STRIVE News & Updates
October 1st, 2021
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Are you, or someone you know in the market for a new job? We're hiring! We have full time, part time, and per diem opportunities available (including weekdays, evenings, and weekends)! We are also offering a $500 sign on bonus plus an additional $250 bonus for those that are already DSP or MHRT certified! Click Here to browse our open positions!
If you have questions about our current openings, contact Betsy Morrison at [email protected] or at 207-879-0847 x207.
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Here's what's happening in our programs! |
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STRIVE U will be holding a virtual “open house”/information session on Saturday October 2nd at 10am.
If you, your clients/families are interested, please reach out to Katie Collins via email at [email protected] or phone (207-879-0847 x.229) for a Zoom link
The format will be:
10am Overview of the program
10:30am Virtual tour of a student apartment (via pre-recorded video)
10:40 - Time for Q and A
Conclusion at 11:30
If this time does not work for folks, Katie is more than happy to connect 1:1 with anyone who is interested and/or set up additional info sessions for groups
We will also be having additional information sessions the following times:
Monday 10/18 5:30pm – 7pm
Wednesday 11/17 8am – 9:30am
Based on what seems to work well for people, we will choose a few more dates for December and January as well.
Hope to see you then!
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Here is a picture of Von, one of our first year students, doing a great job at cleaning his apartment windows!
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STRIVE U is a comprehensive two-year residential, post-secondary educational opportunity for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To learn more about the program, schedule a virtual tour, or get an application, please contact Katie Collins, Director of Programs, at [email protected] or call (207) 899-0035.
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STRIVE WorldWIDE’s Citizenship & Social Justice Class Support Their Community & STRIVE WorldWIDE Wins an Award!
Students from our Citizenship & Social Justice: How to be a Part of Your Community course put their learning to use! Kevin (of Kevin on the Roof) joined our seminar to talk about how he became involved with STRIVE and why he goes up on the roof each year to support the STRIVE community. Then the class decided to #helpKevinhelpSTRIVE to practice their citizenship and community support that they are learning about in class. This class has students from 8 states and two countries, supporting Kevin right here in Maine! Check out how they got involved.
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On Friday, September 24, STRIVE WorldWIDE was presented with an award from the Autism Society of Maine! This was an exciting honor for the STRIVE WorldWIDE team to receive recognition for developing and providing this service to our students. We love what we do and are so glad others do too! |
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STRIVE WorldWIDE is STRIVE's online program that teaching independent living skills. For more information about STRIVE WorldWIDE, contact Dr. Anne Ryan at [email protected] or at
207-879-0847.
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Our TOPS students began their school year this month, attending from 9 school districts across Southern Maine. Students attending TOPS are in their final year(s) of high school and work on transferring the skills they’ve learned in school to different settings, including hands on practice within the community. September is a month of beginnings for TOPS, allowing students to transition into the program safely and successfully as they learn the new routine and expectations. The students learned about friendship, practiced community safety, improved awareness of their schedule and responsibilities, and began classroom jobs. |
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Interested in TOPS? TOPS (Transition Outcomes Program for Students) provides transition programming for high school students from area school districts who are typically in their 13th & 14th school year. For more information, please contact Betsy Morrison, [email protected] or by phone at 207-879-0847.
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We had another busy month here at Bayside. Most exciting this month is one of our participants Amanda graduated her program! We wished her all the best with a pizza party, and we are excited for her to move on to her next adventure. Everyone is getting comfortable with the weekly plans here at Bayside. Each morning participants are now buzzing upstairs on their own and jump right into daily cleaning tasks. We make sure to spend time getting to know one another every day and work on communication skills when we play truth be told where each person takes a turn asking a fun question to their peers. Some highlights from our weekly activities this month were cooking a variety of quesadillas on the griddle and trying out some new chicken salad wraps. Navigating in this cooler weather has been great! Participants ventured down to the wharf and checked out the boats and saw a famous historical site, The Victoria Mansion. Adventure day Fridays are filled with games, park activities, and yummy snacks from local pizzerias and bakeries. Budgeting is coming along well, and participants are working hard on meal planning and grocery shopping every week. We are beginning to plan our Halloween party and we are looking forward to apple picking and baking apple treats in the next few weeks. |
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STRIVE Bayside is a unique community supports program that is dedicated to exploring and increasing independence. Some of the goals we work on are grocery shopping, budgeting, cleaning, navigating the community, cooking and social skills. We run five days a week, Monday through Friday and have two daily sessions, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm. We operate out of an apartment in down town Portland to simulate actual apartment living. If you would like more information about our program, or to schedule a tour please contact Kim O'Connor at [email protected].
