Pine Tree Society will host a flu clinic that will be open to the general public on September 20.
The clinic will be held at the Society’s Bath office at 149 Front Street on Wednesday, September 20 from 12:30-2 p.m. The immunizations will be administered by CHANS Home Health Care. A donation of $20 to CHANS is suggested to help cover the cost of their services.
Please call Trish Hansen at 386-5926 with any questions regarding the clinic.
“Never give up.”
That’s what Maine artist Sandy Crabtree used to say to her students.
She taught art at Morse High School in Bath for nearly 30 years. For ten of those years, she submitted artwork to Pine Tree Society for consideration as a design for its annual holiday card.
“Even when my work wasn’t chosen, I kept entering every year and would use it as a teaching tool with my students and also as a way to encourage other artists to never give up.”
Her perseverance paid off and, in 1992, her work was selected. Since then, her paintings have been chosen ten times and helped raise over $3 million dollars for Maine people with disabilities.
“Pine Tree Society’s art collection is wonderful and I love being a part of it. You never know how it strikes people’s hearts. The holiday cards evoke feelings of nostalgia for Maine as a place where you grew up or visited.”
Her 2017 painting “Squirrel Point” is a captivating watercolor of a beloved Maine lighthouse. On a clear, brisk day on the Kennebec River, Squirrel Point Lighthouse is festively adorned with a wreath, a Christmas tree, and a jolly snowman waving from the hill.
Crabtree loves lighthouses. She also loves tree houses.
“The tree house at Pine Tree Camp is what first inspired me to want to support the organization. I think it’s a wonderful idea for kids to be able to go up in the air like that.”
Crabtree painted Squirrel Point Lighthouse from a photo she took while on a boat 20 years ago.
“That’s what it looked like then, it was maintained and looked like what the card looks like. Today, people are raising money to restore it. It’s on such a sweet point in the river and is such a landmark in our area. I’m hoping the card helps raise awareness about the importance of saving things that matter, like Squirrel Point Lighthouse and like the tree house at Pine Tree Camp.”
In the 1960s, Pine Tree Society staff had the idea that a Maine-themed holiday card could be the perfect fundraiser. More than fifty years later, the tradition is still going strong and the Society has acquired an extensive collection of quintessential Maine art.
Every June, Pine Tree Society’s office is flooded with paintings depicting Maine’s beautiful winter landscape. This annual holiday tradition draws work from artists from around the state competing for a chance to be featured.
To view and order your Pine Tree Society holiday cards, click here.
“My family lives to be 103, I’ve had three great aunts over 100. I’ve got good genes and I’ve been fooling Mother Nature and Father Time all along.”
Carlton Plummer already has seven paintings featured on Pine Tree Society holiday cards. This year, at 88 years old, he’s added an eighth. His painting “Homeward Bound” has been selected as the design for this year’s card.
Plummer was born in Brunswick and spent his childhood on his grandparents’ farm just outside of Augusta before attending art school in Boston, where he met his wife Joan.
At 20 years old, his first illustration appeared in the Boston Sunday Globe. He then served as a combat artist during the Vietnam War before going on to become a full time painter and professor of art.
“When I went to Vietnam I had never even flown before. I’d never been off the ground. I was the first artist to go to Thailand in 1969 and was carried by Land Rover through the jungle as they built the roads.”
He then went on to teach for 55 years, 20 of those as a full professor of art at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
“I love to teach and have taught more than 10,000 students.”
His watercolor scene for the 2017 Pine Tree Society holiday card features a man making his way home after harvesting the perfect Christmas tree. He moves through the rugged landscape of the snow-covered forest on his way to the quaint town in the clearing where his family eagerly awaits his arrival.
When asked what inspired him to paint this scene, he said, “That’s me.”
This painting harkens back to a childhood memory on his grandparents’ farm.
“That’s me. When I was 8 years old, I took a hatchet and went into the pasture to take down a fir tree. No one knew what I was doing, but I did a good job with it and they let me do it every year after that.”
Plummer has received over 200 awards for his paintings, including from the prestigious American Watercolor Society and Allied American Artists. His holiday card artwork for Pine Tree Society has helped raise more that $3 million dollars to support Maine people with disabilities.
“The first year I was selected, I had submitted my painting because I thought it was a good idea. I’m an illustrator and this was something I could do to help Pine Tree Society. After my first design was chosen, I got hooked. And I’m glad I did.”
Every June, Pine Tree Society’s office is flooded with paintings depicting Maine’s beautiful landscape. This annual holiday tradition draws work from artists from around the state competing for a chance to be featured in Pine Tree Society’s expansive collection of Maine art representing all aspects of Maine in the winter, from country scenes to woods and fields to the rockbound Maine coast.
To view and order Pine Tree Society’s holiday cards, click here:
Wherever you look at Pine Tree Camp, you will see dedicated Campologists leading and supporting campers in everything they do. Some of them are leading an game or craft activity, some are keeping campers safe during free swim, some are helping individual campers put on their sunscreen or passing out cups of water. Some Campologists are spending one-on-one time hanging out with campers, laughing and talking, playing a lawn game, or relaxing on the swing. They are cleaning the cabins, putting away equipment or helping campers with their meals in the dining hall.
What you’ll notice about Pine Tree Camp’s team of Campologists is that they make it all look easy and they actually appear to be having fun. When you ask a Pine Tree Camp Campologist what characteristics are necessary to do their job, they use words such as fun, energetic, encouraging, non-judgmental, innovative, approachable, adventurous, compassionate, kind, caring, patient, empathetic, accepting, quick-thinking, adaptable, and loyal. They say you have to be a good listener, an expert in fun times, a mentor, a leader, and have a passion for bringing joy to others. They say you will be growing every day and it’s the toughest job you’ll every love.
