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STRIVE News & Updates
December 1st, 2023
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ID: A close up of hands holding a sign that says "join our team". | |
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Are you, or someone you know in the market for a new job?
We're hiring for a number of positions!
We have full time, part time, and per diem opportunities available- including weekdays, evenings, and weekends!
We are also offering a $1,750 sign on bonus (after 30 days of successful employment) 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 Jennifer Boucher at jboucher@pslstrive.org or at 207-879-0847.
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Here's what's happening in our programs! | |
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STRIVE U students enjoyed a busy but fun month filled with a variety of activities both social and academic. Students had presentations during learning group from outside agencies regarding resources for accessibility and for healthy relationships. Students also learned about the importance of and history surrounding voting. They learned where their local polls are located, and staff supported students to go out and vote!
On November 8th, students enjoyed hosting the progressive dinner. STRIVE U students welcomed back alumni, hosted different courses in their apartments, and helped make some of the delicious meal. Students, past and present alike, bonded over a get to know you bingo game. The event was great fun for everyone in attendance and STRIVE U students were proud to help execute it.
At the Annual Auction, four STRIVE U students attended and volunteered. Two students gave speeches and did so phenomenally. We are so proud!
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ID: STRIVE U staff in a kitchen standing together and smiling. In front of them is a table with Thanksgiving food. | |
ID: STRIVE members in a line waiting to be served a Thanksgving meal. 3 STRIVE members at smiling at the camera. | |
ID: STRIVE U student sitting on the ground. She is smiling and giving the peace sign. On her jacket is an "I voted" sticker. | |
ID: STRIVE U student giving a speech at the annual auction. She is on a stage and is speaking into a microphone. There are people gathered around watching and listening. | |
ID: STRIVE U student giving a speech at the annual auction. He is on a stage and is speaking into a microphone. There are people gathered around watching and listening. | |
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STRIVE U applications for the class of 2026 are now available! If you are interested in learning more about the program and seeing if it is the right fit, we invite you to attend one of our upcoming virtual open houses! Dates are:
- Tuesday, December 5th at 6pm
- Wednesday, December 13th at 10am
- Monday, January 8th at 6pm
- Thursday, January 11th at 11am.
Please contact the admissions team at admissions@pslstrive.org if you are interested in attending, would like to schedule an individual tour, or would like to pick up an application!
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ID: blue flyer with the STRIVE U logo on the top left. In the middle there is an image of 12 students outside and on the bottom left there is an image of 7 students in graduation caps and gowns. | |
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 tour, or get an application, please contact admissions@pslstrive.org or call (207) 774.6278. | |
Instructor Spotlight: Marie!
Let's get to know STRIVE WorldWIDE team
starting with Instructor Marie with some Q and A!
Q. How long have you been with SWW and what do you do? A. I’ve been an instructor in our SWW online classes for two years.
Q. Do you have a favorite course to teach? A. Yes! I love Healthy Relationships, and Cooking & Meal Planning.
Q. Why do you work for SWW? A. I love learning, teaching, and answering questions! I’m also disabled, and empowering & encouraging other people with disabilities is important to me.
Q. If you could have ANYTHING for lunch, what would you choose? A. I’d pick a tofu bahn mi with extra jalapeños and pickled veggies.
Q. Who would you invite to share your perfect lunch? A. Steven Spielberg!
Q. What have you learned since teaching with SWW? A. Gosh, so much. I learn something from every single student in our courses.
Thanks Marie! We have new STRIVE WorldWIDE team members starting soon and we hope to introduce them to you as we get to know them!
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ID: A picture of STRIVE WorldWIDE instructor Marie and a tan dog. Marie is wearing an orange sweater. | |
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STRIVE WorldWIDE is STRIVE's online program that teaching independent living skills. For more information about STRIVE WorldWIDE, contact worldwide@pslstrive.org or call
207-879-0847.
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November was a great month in TOPS! With a full (and incredible) staff, TOPS students had more opportunity to thrive in our favorite month of the year. November is a turning point in our program as our students are fully settled in, allowing their confidence and independence to grow significantly.
Our students worked throughout the month on a new cooking curriculum, breaking down cooking into intentional sections to support growth and repetition. Oven safety and practice was a huge hit as students prepared simple meals while learning about the oven and how and when to safely use it. This lead into our Friendsgiving week, giving students more time to practice using the oven! For Friendsgiving, our students collaborated with staff to plan and create a full day of activities! This year, we gave thanks for time together and opportunities we have because of our amazing community.
