Thanks to the Burger-Roy Charitable Trust and Campbell’s True Value, this summer, Pine Tree Camp will become home to a brand new barn.  Pine Tree Camp stands alone in terms of barrier-free access to nature and nature-based recreation for Maine people with disabilities.  Expanding access to learning about farm animals and how food is grown opens up exciting new possibilities for campers.

“It’s much more than just a barn,” said Noel Sullivan, president and CEO of Pine Tree Society.  “Brent Burger has helped us reimagine what a barn at Pine Tree Camp can accomplish.  It’s a proud symbol of our community and a gateway to a whole new world for Maine people with disabilities.  This addition to our campus gives us the chance to expand our programming around farm animals and gardening in ways we would not be able to do otherwise.”

Brent Burger is the co-owner of Campbell’s True Value and has given a hand in designing the structure, and envisioning the community coming together for an old-fashioned barn raising this summer.  The entire project will be funded through the Burger-Roy Charitable Trust, and will be supported by local partners, Higgins Construction will do all of the site work, and Kavestone Construction will oversee the building of the structure.

“Raising a barn is easily accomplished with teamwork,” Burger said.  “And teamwork is what Pine Tree Camp is all about.  Traditional barn raisings create a time to come together as a community to help, and that pays dividends in big, and sometimes unforeseen ways, which is what can make an event like this so special.”

Dawn Willard-Robinson is the director of Pine Tree Camp and explained why the connection to farm animals and an agricultural experience will make a difference.

“People with disabilities need nature as much as people who do not have disabilities.  The reality is, they simply aren’t as able to access the outdoors in their everyday life. Whether it’s learning how to feed and care for animals or getting their hands dirty in the garden, our campers will now have even more opportunities to connect with nature in unique and meaningful ways that impact their lives all year-round.”

A date for the community barn raising will be scheduled in late August.  Pine Tree Camp is seeking volunteers to help with the barn raising.  People with and without building skills are welcome.  The date and volunteer schedule will be available soon.  To volunteer and keep posted on the date, please provide your name and contact information here.

Camp Director Dawn Willard-Robinson took a walk on Pine Tree Camp’s nature trail with long-time camper Linda “Jonesy” Jones Townsend. The two met in 1985 when Dawn began working at Pine Tree Camp. Jonesy has attended camp since the 1970s. Listen to their chat about why Pine Tree Camp is so important to them below.

On opening day of each Pine Tree Camp Session, campers get to sign up for one of our “major programs” that they will participate in each morning. This year, our four major programs are: arts & crafts, music & drama, sportsmanship, and outdoor adventure skills.

Assistant Camp Director Mary Schafhauser shared with us the importance of these activities and the impact they have on our campers. Learn more by watching the video below!

Pine Tree Camp Staff began their week-long training on June 10th. During staff training week, Pine Tree Camp hosts a series of guest speakers to teach counselors about all aspects of caring for people with disabilities. Guest speakers include Pine Tree Society’s own Linda Ivery-Bonnar, director of Communication Pathways; Shelley Zielinski, director of Adult Support/Career Services; Stephanie Bell, NAPPI trainer; Vicki Simpson, contracted occupational therapist.

We caught up with Camp Director Dawn Willard-Robinson to learn more about what exactly goes on during this training and the importance of it.

It might have been a cold, rainy spring but the skies cleared, and the sun came out just in time for the 23rd annual Bath Savings Institution Paddle for Pine Tree Camp. On Saturday, June 1, nearly 200 paddlers set out from Evergreens Campground in Solon for a picture perfect seven-mile kayak trip down the Kennebec River to North Anson.

Paddlers were welcomed by Emily Tadlock of WABI-TV 5, who recalled her first visit to Pine Tree Camp.

“I called my mom after I left, and I said, ‘Mom I think I’ve just been to the most magical place on earth,’” she said. “A place where kids can be themselves, no matter what challenges they faced in life. A place where parents can feel safe having their children there knowing that there is a staff that can take care of them and look after them and relax themselves a little bit. A place where the staff is happy to work and happy to be there and always cheerful. You know a lot of people say that Disney is the most magical place on Earth, but I beg to differ. I think it’s Pine Tree Camp.”