What do you think makes a Pine Tree Camp Campologist so special?
Congratulations to Carol Parcher from Scarborough! She was the winner of the Labor Day Sweeps drawing at Pine Tree Society. Pine Tree Society Sweepstakes raises money to help Pine Tree Society transform lives. For information about the sweepstakes, call us at (207) 443-3341.
Our team of experienced Employment Specialists can help teens with disabilities prepare for a brighter future with a rewarding career. We aim to help bridge the gap between high school and adulthood by assisting teens and young adults who have little or no work history with an opportunity to explore possible careers through short-term work experiences.
Pine Tree Society is a provider of the Maine Department of Labor’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) Progressive Employment activities to assist youth in preparing for the transition from school to work.
Employment Specialist, Marie DeFranca explains, “Progressive employment is a way to give individuals between the ages of 14 and 22 a way to experience different types of work that they have never been exposed to. It’s beyond the scope of their everyday activities. It’s beyond working in a grocery store and maybe actually getting into a work experience that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.”
Progressive Employment, also known as Career Development or Pre-Employment, provides individuals who have little or no work history, low skill levels, or other barriers a way into paid employment that builds momentum and provides a way to increase skill level and confidence.
Our Employment Specialists help facilitate company tours, informational interviews, job shadows, and short-term work experiences. We evaluate existing work skills, and identify training, support or accommodation needs. We help the individual develop interpersonal and customer service skills.
Progressive Employment eliminates the need to be “job ready.” Since it is low risk for both the employer and the participant, the barriers to gaining meaningful employment experiences are significantly reduced. These experiences help the individual build a resume and professional references.
DeFranca gives an example of how Progressive Employment actives are helping a young man she is working with explore a meaningful career opportunity. He currently works in a grocery store but he is interested in a career working with animals. DeFranca arranged for an informational interview and job shadow experience in a local veterinary practice. Watch a video about Progressive Employment below.
For more information about Progressive Employment, click here or contact Career Development Services Manager, Lillian Doughty, LSW, ACRE at (207) 386-5841 or email ldoughty@pinetreesociety.org.
It was really fun!
Those words can be used to describe many things at Pine Tree Camp. In this case, Harmony was talking about spending the night in a tent at the overnight site, which was the thing she enjoyed most during her week at camp.
The pizza cooked outside over the fire earned a rave review.
“I had pepperoni and cheese pizza. Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm!”
After dinner, she really enjoyed doing a Mad-Lib and playing Red Light, Green Light with the other campers.
She says the highlight of the evening was the making and eating S’mores.
“They were DEEEEEE-licious!”
When it was time to turn in for the night, the girls in the tent were laughing and giggling a lot. Harmony said she was so tired, she fell asleep while some of them were still giggling.
In the morning, the bacon, eggs and potatoes got the day off to a yummy start before Harmony and her friends headed back to join the other campers for a busy day of swimming, boating and crafts at Pine Tree Camp.
On Friday, July 21, Pine Tree Society will open the doors of the Bath office at 149 Front Street during the Bath Art Walk from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
As you walk the halls, you will see over 60 paintings which have been featured on Pine Tree Society’s holiday cards over the past 50 years. This collection of quintessential Maine art features winter scenes including lighthouses, schooners, famous landmarks, and quaint little towns under a blanket of snow.
At 6:00, we will unveil the two paintings selected to be featured on the 2017 Pine Tree Society holiday cards.
Wine and refreshments will be served.
We cordially invite you to browse our art collection from 4:00 to 7:00 on July 21. While you’re here, plan to make an evening of it and ride the trolley to other Bath Art Walk sites, browse the shops in downtown Bath, eat dinner in one of the local restaurants, and take a little walk in the beautiful waterfront park behind our office.
Pine Tree Society has been selling holiday cards to support programs for Maine people with disabilities for over 50 years. We estimate that about $3 million has been raised in holiday cards sales during that time. Those funds have gone directly to transform the lives of Maine people with disabilities.
“It’s a big place. It can be intimidating when you walk in.”
That’s how Josh Brosious describes Lowe’s. He’s worked there for a year now and if there’s one thing he’s learned, it’s that “You can’t be afraid to ask questions. People will help you.”
Josh enjoys assisting customers by bringing their purchases out to the car and taking care of the carts once they load up.
He’s been a Pine Tree Camper for 20 years. When he was 10 years old and was at camp for the first time, he remembers being shy the first day.
“Then someone came up and said ‘Hi’ and I was fine.”
His first memory of camp is meeting friends, and that’s still his favorite part of the experience.
“When I go to Pine Tree Camp, I see old friends and meet new friends. I love the people.”
His advice to everyone is to “Go and have fun and talk to people. Everybody is so nice.”
Josh’s favorite Pine Tree Camp traditions are boating, kayaking and fishing. A major highlight for him this year was when he caught a bass.
“It was really cool. The water is really nice and I love doing all that stuff.”
He goes fishing when he’s at home, but when he’s at Pine Tree Camp it’s the only time of the year he has the chance to boat and kayak.
Josh’s week of summer camp is paid for by the generous contribution of a Pine Tree Camp 100 corporate sponsor. Pine Tree Camp never turns a camper away due to their ability to pay, and corporate contributions help ensure that open door policy stays firmly in place so people like Josh who can benefit from the program have the ability to do so.
Josh shares the Pine Tree Camp spirit with his community every day. Whether it’s meeting a new camper or seeing a customer at Lowe’s who needs help, he’s always happy to be the first to say “Hi.”