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ID: TOPS students standing together in the classroom smiling. | |
ID: TOPS students standing together in the classroom smiling. | |
ID: 4 TOPS staff standing together and smiling. | |
Interested in TOPS? TOPS (Transition Outcomes Program for Students) provides transition programming for high school students from area school districts who are typically 18 years and older. For more information, please contact Ryanne Desjardins, rdesjardins@pslstrive.org or by phone at 207-879-0847. | |
This month at Bayside we have been learning a lot about the traditions and history of Thanksgiving using resources at the local library. As it gets colder participants have also been focusing on navigating the community by bus with trips to Falmouth, South Portland, Westbrook, and around the Portland peninsula. We are excited to be ending the month with another graduation! We celebrated Brandon by playing Disney trivia- one of our favorite topics, sharing our favorite memories of our time together, and having homemade pizza with ice cream cake for dessert! Brandon will be going on to ACTIVE and we are so excited for him as he starts his new adventure. Congratulations Brandon! | |
ID: Group of Bayside participants standing in a group and smiling. Some have their hands up and some are giving a thumbs up. | |
ID: Bayside participant and staff standing together smiling. They are holding a certificate in the middle of them. | |
ID: Bayside participant smiling. There is a cake in front of him with blue writing and decorations. | |
ID: 3 Bayside participants standing together and smiling. | |
For more information on Bayside, please contact Community Support Program Director, Veerle Pottie, at vpottie@pslstrive.org. | |
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ID: ACTIVE participate smiling at the camera. She is sitting down and eating a Thanksgiving meal. | |
ID: WAVES participants standing together and smiling at the camera. Some of them are wearing medals. | |
Over the past month participants have been working on a lot of fun projects at Strive Studios. We have some large scale paintings in the works. The kiln is full and ready to fired once more. Kayla visited to help make paper mache picnic items for the aktion club. Looking forward to another month of art! | |
ID: STRIVE Participant painting on a large canvas. | |
ID: STRIVE Participant holding up a clay cup he made. He is smiling and wearing a blue apron over his clothes. | |
For more information on PSL Services/STRIVE's Community Support Day Programs, ACTIVE, WAVES, and STRIVE Studios, please contact Community Support Program Director, Veerle Pottie, at vpottie@pslstrive.org. | |
Wednesday Night Educational Series | We have a new Wednesday Night Ed Series starting on December 6th! This series is all about gratitude and giving back and will be in-person only. Students will talk about what gratitude is and why it is important to practice gratitude. They will also have the opportunity to work on a community service project in class! Please fill out our online registration form if interested in attending! | ID: teal background with a blue strip on both sides. there are two pink flowers on the top and an image of a hand dropping a heart into a jar of hearts on the middle left. | The Wednesday Night Educational Series is held every Wednesday in person 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 $30-$40, depending on the series' length. For more information or for your link to join class, contact Alex at awoodhouse@pslstrive.org. | | |
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We are gauging interest for a winter vacation Camp STRIVE! The dates would be Tuesday, December 26th – Friday, December 29th (PSL / STRIVE is closed on Monday, December 25th) and Camp would run 9-5. We would be offering full day options, but no half day options. The full day cost would be $70.
At the moment, we cannot guarantee we will be able to run Camp, but we wanted to gauge interest. If we are able to run Camp, spots would be on a first come first serve basis. Please email Alex by Friday, December 8th if you are interested in attending!
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ID: Blue background with a snowman in the bottom right corner. There are snowflakes throughout the flyer and branches in the top corners. | |
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 awoodhouse@pslstrive.org. | |
Tweens had a great November! We celebrated Halloween, had a dance lesson, and made our own Maps with the Osher Map Library! | |
ID: Tween and volunteer drawing their own map | |
ID: Tween and staff looking at a map on an easel | |
ID: Tweens and staff looking at maps | |
Tweens is closing out 2023 with December full of fun activities! We hope you'll join us for some games, crafts, cookies, movie night, and a holiday party full of Minute To Win It games! | |
ID: blue background with snowflakes along the top. There are trees and a snow hill along the bottom. | |
Tweens is a safe and fun environment to build new friendships and learn new skills for folks 11-14 years old. 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 awoodhouse@pslstrive.org. | |
In November, STRIVE Night celebrated Friendsgiving with karaoke and a pie eating contest! Participants also added their own feather to a gratitude turkey! We are so thankful for this amazing STRIVE community! | |
ID: two participants smiling with whipped cream on their faces | |
ID: participants at a table participating in the pie eating contest | |
ID: two participants standing on the dance floor and smiling for the camera | |
STRIVE Night has an exciting December planned with two theme nights! Participants, alumni, friends, and family are all invited to STRIVE Night on December 1st to celebrate the 24th anniversary of STRIVE! We will also be hosting a SnowBall on December 29th to close out 2023! | |
ID: grey background with snowflakes in the top right and bottom left corner. There are blue clouds in the top left and bottom right. | |
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 Friday from 6-9pm, with at least one special "theme" night happening each month. For more information, contact Alex at awoodhouse@pslstrive.org. | |
STRIVE 25 is hosting an ugly sweater party on Thursday, December 7th! Come dressed in your best holiday attire and join us for an evening of fun, food, and festivities! Mark your calendars for the first STRIVE 25 of the new year as well - Thursday, January 4th! | | |
ID: blue background with silver sparkles. There are images of two sweaters in blue, white, and purple and a white mug with a candy cane sticking out in the middle of the flyer. | |
STRIVE 25 is a social event for folks 25 and older. It currently runs in-person on the first Thursday of every month from 6-8pm For more information on STRIVE 25, contact Whitney at wwildes@pslstrive.org or Alex at awoodhouse@pslstrive.org! | |
The STRIVECast had a great November! We got to chat with Erica Berman - Executive Director of Veggies to Table! We also had fun as a STRIVECast fam and celebrated our 19th Annual Auction and Thanksgiving together on air! We hope you enjoyed listening to these conversations as much as we enjoyed having them! Big shoutout to LegalShield for continuing to sponsor the STRIVECast as well! | ID: screenshot of a STRIVECast recording with all six members of the STRIVECast team. |
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 strivecast@pslstrive.org!
