Congratulations to Sam Kilbourn of South Freeport! Sam was the winner of the December 21 Christmas Sweeps drawing at Pine Tree Society.
Pine Tree Society Sweepstakes raise money to help Pine Tree Society transform lives. For information about the sweepstakes, call us at 207-443-3341.
On December 18, it was announced that Pine Tree Society would be one of six non-profits in New Hampshire and Maine to be awarded a grant of $15,000 from the Roger R. and Theresa S. Thompson Endowment Fund.
The Forecaster spoke with Pine Tree Society’s President & CEO Noel Sullivan to share how the funds will be used and why it is so important to the organization.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire (December 13, 2018) – The Roger R. and Theresa S. Thompson Endowment Fund announces the awarding of $117,000 in grants to six non-profit organizations in New Hampshire and Maine.
Among the beneficiaries, the Trustees of the Trust, Charles Doleac, Kenneth Barrett and Holly Ayes Malloy have approved a grant to the Pine Tree Society of Scarborough ME to transform the educational experience of children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing by providing funds for program research and development to launch pilot Teacher of the Deaf services in southern Maine.
The Thompson Fund has awarded grants to the Pine Tree Society since 2000, to support the creation and sustainability of such initiatives as the Pine Tree Camp accessible playground, mental health care capabilities and an autism transition program.
The Thompsons established the endowment fund to benefit specific local charitable organizations in order to perpetuate the memories of Roger R. and Theresa S. Thompson who deemed these organizations’ work to be “in the best interest of the local community.”
In making the announcement, Managing Trustee Charles Doleac commented, “The Roger R. and Theresa S. Thompson Endowment Fund trustees are pleased to recognize the work of the six beneficiaries of this year’s grants. Theresa and Roger Thompson believed that their best legacy, as individuals and together, was to assist organizations whose work they admired and that fit their definition of what was good for the community in any given year. We are also very pleased to see the increase in collaboration among the beneficiaries. While joint initiatives are often independent of the specific grant bequests in a given year, the synergy that is resulting in the name of the Thompsons is inspiring. The Thompson Endowment Fund is a great model for people who might be thinking about setting up their own charitable entities.”
President Noel Sullivan commented, “Last year, thanks to the generous support of Roger R. and Theresa Thompson Endowment Fund, Pine Tree Society launched a pilot program designed to support employment for individuals who are Deaf. Through our research and work to launch that pilot, we have discovered that the very foundation of employment for people who are Deaf lies in the individual’s education from Kindergarten to the senior year of high school. Children who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing have a dramatically different educational experience than their hearing counterparts. Learning how best to implement a program to provide Teacher of the Deaf services in southern Maine allows the Pine Tree Society to move this initiative to the next level.”
The distributions are not guaranteed and the non-profits named in the Trust must apply each year to be considered for the beneficiary awards that are paid from the income of the Roger R. and Theresa S. Thompson estate trust fund. To learn more about Thompson Fund beneficiaries and prior grant-funded initiatives, please visit ThompsonFund.org and follow the Thompson Fund on Facebook.
On February 2, 2019 we will hop on our snowmobiles for the 46th annual Dysart’s Ride-in to benefit Pine Tree Camp.
The Dysart’s Snowmobile Ride-in to benefit Pine Tree Camp features a variety of community events including the not-to-be-missed Q106.5 Celebrity Egg Ride, all to raise money for Pine Tree Camp. All proceeds go directly to Pine Tree Camp’s Campership fund.
A big thank you to Dysart’s for being our title sponsor and helping to make this event a success, as well as Q106.5!
In October, two new members were appointed to our Board of Directors.
Craig A. Mason, PhD is a Professor of Education and Applied Quantitative Methods at the University of Maine. He specializes in Developmental Epidemiology and Biobehavioral Informatics. As a member of the Board, he also serves on our Program Committee. Visit his website to read more about his research and publications.
Leo A. Soucy, a Maine native, is the Vice President of Bath Savings Trust Company, with over 28 years in the investment management and trust industry. In addition to being a Board member, he joins our Finance Committee. Learn more about Leo here.
Welcome Craig A. Mason, PhD and Leo A. Soucy to Pine Tree Society’s Board of Directors!
Pine Tree Society and Spurwink are pleased to announce the 11th annual Southern Maine Autism Conference! The conference is designed for parents and family members of children with autism spectrum disorders, as well as their educators and other service providers.
Save the date: Saturday, March 16, 2019
Requests for proposals to present as well as applications to exhibit are now available.
Visit www.maineautismconference.org for more information.
Questions? Contact Stevie Bonnevie by email or phone at 207-386-5915.
Local news station WABI5 visited Pine Tree Camp during the final children’s session of the 2018 summer.
News anchor Emily Tadlock spoke with camper Casey and his mother Teena.
“He is packed about four days before we go,” Casey’s mother laughed.
Watch to hear the impact Pine Tree Camp has had on Casey and Teena’s lives here.
FOX 22 ABC 7 Bangor and WABI5 both came to Pine Tree Camp on Thursday, July 5 to see what Camp Communicate is all about.
Linda Bonnar, Director of Communication Pathways at Pine Tree Society, founded Camp Communicate 14 years ago. It is a week of summer camp dedicated to non-verbal children who use augmentative and alternative communication devices.
FOX 22 ABC 7 interviewed Carolyn Sweet, the mother of camper Jaclyn. Listen to Carolyn and Jaclyn’s experience here.
WABI5 spoke with Wayne and Kathleen Parker, parents of camper Kaylie Parker, about the impact Camp Communicate has had on their daughter and family. Watch their story here.