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Pine Tree Society Blog

Pine Tree Camp delivers a fully accessible April staycation for Maine kids with disabilities

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Parents of kids with disabilities are looking for safe staycation alternatives for school break, and Pine Tree Camp has stepped up to fill that need with its first ever Pine Tree Camp to You Spring Week.  All campers need is a spirit of adventure, an Internet connection, a mobile device or computer and a free Zoom account. Pine Tree Camp will provide the rest.

Here’s how it works:

Families will receive a curated activity box containing everything they need to fully participate in five days of activities from April 19th through April 23rd.  The week is specially designed for all ages and abilities and Kids will come together via Zoom to connect for group activities and can also participate in self-guided activities at their own pace. There will be an opening campfire, talent show, and dance party as well as other fun activities like seed planting, squirrel table building, disc golfing, rain sticks and painting.

“Campers will be able to join Zoom cabin groups each day to do the activities with friends old and new,” said Pine Tree Camp director Dawn Willard-Robinson.  “Keeping people connected is the very essence of what we do, and, as innovative camp professionals, we’re always thinking about what more we can do to serve our community and safely provide connection for Maine people with disabilities and their families.”

Registration for Pine Tree Camp to You Spring Week is now open.  Detailed information is available at this link.

https://www.pinetreesociety.org/pine-tree-camp-to-you/

Pine Tree Society’s 2021 St. Patrick’s Day Sweepstakes Winner

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Raymond Perkins, Jr. of Waldoboro!  Raymond was the winner of the March 2021 CSt. Patrick’s Day Sweeps drawing at Pine Tree Society.

Pine Tree Society Sweepstakes raise money to help Pine Tree Society transform lives. For information about the sweepstakes, call us at 207-443-3341.

Pine Tree Society and Maine Parent Federation team up to offer virtual workshops during Autism Awareness Month

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Pine Tree Society and Maine Parent Federation will offer a series of workshops designed for parents, caregivers, educators and providers who provide services to children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders.  The free workshops will take place via Zoom throughout the month of April.  Registration is required and space is limited.

Register for one for each individual workshop using the links below.  After you register, you will receive a confirmation with the link and instructions for joining the workshop.

Katie Beckett Waiver Progam: A Step-By-Step Guide to Apply for Benefits

Thurs., April 1 at 3:00 p.m.

Presented by Dylan Campbell and Jodie Hall, Maine Parent Federation

Dylan Campbell and Jodie Hall, Maine Parent Federation Trainers, for a webinar about the Katie Beckett Waiver Program. You will learn what the waiver is, what services you can receive through Katie Beckett, and how to apply for the waiver.

Distance Learning: Top 10 Tips to Make Distance Learning More Engaging, Motivating and Effective

Wed., April 14 at 7:00 p.m.
Presented by Linda Bonnar, M.A.CCC-SLP/ATP, director of Pine Tree Society’s Speech/Language and Assistive Technology program

The past twelve months have been a rollercoaster for parents and educators alike.  And though the challenges presented by Covid-19 are rapidly changing every day, we should anticipate that distance learning will be a part of our lives for the foreseeable future.  How do we continue to support our children/students in this adventure?  What can we do to help make distance learning more successful for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder?  Linda Bonnar, M.A.CCC-SLP/ATP, director of Pine Tree Society’s Speech/Language and Assistive Technology program, will share top 10 distance learning tips for parents and educators based on her, and her team’s, experiences – and the experiences of the families and educators she has been supporting over the past 12 months.  Join us for this informative and interactive session.

Register for Distance Learning Top 10 Tips.  

Panel Discussion presented by Maine Parent Federation and Pine Tree Society Staff

Mon., April 26 at 12:00 p.m.

The team from MPF and Pine Tree Society will address participant questions and provide guidance around specific needs.  Learn more about services and specifically spend time talking about our Family Support Navigator Program (FSN) which is our peer to peer parent support program.

Register for Parent Panel Discussion.

Transition to Adulthood:   What services are available?  Who is eligible and what is the process?
Thurs., April 29 at 3:00 p.m.
Michael Bell, Children’s Case Manager Team Leader, Pine Tree Society

The transition to adulthood can be stressful process that ideally should begin between the ages of 12 and 14.  We will break it down for you in this workshop designed for parents and caregivers.  Learn about the wide array of programs and services available, the eligibility process and timeline for securing what your loved one needs.

Register for Transition to Adulthood.

Pine Tree Camp is there – no matter what, thanks to you

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Make a difference.  Donate today.

When nine-year-old Trey and his mom Megan drove down Pine Tree Camp’s windy road last month, it looked completely different.  It was covered with pure white snow.

