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Childrens’ Case Management: A conversation with Mike Bell

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Mike Bell is the team leader of Pine Tree Society’s Children’s Case Management program.  We recently caught up with him to talk about how he helps parents connect with the services and resources they need for their child.

What is case management?

Case managers are there to help take the weight off. When a parent reaches out to us, some families know what they’re looking for and some don’t. Our case managers help parents figure out what services and resources fit their needs. We empower the family and help them manage things on their own by connecting them with the right resources, giving them support and making them aware of what’s out there for services.

Who are your programs designed to help?

We serve kids from a young age up until they are 21 years old.  If a baby has a chronic medical condition, we’re also able to provide help to them when they are just months old. Depending on where somebody falls in that range, it could be anything from working with families when their kids are first diagnosed to the other end of the age range when their child is transitioning to adulthood.

How does your team work with families?

One of the first steps we take is to develop an individualized treatment plan for the child. We do that by listening to the parents share their challenges and by getting to know the child and learning their strengths and interests. We sit down with the family to talk, learn and figure out what’s needed. A big part of what we do is to look at the child’s abilities and strengths and weave that into our approach. For example, a 14-year-old girl we work with is really into cooking. So we took that strength and used it as a building block for her to also work on her social skills by taking a cooking class.

Do people have to travel to your offices?

We are flexible about where we meet and accommodate what works best for families based on what the goals are. As case managers, we want to get to know a child in different environments. We’re mindful of what’s needed in a meeting and we do whatever is easiest for the parent.  The important thing is that the family gets what they need for help.  We often meet at a child’s school or home or at our offices in Auburn and Scarborough.

Is there a recent success that stands out to you? 

We work with a grandmother who was having a really tough time raising her grandsons, all with special needs.  She has her own medical needs and was pretty overwhelmed trying to manage these energetic young boys. Our first step was to build her trust so she would share what she was being challenged with. There were a lot of trust issues within her family. We worked through that and she’s now open to letting us help, which is a very big thing for her. As a result, we were able to bring providers and services into the home that they didn’t have before. The early childhood and direct home supports and services we’ve helped them establish are huge for her and the boys. Recently, she thanked us, which sounds like a very small thing, but, to us, it was a very big thing because we had worked so hard to earn her trust and her feelings of gratefulness were pretty cool to see.

Why motivates you in your job?

It’s motivating when I see the weight lifted off people’s shoulders. I love it when a family that is incredibly overwhelmed and stressed and doesn’t know where to turn gets to the point where they don’t need us anymore because they have found what they need.

Who is eligible and how do they become eligible?

To be eligible for Pine Tree Society’s case management services, the child must be 0-21 years of age and be enrolled in Katie Beckett/MaineCare. Private pay is also an option.  There are specific requirements regarding a child’s diagnosis.  Instructions for Katie Beckett enrollment and a full list of diagnosis are available on the Pine Tree Society website at this link: https://www.pinetreesociety.org/children-and-families/case-management-children/

Enroll your child in a Summer Social Language Group

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Summer Social Language Group

Location: Pine Tree Society

71 US Rt 1 Elevation Plaza

Scarborough, Maine 

For ages 4-8 years and 9-13 years.

Ages 4-8
Offering five weekly sessions starting July 10 from 1-2:00 pm

This social language group is a fun way for young children to develop early foundational social skills including tools for effective listening, social self-awareness, perspective taking and an introduction to social problem solving.

Each group will be centered in play-based activities, including story books, and music with a focus on working together as a group and developing collaborative play with peers. The concepts introduced will help participants to develop an awareness of their own thoughts and feelings, as well as the thoughts and feelings of others.

This social language group will run for five weeks and each session will introduce a new key concept for developing successful social skills and facilitating positive peer interactions. Each group is led by a team of speech language pathologists.

This group is designed to enhance the social skills of children who demonstrate some independent skills, emergent communication and may have a diagnosis of ASD (though a diagnosis is not required). Spaces are limited. To reserve a place for your child please contact Nicole Cohen at ncohen@pinetreesociety.org or by calling her at 207-386-5905.

