Pine Tree Society

Pine Tree Society Blog

Paddle for Pine Tree Camp Program Challenge: Team Barn!

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What’s your favorite thing to do at Pine Tree Camp?

Casey loves spending time at the barn.  This is his first year at Pine Tree Camp and the morning and afternoon routine of taking care of the farm animals makes him happy.  He can’t wait to share this experience with everyone.

Today, he’s asking you to help support the flock (and the goats!) by donating to his team.

This year, during Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass campers and their families can visit the barn and learn how to feed and care for the goats, chickens and ducks that live there.  It’s a beautiful place to sit and enjoy lunch together as a family in a unique outdoor setting.  Later this year, the addition of a new greenhouse will expand the opportunities to learn about how food is grown.

Paddle for Pine Tree Camp Program Challenge: Team Boating!

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What’s your favorite thing to do at Pine Tree Camp?

Keith loves to fish.  He has boated and fished on North Pond for many years and knows the water well.  As Pine Tree Camp’s new Facilities Supervisor, he can’t wait to share his knowledge about North Pond with everyone.

Today, he’s asking you to hop on board his team by donating at this link.

Boating is a very popular activity at Pine Tree Camp and staff often hear how much people simply enjoy feeling the wind in their hair as they cruise along.

This year, during Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass campers and their families will have the chance to boat, kayak or canoe.  Whether on a motor boat or paddling together, campers enjoy serving as tour guides and showing their family what it’s like out on the water.

One family at a time is allowed on the boat, and private kayaks and canoes provide physical distancing and the opportunity to create memories together on North Pond.

Why Linda Paddles

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Linda Bonnar was among the very first group of paddlers who kayaked their way down the Kennebec River when the Paddle for Pine Tree Camp started 25 years ago.  She was a Pine Tree Camp counselor at the time.

“I saw how important Pine Tree Camp was to so many people,” she recalled.  “Campers live for Pine Tree Camp.  There are no barriers and it’s a place where they are immersed in activities and feel just like everybody else.  When camp ends, they can’t wait to come back next year to see their friends.”

She spent 16 years working at Pine Tree Camp and, today, she’s the Director of Communication Pathways and has been with the organization for over 30 years.

“Taking part in the Paddle is one way to give back to a place that gave me so much.  I know how challenging it can be for families financially.  We’ve always very much believed in an open door policy.  No one is every held back due to an inability to pay.  This is my way to help keep that open door policy in place.”

Linda’s goal is to raise $1000.  Please help her reach her goal by donating today.

 

Paddle for Pine Tree Camp Program Challenge: Team Pine Tree Kitchen!

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What is your favorite thing to do at Pine Tree Camp?

For Greg, Kelly and Lori it’s cooking for everyone in the dining hall.  They love to cook and share meals together with campers and staff.  This year they look forward to connecting with campers virtually through Pine Tree Camp to You and also in-person during Family Recreation Weekends, when people will be able to come together safely in the dining hall.  They can’t wait to cook for you again!

Today, they’re asking you to join their team to support the shared joy of cooking.

This year, there are two ways they will cook with you:

  1. Pine Tree Camp to You provides a virtual camp cooking experience from the comfort of home.  The fun-filled cooking curriculum is delivered online via Zoom and also includes self-guided recipes to prepare in your own kitchen.
  2. Family Recreation Weekends give families the chance to spend three days together at Pine Tree Camp.  This offering includes a cabin, meals and participation in specially developed day and evening programs. Meals will be cooked and served in the dining hall and Greg, Kelly and Lori can’t wait to serve you fresh homemade food in a safe, physically distanced setting.

Paddle for Pine Tree Camp Program Challenge: Team Biking!

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What’s your favorite thing to do at Pine Tree Camp?

Gareth grew up at camp with his mom, Dawn, who is the director. He has seen camp innovate and grow for his entire life and that’s what makes the all-new adaptive bike program so exciting for him.

“I’m inspired by the way camp staff is always looking for new ways to engage campers and spark a love of being outside in nature,” he said.

Today, he’s asking you to be a part of letting the good times roll by donating to his team at this link.

This year, during Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass campers and their families can select from an entire fleet of fully adaptive bikes, suited for all different types of needs. There are a wide option of trails available to cruise through camp and see it from a whole new perspective.

The Paddle is right around the corner and you can make a direct impact on the lives of Maine people with disabilities by registering for the event today! https://www.pinetreesociety.org/…/paddle-for-pine-tree…/

Paddle for Pine Tree Camp Program Challenge: Team Waterfront!

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What’s your favorite thing to do at Pine Tree Camp?

Mary loves being in the water.  It’s a place where she feels totally and utterly free, and she enjoys sharing that joy with other people.

“You can see people relax when they get in the water.  Their shoulders drop and they just feel at ease,” she said.

Today, she’s asking you to help campers and their families dive in with her.

Donate to Mary’s team here.

This year, during Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass and Family Recreation Weekends, campers and their families can enjoy swimming together and spending time on the shore of North Pond.

“The great thing about the waterfront, is that it’s always open,” Mary continued.  “You can appreciate it all day long.”

The Paddle is right around the corner and you can make a direct impact on the lives of Maine people with disabilities by registering for the event today! https://www.pinetreesociety.org/…/paddle-for-pine-tree…/

Paddle for Pine Tree Camp Program Challenge: Team Archery!