Shortly after Emily’s heartfelt welcome, paddlers took to the Kennebec River, and with every cut of the paddle, raised funds for Pine Tree Camp’s Campership Fund, ensuring that every camper is able to attend regardless of their family’s ability to pay tuition. This Open Door policy has been in place since Pine Tree Camp opened its gates in 1945 and remains firmly in place thanks to the support of committed friends like our paddlers.

Donations will continue through July 1st. Make a difference and show your support with a contribution here.

Pine Tree Camp has undergone many improvements over the years to ensure the highest level of care, comfort and safety of our campers, but one thing remains the same: the view never changes!

After many years of work, the majority of our iconic buildings have been modernized and winterized.  This not only addresses our campers’ needs, it makes our buildings much easier to keep clean and allows Pine Tree Camp to offer its transformational programming all year long.

“Now that we can offer programming year-round, the sky is the limit,” said camp director Dawn Willard-Robinson.  “Having winterized buildings allows us to think outside of the box. This year we’re adding adult specialty weekends in the fall, winter and spring to give our adult campers the chance to spend extra time out in nature throughout the year.  There’s a big need for that.”   

When people think of Pine Tree Camp, they often think of the kids we serve. Many of the people who first came to camp as children are now adults who continue to return to this special place every year.

“We have a lot of adult campers and they are an aging population that really needs support,” Dawn said. “We have one camper who is now almost 60 years old and has been coming to camp since she was eight.  She has never missed a single summer.”

Her home in southern Maine doesn’t provide her much access to nature and, each year when she gets to Pine Tree Camp, the woods are the first place she wants to be. 

Dawn recalled, “She sits outside all the time when she’s here.  You always see her reading a book on the porch of her cabin or going down the trails in her wheelchair to the woods.  It’s where she finds peace.”

In addition to updating our buildings for the comfort and safety of campers, the team at Pine Tree Camp has also been deliberately developing and improving access to camp’s unique features.  The next focus is an exciting project to expand the trail system.

For so many of our campers, Pine Tree Camp is the only place they are able to access nature.  Knowing that is the reality, we are constantly working to create more nature-based experiences.

“Our Pine Tree Camp alumni remember the original trail as the one that went out to the overnight camp area,” Dawn continued. “It wasn’t accessible for many campers and most had to get to the overnight area by boat or via the trail through the Preston Woods area.” 

About 20 years ago, Greg Ouellette, the former director of Pine Tree Camp and executive director of Pine Tree Society led a project to build a nature trail to the overnight area.  A trail at the other end of camp followed a few years later.

Pine Tree Camp is now undertaking the next phase of trail development, which entails joining the two existing trails to create a three-mile loop.

“These trails are necessary for our campers to experience and explore the woods,” Dawn noted. “The trails are wide and fairly level, yet they meander and wind around so there’s lots to discover along the way. The new section of trail we’re designing has huge glacial boulders that campers will get to go around so they can see how big they are. There’s also a bridge over a little stream that we’ll get to go over now.”  

Campers will also have the chance to see vernal pools, eagle nests, blue heron, loons and an active beaver dam. There’s even a spot where an eagle comes to the trail and leaves shells.

For Dawn, “Camp has changed over the years, but the heart of camp remains the same. We love having alumni come see the improvements and our door is always open for a visit. This fall we’re holding a work day so people can come back to see camp and give back at the same time.”

 

Get involved! Here’s how you can help.

Work Day: Saturday, September 28

Come help us rake, haul brush, move materials and pack the trails down.

The Early Learning Center is patiently waiting for baby chicks.

The children have been learning all about farm animals, especially chickens. The process started when the fertilized eggs were placed into an incubator for 21 days. The children were very excited to see the eggs and had many questions about when they would be hatching.

Many of the children’s books show birds sitting on their nests. Teachers at the ELC explained how the incubator is acting as the “mommy bird” until they hatch.

While waiting, the kids were able to check the eggs a handful of times. This is called “candling.” The groups took a light and placed each egg on top to check for the forming embryo. A black dot on the egg indicates the start of a chick growing!

Students saw 6 out of the 12 eggs forming. Recently, the children looked at the eggs again and watched the movement of chicks still inside the egg. The children’s faces were priceless!

Circle time has included many chicken conversations and recently, children made predictions on how many eggs will actually hatch. Hatching should occur this week. The children come to school daily wanting to know if the eggs have hatched yet. 

Once hatched, these chicks will be brought to Pine Tree Camp.