“Trey loves to be outside and with Covid it’s been very difficult for us to get out,” Megan shared.

Covid-19 has amplified the barriers people with disabilities and their families experience in their everyday lives – increased isolation, services ceased, distance learning – many of the supports people rely on have changed dramatically.  From day one, we have approached this challenge as an opportunity to have a deeper impact.  No place is it more evident than at Pine Tree Camp.

Pine Tree Camp continues to respond to challenges by expanding programming.  In fact, we are now offering accessible recreation all year long – and our Open Door Policy is firmly in place. 

Trey and his mom Megan were among the first to join us for a day of winter recreation.

Megan told me, “When you go to Pine Tree Camp, anything is possible.  It gets us away from reality and gives us time to be free and have fun.  We feel like we fit in and Trey gets to participate in everything he wants to do.”

And what did Trey want to do?  Ice fish and sled down Pine Tree Camp’s hill with his mom.  Spending time outside, together, gave them the break they needed – and the experience has had a lasting impact.

This is just one example of our work to be there for Maine people with disabilities and their families – no matter what.  How do we do it?  YOU.  We could not do this critical work without you. 

Your support today will go right to work to help us continue to impact Maine people with disabilities through early intervention, day programs for adults and case management services to implement and retain critical services.

Megan and Trey are just one of thousands of families who are counting on us.  Please send in your gift today.  It will go right to use to help Maine people who need us.  We thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

48th annual Dysart’s Snowmobile Ride-in raises funds for Pine Tree Camp

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There is no doubt about it, the 2021 Dysart’s Snowmobile Ride-in to benefit Pine Tree Camp looked quite a bit difffferent than past 47 events due to Covid-19, but the need remained. We are so thankful to everyone who showed their support of Pine Tree Camp by giving as part of the event. We would especially like to thank our sponsors Dysart’s, WABI-TV5 and Q106.5 for their continued support. All proceeds from the “event” have gone right to work supporting Pine Tree Camp’s programming like Adventure Day Pass

Early Learning Center plans new outdoor playground

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Pine Tree Society’s Early Learning Center has plans to replace its aging playset with a multi-faceted playground designed specifically for children with special needs – and the children and staff alike are excited!

“Our new playground will bring an extension of our classroom to the outdoors,” said Karen McClure-Richard, director of Pine Tree Society’s Early Learning Center.

For many of the children, this playground represents their only access to the outdoors.

“A lot of our kiddos don’t have yards at home,” said Karen. “Playing outdoors is so important for their social, emotional and physical development. They are getting most of their outside time when they’re here with us and we’re helping them learn what they can do outside and grow their passion for the outdoors.”

A playground provides many learning opportunities. Not the least of which is learning how to try new things and take risks.

“Taking risks builds confidence,” said Karen. “It teaches them that they can do the hard things. It also teaches them to trust that we are going to be there for support and not let them down.”

The new playground will feature climbing opportunities to work on hand and leg skills as well as separated areas for the slides and swing sets. Allpieces have been specifically designed with various levels of accessibility to ensure that all of the children are able to meaningfully participate. The pieces will promote safe climbing activities to support strengthening muscles and building endurance.

Combining play with the use of big muscles is critical for learning.

“Our brain needs to work left-to- right when reading,” said Karen. “In order for kids to learn that skill, they need to be able to shift focus from one side of their body to the other. For example, many kids use their right hand when something is on their right side, then shift to their left hand for their left side. To develop their brain for reading and writing, we need to teach kids how to cross their body to get things versus switching hands. It’s all connected.”

 

Pine Tree partners with the CDC to ensure access for Deaf community

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We’re really providing something special to the Deaf community.”

That’s how American Sign Language interpreter Joshua Seal describes Pine Tree Society’s interpretating services for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid-19 briefings.

It’s easy to understand how Joshua’s role as an interpreter fills a critical need by allowing people who cannot hear the opportunity to access the information being communicated during the briefings. What’s not so easy to see — and what makes his ASL interpretating different — is that Joshua is Deaf and ASL is his native language.

“I’m a heritage user of ASL,” he said. “It’s something that’s intrinsic to me.”

To interpret the Maine CDC briefings, Joshua relies on his hearing teammate to listen to what Dr. Nirav Shah says, and then relay that, in sign language, to him. Joshua then signs the information for the viewers, providing critical information so they can make informed decisions in their lives.

“As a Deaf individual, I have a polished and natural way of sharing the briefings,” he said. “Simply put, I take the ASL that the

hearing interpreter provides me and make it easier for the Deaf community to understand.”

ASL is not just finger spelling. New signs are frequently created as needs arise; quickly allowing Deaf people access to information they need in an emergency like the pandemic.