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Although Next STEP is currently on a hiatus due to the impact of COVID-19, please contact Betsy Morrison with questions or for more information about the program. Betsy can be reached at [email protected] or 207-879-0847.
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Fall is in the air here at STRIVE. With that being said we walked on some local trails and noticed leaves beginning to change. It was a beautiful walk and it was fun seeing the different fall colors. We have continued each week going to STRIVE Studios where we have dance, art, and sewing classes. In sewing class, we finished sewing our own backpacks! We are continuing going out in our community, going shopping at Hannaford and creating amazing recipes in are cooking group. It has been a great month!
In our virtual groups we have continued to learn how to take great photo’s in photography group. We our staying active while at home with our dance and walking groups. We our continuing to learn how to navigate our community with field trip Wednesdays. We have had a great month!
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For more information on PSL Services/STRIVE's Community Support Day Programs, Active & Waves, please contact Emily at [email protected].
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Wednesday Night Educational Series |
Our Wednesday Night Educational Series is back after a break during the month of September. We hope everyone was able to use what they learned during our time management and organization lessons in August to get back into the swing of things with a new school year and new season!
During the month of October, we will focus on safety. We will discuss how to stay safe in our communities, our homes, and online. We will also talk about environmental safety, emergency preparedness, and basic first aid. The cost for this full series is $20. Hope to see you in October!
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The Wednesday Night Educational Series is held every Wednesday at STRIVE (but are currently virtual) for participants 15-24 years old. Series are between 4 and 8 weeks and topics vary from month to month! The price per series is $20-$30, depending on the series' length. Contact Alex at [email protected] at for your link to join class.
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We look forward to seeing you during school vacations! |
Camp STRIVE is a day-camp experience for campers between the ages of 11-24. Camp STRIVE is held every school vacation (February, April, and the day before Thanksgiving) as well as for the full summer. For more information about Camp STRIVE, contact Alex Woodhouse at [email protected]. |
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Although STRIVE's After School program is currently on a hiatus due to the impact of COVID-19, please contact Betsy Morrison with questions or for more information about the program. Betsy can be reached at [email protected] or 207-879-0847.
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We have some fun activities planned in our virtual Tweens program for the month of October! Check out our schedule below! We are also looking to grow our program! Do you, or someone you know, want to join? Email Alex at [email protected]!
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Tweens is a safe and fun environment to build new friendships and learn new skills for folks 11-14 years old. Structured in our Teen Center, we run every Friday from 3:30-5:30pm. We have a scheduled activity each week, with free time built in to maximize socialization. For more information about STRIVE Tweens, contact Alex at [email protected]. |
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STRIVE Night continues to meet each Friday night on Zoom! We always have so much fun together. This month, we are also going to continue hosting a monthly theme night! Friday, October 29th will be our Halloween Party! We plan to do Halloween themed activities and games. Come dressed in your best costume! |
Friday Nights at STRIVE, fondly referred to as "STRIVE Night," is a relaxed but fun evening of socialization for 15-24 year olds. New members are always welcome, and your first night is free! STRIVE Night is every Friday from 6-9pm, with at least one special "theme" night happening each month. For more information, contact Alex at [email protected]. |
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STRIVE 25 is always so much fun! We love being able to get together over zoom and we're always welcoming new members! We hope you'll join us for good conversation, karaoke, and a few rounds of BINGO, October 14th and 28th,
On October 28th, we will also be celebrating Halloween! Come dressed in your favorite costume!
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STRIVE 25 is a social event for folks 25 and older, and typically happens here at STRIVE the first Thursday of each month (currently running bi-weekly online during COVID-19). For more information on STRIVE 25, contact Whitney at [email protected] or Alex at [email protected]! |
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The STRIVECast had a busy month of September with many great guests! We interviewed Todd Brian Backus - Literary Manager of Portland Stage Company, Emily Durgin - Professional Runner for ADIDAS, and Kevin Fitzpatrick from up on the roof of Patriot Subaru! It is so interesting to learn about what its like to do different jobs and it was awesome to be able to talk to Kevin as he was in the midst of his rooftop fundraising endeavor! Do you have guest ideas for upcoming shows? Let us know!
