student with significant challenges not only worked, it was outstanding.

“Linda used his preferred interests to design the lesson,” said his behavioral consultant who participated in the session. “He wanted to end a few minutes early, but Linda kept him going and he finished the last activity with a smile on his face.  We are in an unusual time filled with unknowns and anxiety for many, but when you see stuff like this happen it gives hope.”

Telepractice services are provided via Zoom, a HIPAA-compliant, user-friendly video conferencing technology that is easily accessed from any device.  Pine Tree Society adheres to Zoom’s recommendations to ensure a secure web conferencing environment through password protection of online meeting rooms by default, elimination of Meeting ID display, removal of the attendee attention tracking feature and implementation of a join flow procedure for web clients.

To find out how Pine Tree Society’s Speech Language Pathologists can support your school through telepractice speech/language therapy services, please contact Linda Bonnar at lbonnar@pinetreesociety.orgor 207-386-5931.

www.pinetreesociety.org

Bangor Daily News: Pine Tree Camp’s Virtual Connection to Campers of All Ages

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The immediate impact of COVID-19 has prompted many camps across the United States to focus on sharing the activities and fun of summer camp right now.

Writer Kristine Millard of The Bangor Daily News reports that “Among those camps is Pine Tree Camp, whose camper population of children and adults with disabilities just might need connection more than ever.”

Pine Tree Camp is reaching out to its campers virtually through its unique “Camp to You” initiative.

Dawn Willard-Robinson, longtime Pine Tree Camp director, says the camp’s variety of online programs and events have two primary goals: staying connected, and staying positive.

Read the full story at this link.

 

Maine Summer Camps profiles Pine Tree Camp’s innovative Camp to You initiative

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“Everyone’s creativity has to be in full force.” It’s an exciting time at Pine Tree Society and Pine Tree Camp as we plan for what more we can do to support Maine people with disabilities.

Check out this Maine Summer Camps feature story about the innovation behind our “Camp to You” initiative at this link.

The American Camp Association New England says, “Camp is ON(line)…camps continue to engage in the leadup to Summer 2020.”

As recently profiled on WABI TV5, Pine Tree Camp’s “Camp to You” is leading the way.  View the story at this link.

Parents: We’re in this together to support your child’s speech / language goals

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“Awesome.”  “Hitting it out of the park.”  “Superior.”

Those are some of the ways parents have described their child’s experience with Pine Tree Society’s Speech Language Pathologists remote speech/language therapy telepractice sessions.

These one-on-one video speech/language therapy sessions allow children to maintain and work on their speech and language goals and help prevent regression.

“During this time of social distancing, Pine Tree Society’s remote speech/language  therapy sessions bring much needed consistency to the child and their family,” said Linda Bonnar-Ivery, director of Communication Pathways at Pine Tree Society. “We strive to provide a service that is as close as possible to what a child would normally receive for therapy intervention.”

It’s important for parents to know that they are not alone.  Pine Tree Society staff is available every step of the way to coach, answer questions and help parents through the process.

“We work hard to make sessions fun and engaging,” Linda said. “One of the biggest things I hear is how lonely and sad kids are about not being at school.  By connecting face-to-face via video, it gives them a feeling of social connectedness and a sense of security that we are going to get through this together.”

Telepractice speech/language services are offered via Zoom, a user-friendly video conferencing technology that is easily accessed from any device.

“I tell parents that it’s not hard at all to connect with Zoom,” Linda continued. “Zoom is a really family friendly platform and we’re here to help right from the get-go if parents get stuck.”

Here’s what a speech/language therapy telepractice session might look like:

1.The therapist begins the session with a schedule, either in text or in pictures, presented on the screen.

2.Next, there is a check in about how the child is feeling, which is sometimes accompanied with a hello song.

“If they’re not feeling so great, we talk about that,” Linda added.  “We use every moment as a teaching moment.  Everything has a purpose and is as interactive as we can make it.”

3.After the check-in, the therapist and child engage in a variety of customized activities that may include reading a book, taking a virtual trip to somewhere special (e.g. zoo, aquarium, etc.), playing a game, or using video tools for other interactive speech and language development tasks.

4.Each session generally ends with a social closing, which may include a goodbye song.

“In every session, we follow a similar routine so it’s consistent and both the child and the family knows what to expect.  Everyone participating is guided when it’s their turn in the activity,” Linda concluded.  “We’re respectful of the fact that we’re virtually coming into people’s homes and do everything we can to adapt to what the family needs and feels comfortable with.”

Sessions sometimes include other supports in a child’s life, such as behavioral consultants.

“I received an email this morning from a behavioral consultant saying, ‘I don’t know who to be prouder of, the child or the parent,’” Linda said.  “The child we were working with has significant challenges and we weren’t sure how telepractice was going to work. Not only did it work, it was outstanding and both the child and the parent felt really successful because it was a team approach and we were all in it together.  The mother said ‘Now I really feel like I’m in the know.  I can see what he’s working on and take part in the process.’ That was a good feeling.”

To find out how Pine Tree Society’s Speech Language Pathologists can support your child and family through telepractice speech/language therapy services, please contact Linda Bonnar at lbonnar@pinetreesociety.org or 207-386-5931.

Pine Tree Society launches remote Community and Home Support services

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Pine Tree Society is committed to discovering abilities together and, during this time of social distancing, technology is one of the critical ways to bridge distances and keep connected.  Under the best of circumstances, adults with disabilities are among those most at risk of being socially isolated.  During times like these, that risk increases exponentially which is why Pine Tree Society has created remote programming to virtually connect and provide Community and Home Support to its clients.

“As with all of Pine Tree Society’s programs, this technology-based service is designed based on individual goals and interests with activities catered to meet those unique objectives,” said Shelley Zielinski, director of Adult Services at Pine Tree Society.  “It will also provide people with the ability to connect with friends, which has immeasurable benefits as social connections become few and far between during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

These services will be available on user friendly technology platforms and the Pine Tree Society team will provide individualized tech support to ensure all who can benefit from this program can participate.

Pine Tree Camp shares its expertise with other camps across New England

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Pine Tree Camp is recognized for its expertise in creating a summer camp program designed to meet the needs of all.

Last week, Pine Tree Camp Director, Dawn Willard-Robinson, and Assistant Camp Director, Mary Schafhauser, virtually shared their expertise at the 2020 New England American Camp Association’s annual conference as a way to to help other camps adapt their programming to meet the needs of campers with a range of abilities.

“So often, other camping professionals ask us how to adapt an activity or how to make a space more accessible,” said Dawn.  “We enjoy sharing what we have learned in our program with others.”

The title of their presentation was “Adaptability versus Accessibility: Creating Inclusive Environments Within Your Own Programming.”  Dawn and Mary shared how camps can create inclusive spaces while holding true to their own history and traditions.  Their on-line session sparked the conversation about how camping professionals can help facilitate success by adapting activities to meet the needs of campers and explored the differences between adaptability and accessibility.

St. Patrick’s Day Sweeps Winner Announced

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Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Dallas Hosford of Bangor, Maine! Mr. and Mrs. Hosford are the winners of our March 2020 St. Patrick’s Day Sweepstakes drawing.

Pine Tree Society’s Sweepstakes raise money to support our programs. Want to learn more about our sweepstakes? Call us at 207-443-3341.