Communication Pathways reserves the right to select applications that will create the most effective group possible.

Sessions: five one-hour sessions on Wednesdays starting July 10 from 1 to 2 p.m.

Cost: $175 package, payable in advance, or on the first day of the group.

Please plan accordingly, as refunds are not given for individually missed sessions.

*Insurance may cover this group as a speech therapy session, but it will be important that you check on this prior to signing up.

Ages 9-13
Offering five weekly sessions starting July 9 from 2:30-3:30 pm

This social language group is a fun way to develop new skills, meet new friends, and improve interpersonal relationships. This group will be designed to help children that face challenges in these areas develop skills to establish and maintain more positive interpersonal/social relationships.

The group will run for five weeks and utilize a combination of formal and informal activities in a small group atmosphere.  Sessions will entail leader-directed instruction with our clinical speech/language therapists, and include hands-on functional exercises that may include video modeling, drama activities, crafts, group games, and a snack time for skill reinforcement.

This group is designed to enhance the social skills of children who demonstrate some independent skills, verbal speech and may have a diagnosis of ASD (though a diagnosis is not required). Spaces are limited. To reserve a place for your child please contact Nicole Cohen at ncohen@pinetreesociety.org or by calling her at 207-386-5905.

Communication Pathways reserves the right to select applications that will create the most effective group possible.

Sessions: five one-hour sessions on Tuesdays starting July 9 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Cost: $175 package, payable in advance, or on the first day of the group.

Please plan accordingly, as refunds are not given for individually missed sessions.

*Insurance may cover this group as a speech therapy session, but it will be important that you check on this prior to signing up.

Summit Natural Gas of Maine volunteers at Pine Tree Camp

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“We always look forward to this day,” said Lizzy Reinholt, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs at Summit Natural Gas of Maine.

This is the company’s third year doing a staff volunteer work day at Pine Tree Camp. 

“We started volunteering because Pine Tree Camp was an awardee of a grant for kids with disabilities who live in the communities we serve to attend Pine Tree Camp. We realized that a number of our employees had a personal connection to camp so we grew our support by adding a group volunteer day.”

Summit’s staff volunteer day at camp has become an important yearly event and their team looks forward to helping get camp ready for summer.  They do everything from raking leaves and hauling brush to bringing out picnic table to getting the docks in the water and taking the kayaks and canoes out of storage for the season. 

“We love having a hands on volunteer day at Pine Tree Camp.  It’s one thing to write a check, it’s another thing to actually go into the community and help.”

Summit Natural Gas of Maine extends their support even further by sponsoring the Bath Savings Institution Paddle for Pine Tree Camp and entering a team of employees into the paddle.

All proceeds from this annual paddle support Pine Tree Society’s Campership Fund to help ensure every Maine child who can benefit from camp is able to attend.  99% of the campers at Pine Tree Camp rely on tuition support, and no one is ever turned away due to their ability to pay.

Pine Tree Society receives a perfect score

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Pine Tree Society has once again earned the top four-star ranking from Charity Navigator.  Charity Navigator is the largest independent charity evaluator in the United States and four-stars is their highest possible rating.  Pine Tree Society’s commitment to strong financial health, accountability and transparency earned our organization this top distinction.

“Earning a perfect score in transparency and accountability shows we’ve worked hard to ensure our donors can trust we’re using their donations wisely in our work to transform the lives of Maine people with disabilities each day,” said Noel Sullivan, president and CEO of Pine Tree Society.

This exceptional ranking sets Pine Tree Society apart and demonstrates that the mission is executed in a financially efficient way that exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in the field.

Pine Tree Society is committed to maximizing the impact of every dollar donated to support the people we serve, and this commitment is reflected in the four-star rating from Charity Navigator.