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Thank you to our November Donors! | |
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Barry Dunlap - In Honor of Caleb Dunlap
- Esther M. Pappas
- Paul and Linda Nicak
- Erin and Michael Soucy
- Robert Sellin and Natalie West
- Gregory and Lorraine Cyr
- Teamsters Local Union No. 340
- Hollis and Sandra Dixon
- Rita Ann Smith
- Donald and Barbara Groves
- Janette Stender
- Michael and Janet Collins
- David and Sharon Michaud
- Chris Berry
- Timothy and Christina Miller
- James Kilkenny
- Bonita and Gary Reed
- Paul Daniels
- Christina Cote
- L&L Structural Engineering Services
- Clara Smith & Michael Hubbard
- Margaret and Craig Wilson
- Daniel Reardon
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Jeanne Fernald- In Memory of Lindsay Allard
- Roberta O'Brion
- Matt Sanborn
- Samantha Leavitt
- Robert Barna
- Richard Borts
- Lorraine Twombly
- Deborah Crimmins and Daniel Baschkopf
- Laura and Kathy Son
- Hartley and Benson Webster
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Susan Bouton- In Memory of Sally Bouton
- Todd Delaney
- John Cossaboom
- Jeffrey Millburn & Susan Reck
- Richard Caron
- Molly Salt
- Gordon and Laurie Oliver
- Gillian and Brian Ballute
...and thank you to everyone that donated STRIVE's annual auction!
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Image Description (ID): white background with a circle of colored flowers in the middle. Text in the middle reads "Thank You". | |
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 December! | |
Image Description (ID): Black background with three cupcakes in the middle. Icing on the cupcakes is blue, yellow, and pink. On top of the cupcakes are lit candles that read "Happy Birthday." | |
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Alex York
Ashley Bowers
Jacob Hill
Shania Smith
Ivan Scheloske
Vitality Chan
Kaleb Divney
Victoria Felt
John Mancini
River Cummings
Katherine-Anne Martin
Cameron Day
Matt Kohan
Rob Mendillo
Brandon Woods
Michael Gregoire
Diana LaMontagne
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Meet Brian! Brian attends our Friday aftern0on Tweens program! His favorite thing about coming to STRIVE is dancing, karaoke, and arcade games!
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ID: photo of participant spotlight Brian, standing outside and smiling | |
ID: photos of staff spotlight, Jordyn. She is smiling at the camera | |
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Meet Jordyn! Jordyn works in our Home Support and Community Support programs! Her favorite thing about STIRVE "is the positive environments. I have had the pleasure to work in many different programs and they are all so inviting. You are always learning something new. The participants are so welcoming and fun to work with, as well as the staff. It’s one big team. Everyone has each other's back, and we all support one another. I love the teamwork with staff and by participants as well. Coming together to complete goals that they have make the work seem so rewarding. Getting to see the participants we work with complete something they have been working on is a feeling that is indescribable it brings them so much joy which in turn brings me joy." Thanks, Jordyn, we're grateful for everything you do!
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We're teamed up with our friends at the Maine Celtics and Hammond Lumber for another season of 3 Points for STRIVE! Each time the Maine Celtics score a 3-pointer at a home game this season, Hammond Lumber will donate $50 to STRIVE! You can get involvedby making your own 3-Point pledge. Visit our website Contact STRIVE Program Director, Whitney Wildes at wwildes@pslstrive.org for more information! | |
ID: Flyer with information about 3 Points for STRIVE. there is an image of a basketball going into a net at the top of the flyer and logos for Hammond Lumber Company, Maine Celtics and STRIVE at the bottom of the flyer. There are images of black and white basketballs around the edges of the flyer. | |
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 (pbrown@pslstrive.org) or Whitney (wwildes@pslstrive.org) for more information about the group and your link to join!
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Image Description (ID): gray background with a dark blue border. The STRIVE logo is in the top right. Text is in black and reads "business to business networking group." | |
STRIVE Shop
Don't forget, STRIVE has an updated 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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Image Description (ID): white background with two rows of swag. Top row from left to right is a gray backpack with the STRIVE WorldWIDE logo, a black mug with the STRIVECast logo, a white t-shirt with the STRIVE logo, and a blue baseball hat with a STRIVE U logo. Bottom row from left to right is a blue tote bag with a PSL Services/STRIVE log, a gray sweatshirt with a STRIVE U logo, and a white travel mug with a STRIVE logo. | |
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! | | | | |