“I first learned of the sign for Covid-19 on February 10, 2020,” said Maura Nolin, Director of Interpreting Services at Pine Tree Society. “A Deaf gentleman travelling back from a conference in Japan did a vlog while he was at the airport sharing that there was a new virus. He showed how it was signed and explained why. The sign he shared quickly went worldwide.”

Pine Tree Society is Maine’s only not-for-profit sign language interpreting agency and is committed to meeting the needs of Deaf people statewide.

“We have always seen technology as playing an important role in meeting the needs of people in rural parts of our state,” said Noel Sullivan, President and CEO of Pine Tree Society. “When Covid-19 hit, we were quickly able to apply our knowledge and capacity to provide the highest quality interpreting services available.”

Pine Tree Camp expands to offer winter opportunities

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On February 13, for the first time ever, Pine Tree Camp opened its gates for something really special: winter Adventure Day Pass.

Megan and her nine-year old son Trey were among the dozens of families who came for some barrier-free winter fun.

Megan and Trey weren’t able to get outside very much this winter and the chance to safely spend the day outdoors at Pine Tree Camp was a true highlight.

“We put winter Adventure Day Pass on our calendar and said ‘Yay! We’re going to our happy place!’ Trey loves to be outside and with Covid happening it’s been very difficult for us to get out,” she said.

Access to the outdoors is critical and, during this time of physical distancing, it’s more important than ever, especially during the winter months. Pine Tree Camp Adventure Day Pass featured safe, physically distanced adaptive snowshoeing, ice fishing, sledding, nature exploration and, of course, s’mores by the fire.

Megan and Trey were ready to experience it all.

Pine Tree Camp partnered with the Equip For Living Foundation to provide accessible ice fishing. It was the highlight of Trey’s day.

“The first thing we did was head out to do some ice fishing,” Megan continued. “We took a side-by-side ATV out on the ice. They were really accommodating and had tents with heaters. We watched them drill a hole in the ice for us then baited our lures. Trey got to sit in a camp chair with me and hold the fishing pole. We sat there and bobbed away.”

After lunch, Megan and Trey enjoyed spending a little time by the fire then made snowballs and snowmen together.

“We went at our own pace and that was really nice,” Megan said. “My favorite was sledding. Trey got to sit in the sled with me and we pushed ourselves down
the hill. He loves to go fast and we just kind of flew down. It was so good to get fresh air all day.”

Pine Tree Camp’s winter Adventure Day Pass is an extension of the programming that was launched in July in response to challenges presented by Covid-19.

“The response has been incredible,” said Pine Tree Camp director Dawn Willard-Robinson. “This summer, we had waiting lists for each day we offered Adventure Day Pass, so we expanded into the fall and winter. We welcomed

lots of people who had never been to Pine Tree Camp. The success of this program really illustrates what we already know: fully accessible access to the outdoors is critical.”

L.L.Bean provided funding to ensure Adventure Day Pass continued this winter.

“The good old-fashioned remedy of getting everybody outside has huge restorative benefits,” Dawn continued. “When you want to take a break from your day-to-day routine, sometimes the best thing to do is get outside and try something you’ve never done before. L.L.Bean’s support made that possible.”

Thanks to their support, Megan and Trey created memories that will last a lifetime.

“As people continue to head outside for comfort and connection, we at L.L.Bean support ways to make the outdoors more accessible,” said Christina Semanyshyn, manager, strategic partnerships and corporate giving. “When Pine Tree Society told us about the Adventure Day Pass program and the access it provides for campers

and entire families, we were delighted to support their important mission.”

This spring, Pine Tree Camp will add a fleet of adaptive bikes and launch a biking program. From hand cycles to recumbents, kids of all ages and abilities will be able to ride on the trail system through the woods.

“We can’t wait to try the bikes,” concluded Megan. “It will be an adventure!”

Virtual Open House: Community Support Auburn

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Pine Tree Society’s Community Support program revolves around three words:

Connected.  Engaged.  Active.

On March 24th Auburn Community Support hosted its first virtual open house! Attendees had the opportunity to experience a day in the life of our clients. The tour gave a look inside Auburn Community Support’s newly renovated building and provided information about the program and how the it has safely kept people connected, active and engaged during the pandemic.  Our facility in Auburn features a computer lab, recreation room and plenty of space for safely socializing with friends. Nearby, Pine Tree Camp provides barrier-free access to the outdoors and unique opportunities to experience nature.

Were you unable to attend the event? Have no fear! You can watch a recording here and learn all about the fantastic opportunities provided by Auburn Community Support.

Learn more about Pine Tree Society’s Community Support programs here.