 

Join the Virtual Venturers

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“Camp is such a big part of my life,” Mary Schafhauser is the assistant director of Pine Tree Camp. For her, the Bath Savings Institution Paddle for Pine Tree Camp is an opportunity to create a virtual paddle team for those who can’t come to the Paddle in person, but still want to show their support.  From Camp families, to counselors, to people from every part of the world who have been touched by Pine Tree Camp, everyone is welcome to virtually join her team of Virtual Venturers.

“It’s giant!  Creating a virtual paddle team is so beautiful because everyone can take part.”

Joining the Virtual Venturers is easy.  People can sign on as a virtual paddler by making a donation to the team’s fundraising page at this link: https://www.firstgiving.com/team/389633

“Anybody is also welcome to come on the day of the event and paddle with me.  I’ll be rolling down the river and paddling away with campers.”

Last year was Mary’s first time experiencing the Bath Savings Institution Paddle for Pine Tree Camp.

“I was struck by how many people came.  I remember the first moment of the launch and everybody putting their boats in the water and just seeing this sea of people.  It made a huge impact on me.”

Mary’s friends and family live in every corner of the world and, through her virtual paddle team, they can join something that means so much to her.  It’s also a chance for Mary to show new camp counselors and summer staff what it means to be a part of the Pine Tree Camp family. 

“Through joining our virtual paddle team I can show them what they are going to be a part of before they even arrive. They’ll get to experience everything that goes into making sure we have a program.  They’ll get to see how, with every contribution, we get to keep doing Pine Tree Camp.” 

Pine Tree Camp to expand its network of nature trails

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Taking a break to walk outside is a time to recharge, pause and reflect.  If you’re in a wheelchair, or if walking just isn’t easy for you due to your disability, getting outside can be hard enough.  Taking a walk in the woods can be impossible.

Not at Pine Tree Camp. Not only are there one-and-a-half miles of fully accessible nature trails, that trail system is about to double in size, creating a loop through the tall pines and beautiful forest landscape.

“Our trails are wide and level, yet they meander and wind around so there’s lots to discover along the way,” said camp director Dawn Willard-Robinson. “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.”

Campers will also get to check out vernal pools, eagle nests, blue heron, loons and even an active beaver dam. 

“The new section of trail will go through parts of the Tree Farm we manage,” continued Dawn.  In 2016, Pine Tree Camp was recognized as Maine’s Outstanding Tree Farm of the year. What set Pine Tree Camp apart was its unique combination of balancing the long-term plan for the forest with the recreational value it provides for campers.

“Campers will get to see what our forester has done and why. The selective harvesting has opened up the woods and made it really light.  Because of that, there are more birds, rabbits and deer that campers will have the chance to learn about.  There’s even a new bridge over a little stream that we’ll get to go over.”

Being able to access nature and the outdoors is truly not something many campers are able to do in their every day lives, which is what makes this extended trail system so important.  For many, their week at Pine Tree Camp is the only time they can have experiences like this.

Work to expand Pine Tree Camp’s nature trail system will begin this spring.  You can help.  Please consider a gift to support Pine Tree Camp’s nature trail expansion.  You can give online at www.pinetreesociety.org or send your contribution to 149 Front St., Bath, ME 04530.

“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.” – Henry David Thoreau

Don’t miss these Pine Tree Camp Info Sessions

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It’s a big decision to send your child to overnight camp.  Come learn how Pine Tree Camp could be the right fit for your family. You’ll have the chance to meet camp director, Dawn Willard-Robinson, and talk with other parents who have experienced Pine Tree Camp first hand. We’re proud to be Maine’s only American Camp Association accredited camp providing services exclusively for people with disabilities.  Read more here.

In this engaging and informal session, we’ll explore all that Pine Tree Camp has to offer, including:

· A 285-acre accessible campus on beautiful North Pond in Rome, Maine

· A barrier-free environment that allows all campers – regardless of their ability level – to actively participate in fun, outdoor activities like swimming, hiking, boating and fishing.