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What’s your favorite thing to do at Pine Tree Camp?

Andrew loves taking aim in the archery pavilion!  This is his 8th summer with Pine Tree Camp and before developing his passion for teaching archery, he was a part of the kitchen crew.

Today, he’s asking you to help campers and their families give archery a shot!

Donate to Andrew’s team here.

This year, during Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass campers and their families can take aim in camp’s fully accessible, covered, three lane archery pavilion which includes moveable targets, railings and seating.

To ensure physical distancing, just one family at a time is allowed in the archery pavilion; making it an activity everyone can enjoy together.  Based on an individual’s abilities, staff helps adjust how the bow is held, guides how to notch the arrow or pull the bow.

“We do whatever it takes to help a camper be successful,” Andrew said.

The Paddle is right around the corner and you can make a direct impact on the lives of Maine people with disabilities by registering for the event today! https://www.pinetreesociety.org/…/paddle-for-pine-tree…/

Paddle for Pine Tree Camp Program Challenge: Team Overnight!

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What’s your favorite thing to do at Pine Tree Camp?

Peter’s favorite activity is camping overnight in a tent with his friends.  In fact, he loves camping outside so much he ran the overnight program at Pine Tree Camp in the 1980s.

Today, he’s asking you to help keep the vision for the overnight program going strong by donating to his team in the Paddle for Pine Tree Camp Program Challenge.

Donate to Peter’s team here.

This year, during Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass campers and their families will make memories together by eating lunch in the overnight area and experiencing what campers feel when they spend time with friends in this very special area of camp.  During Family Recreation Weekends, campers and their families will safely come together to enjoy sunsets and that feeling of togetherness and connection to the natural world as day turns to night.

The Paddle is right around the corner and you can make a direct impact on the lives of Maine people with disabilities by registering for the event today! https://www.pinetreesociety.org/…/paddle-for-pine-tree…/

Virtual Info Sessions: Pine Tree Camp Open Year Round

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Pine Tree Camp is now offering year-round fully accessible programming to keep Maine people with disabilities engaged, active and outdoors at Pine Tree Camp’s barrier-free campus on North Pond, or from the comfort of the camper’s home.

“Covid-19 has given us a chance to continue innovating and designing new, safe opportunities for our community to experience in all four seasons,” said Camp Director, Dawn Willard-Robinson. “We are Maine’s only ACA-accredited camp exclusively serving people with disabilities and no camper, or family, is ever turned away due to their inability to pay.”

Join a Virtual Info Session to learn more about Pine Tree Camp’s year-round plans.

What: 

Virtual Info Sessions – Pine Tree Camp

Hosted by Dawn Willard-Robinson, Camp Director and Mary Schafhauser, Assistant Camp Director

When: 

1)

Monday, April 19 — 5:30 PM

Register at this link:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIrd-Cvqz8sH9CRFgDihYQcv7fmBgNPp87S

2)

Friday, May 7 — 12:30 PM

Register at this link:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMqcuCpqT4tHtN_HGQ6IhFeyGEtuyIGD2wR

3)

Wednesday, May 26 — 12:30 PM

Register at this link:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tfuGsrjstHNHphE1MllCN9pUfTXE1ZaLb

Where:

Via Zoom

Pre-registration required

Why:

Virtual Info Session attendees will have the opportunity to discover why being in nature is so important and learn about Pine Tree Camp’s year-round programming, including:

  • Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass
  • Pine Tree Camp to You
  • New: Family Recreation Weekends
  • New: Adaptive bicycles
  • Covid-19 safety: what to expect
  • Participate in a live Q and A

Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass – Open campus days for kids with disabilities and their families to safely immerse in the outdoors at Pine Tree Camp – with no barriers!  Kayak, swim, hike accessible nature trails, spend time in a real treehouse and take aim in the archery pavilion.  All activities are fully accessible and staff is on-hand to provide support.  These one-day passes are designed to provide safe, physically distant access to Pine Tree Camp’s campus for all Maine people with disabilities who want to experience the outdoors in a barrier-free setting during all four seasons.

Pine Tree Camp to You – A virtual camp experience from the comfort of home. The fun-filled curriculum is delivered online via Zoom by Pine Tree Camp’s experienced team and also includes self-guided activities providing campers the chance to connect with friends from all over the State of Maine in every season.  Materials are provided by Pine Tree Camp and mailed to the camper’s home.

NEW:  Family Recreation Weekends – Spend three days on the shore on North Pond with your family. This offering includes a cabin, meals and participation in specially developed day and evening programs. This exciting new offering is a great way to spend time unwinding in nature and enjoying all that camp has to offer in a safe and physically distanced way.

Learn more about Pine Tree Camp’s programming at this link:

https://www.pinetreesociety.org/children-and-families/pine-tree-camp/

More about Pine Tree Camp:  Every year, hundreds of Maine children and adults with disabilities arrive at Pine Tree Camp in Rome and their lives are transformed. Driving down the camp road, campers enter a world that is barrier-free, leaving behind the confines of their disability thanks to the camp’s 285-acre, fully accessible year-round campus. Campers actively participate in all the activities for which Maine is famous – kayaking, boating, fishing, hiking, biking and snow shoeing – experiencing freedom and independence. Since 1945, Pine Tree Camp has welcomed all who could benefit, regardless of their ability to pay.  Pine Tree Camp receives no state or federal funding.