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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!

Riders have an ‘egg-cellent’ time raising money for Pine Tree Camp

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On Sat., Feb. 2, spectators at Dysart’s in Hermon welcomed a parade of Q106.5 Egg Riders and snowmobilers – including some antique sleds – as they concluded the 25-mile trip from the Hungry Hollow ‘76ers Clubhouse in Levant.  WABI-TV 5’s Emily Tadlock and Pine Tree Camp director Dawn Willard-Robinson were among this year’s celebrity riders.

Dysart’s has sponsored the Ride-in for more than 20 years.  This year, for the very first time they hosted the benefit lunch.

“Pine Tree Camp is a very worthwhile cause and all the funds we raise go back to local people,” said Tim Dysart, Vice President of Dysart’s. “Pine Tree Camp is such a beautiful spot and I like seeing how much the campers enjoy being there.”

The riders continued the fundraising tradition of the Q106.5 Egg Ride by stuffing raw eggs down their snowmobile suits before hopping on their sleds.  Scott Miller and Cindy Campbell host the Q106.5 Morning Show and the Egg Ride is a major focus for them every January.  Each egg represents a $50 pledge from their listeners to help send Maine children with disabilities to Pine Tree Camp.

“The kids are the beneficiaries and our listeners drive the train and we are on board to help make it happen,” Miller remarked.

New additions to this year’s Ride-in included a vintage sled show at the Penobscot Snowmobile Club in Hermon and silent auction at the annual benefit breakfast at the Hungry Hollow clubhouse in Levant.  Members of the Penobscot, Levant, and Carmel snowmobile clubs planned months in advance for ways they could raise funds for Pine Tree Camp and their support was absolutely sled-tacular!

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the Ride-in support Pine Tree Society’s Campership Fund.  Donations can be made here: www.firstgiving.com/event/pts/2019-ride-in

Register for the 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 on March 16, 2019 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in South Portland! The conference is designed for parents and family members of children with autism spectrum disorders, as well as their educators and other service providers.

Learn more about the event by visiting www.maineautismconference.org.

Register for the conference here.