· Opportunities for campers to make lifelong friends with peers who understand the daily challenges of living with a disability.

Thursday, April 4

5:30 – 7:00pm

Pine Tree Society

149 Front St., Bath

Saturday, May 11

10:00 – Noon

Pine Tree Camp

114 Pine Tree Camp Road, Rome

“We believe everybody has potential”: A conversation with Linda Bonnar-Ivery

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Linda Bonnar-Ivery, MA, CCC-SLP, ATP, is the director of Pine Tree Society’s Communication Pathways program. We recently caught up with her to talk about how she and her team work with non-verbal clients to help them find their voice.

What is the goal of Communication Pathways?

“Just because you can’t speak doesn’t mean you don’t have anything to say.  Our goal is to empower non-verbal people of all ages to be able to communicate anything they want to say, and not be dependent on others to do that for them. Through learning to communicate, we help individuals discover they have a lot of power and control over the world around them.” 

How does your team help non-verbal people learn to communicate?

“It’s all a matter of connecting each individual with the right tool.  We believe everyone has the drive to be socially connected, and our job is to help them find a way to do that. It doesn’t matter how challenged a person might be, with the right tools, methods, strategy and mindset, people come to understand that they can communicate anything.  Whether it’s through pictures, eye-gaze technology, or text, our team helps each individual person tap into their potential to communicate.”

What is your philosophy?

“We believe that everybody has potential. We don’t go in with the mindset that someone can’t do something.  We go in with the philosophy that everyone has the potential to communicate and we just need to find a way to help them do that through connecting them to the tools that open up the doors for them.

We’re taking one of the most core rights that people have — which is being able to communicate and share their wants, thoughts, needs, and opinions — and creating the pathway for them to be able to get there.” 

Do people have to travel to your offices?

“Our impact spreads far and wide. Not only do we serve people at our offices in Scarborough and Bath, but, if the need is there, we travel to pretty much all areas of the state.  Some people are bedridden or can’t travel because of medical fragility or other medical reasons, for example.  We also work at eight different schools across southern Maine.

In addition, we have the technology in place that allows us to offer remote programming to rural areas of the state.  I can be in Scarborough and remotely connect to someone in far northern Maine. 

Over the last couple of years, we’ve travelled to 14 out of 16 counties.  Believe me, Maine is a big state!”

Who are your programs designed to help?

“Our impact is pretty vast.  We run the gamut from people who have had strokes, to children with sound production delays, to people on the autism spectrum, to individuals with ALS.  Right now, our youngest client is two years old and our oldest is in their eighties. Age doesn’t preclude anybody from getting a service.”

Is there a recent success that stands out to you? 

“There’s a young, medically fragile girl who I see at home because she can’t go to public school.  We developed strategies for how she can communicate and make choices through eye gaze technology.  Through eye gaze, she expressed herself by writing a story titled “Moonlight Dance” about a world she imagined where a princess left her castle every night to dance with her friends in the moonlight.  The music made them feel happy and they would swing from the trees and eat sandwiches together. She dedicated the book to me with the inscription ‘Dedicated to Miss Linda, who helped me use my words.’”

It’s stories like that that keep Linda and her team motivated each and every day to help people find their potential.

2019 Southern Maine Autism Conference

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Pine Tree Society and Spurwink are pleased to present the 11th annual Southern Maine Autism Conference! This conference draws attendees from all around the state of Maine and is designed for parents and family members of children with autism spectrum disorders, as well as their educators and other service providers. In addition to the keynote, we offer a number of breakout sessions covering a wide range of topics. Attendees will leave with practical tools and strategies that can be implemented immediately in the home, school and community. For 11 years, this conference has been a place where families from all around the state meet and form friendships and networks that last long after the conference ends.

This conference is offered at no cost to attendees and is almost at full capacity with more than 500 people expected.

Service providers can receive 5.25 continuing education hours by registering for $40 to receive a Letter of Attendance after the conference.

Check out the full schedule at www.maineautismconference.org.

Register today!