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The STRIVECast is a podcast brought to you by the team at PSL Services/STRIVE in South Portland, Maine — bringing you engaging, hilarious, and thoughtful conversation through one interview week by week. Co-Hosted by two young men with Down Syndrome, the STRIVECast aims to change the voices we typically hear on the radio and through podcasts, as well as to provide meaningful dialogues with all sorts of public figures in our world. We are very proud to be both hosted, produced AND edited by people with disabilities! Like what you hear? Shoot us an email at [email protected]!
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Thank you to our September Donors! |
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Holly Thompson
Patricia Kurowski
Sam Leavitt
Jessica O’Neal- In Memory of Lindsey Allard
Joyce Soule -In Memory of Lindsey Allard
David Griswold-In Memory of Lindsey Allard
Katie Church-In Memory of Lindsey Allard
Sharon Suydam- In Memory of Lindsey Allard
Ashley Sidney- In Memory of Lindsey Allard
Sandra Lemmerman and Allen Irish –In Memory of Lindsey Allard
Melissa McLeroy- In Memory of Lindsey Allard
Melanie Lawson- In Memory of Lindsey Allard
Patricia Kurowski
James Booth- In Memory of Margaret L. Booth
Ben and Laura Metivier -In Honor of The Largent Family
David and Catherine Crockett
Lois Denninson
David Ferland
Kathleen and Michael Bouchard
Minna Brewster
Micahel and Kelli Dubose
James Kilkenny- In Honor of Michael Pallozzi
Bonita Betters-Reed and Gary Reed
Mary McAleney - In Honor of Bennett Agnew and Charlie Mercer
Rita Fields
ISCS Hydraulics Inc
John L. Stahl
MaryAnn Schwanda and Glenn Sutton- In Memory of Joseph Schwanda
Judith and Thomas Watson
Thomas Fernald
David Dyer
Laura Fourre
... And a BIG thank you to the many Kevin on the Roof donors!
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Thank you for your generous support of STRIVE!
With your support, we are able to continue our work each and every day.
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Happy Birthday to our STRIVE members with a birthday in October! |
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Aaron Hornbeck-Fielder
Ted Prosack
Thomas Woodman
Matthew Archer
Angie Tourigny
Andy Tao
Alice Stevens
Kayla Campbell
AJ Bryant
Sarah Doughty
Jacob Roberts
Thorin Wagner-Peck
Patrick Cook
Ryan Jones
Benden Bouchard
Iseyik Harper
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Meet Cameron! Cameron is a second year TOPS student from Windham.. His favorite thing about TOPS is going out into the community. Grocery shopping, Dollar Tree and Monument Square in Portland are his favorite places so far. He is hoping to go to more places this school year.
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Met Greg! Greg is a student at UNE and will be interning at STRIVE for the full school year. Greg recently moved to Maine from Colorado to begin the MSW program at the University of New England. Greg has started to work in many of our programs including; community supports. STRIVE U, STRIVE 25 and STRIVE Nights. So far, Greg says his favorite thing about STRIVE is "the people!". Greg states that everyone has been super welcoming. We are excited to have Greg with us this year and hope you get the chance to meet him soon!
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Community Members Wanted!
Did you know that STRIVE hosts a monthly, free, networking group for those in our local community? The STRIVE Business to Business Networking Group is just one way that we try to be a mutually beneficial partner, with the hope of expanding the networks of our partners and local businesses.
We are looking to grow! The group meets at noon on the last Wednesday of each month (right now we are meeting virtually). Are you or someone you know interested in joining? Contact Pete ([email protected]) or Whitney ([email protected]) for more information about the group and your link to join!
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STRIVE Shop
Don't forget, STRIVE has a new store! We've launched an online store to purchase all your STRIVE swag needs! Take a look at all the shop has to offer HERE! There are so many items to choose from AND you can customize any item by choosing the color and STRIVE logo that you want. Happy shopping!
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Has your mailing address changes recently?
Have a new mailing address to add?
Have questions or comments about any of our programs and events?
New members: You will be asked to complete an updated information form upon your arrival to Tweens, STRIVE Night or STRIVE 25. Want to get a head start? Visit https://www.pslstrive.org/membershipform to submit your membership form today!
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Be sure to follow us on social media! |
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