Remember- there are many ways you can become involved with STRIVE! From volunteering in a program or at an event of ours, to making a donation, we would love to have you play a role in the STRIVE Community!

Kevin On The Roof 2019!

We can't believe it's already that time of year again, but we're nearing one of our favorite events of the year...Kevin On The Roof! Our superhero volunteer, Kevin Fitzpatrick will ascend the roof of Patriot Subaru in Saco on September 14th, 2019, just following our 5K Race & Block Party! 

To start Kevin's rooftop stay off right, we'll be having a big kickoff party starting at 6pm on the 14th with pizza from Otto's! We're excited to make this Kevin's biggest and quickest year on the roof yet! Stay tuned for an exciting schedule of events - there will be a ton of games, activities, contests, and of course raffle prizes!

As always, there will be several ways you can contribute to Kevin's efforts! You can come down and make a contribution in person, and let Kevin lower his donation bucket for you! You can also contribute by texting KEVIN to 71777, or by visiting www.helpkevinhelpstrive.org! We're so excited for another big year on the roof -- see you in Saco!

STRIVE 5K & Block Party!

STRIVE For 5/Foden Road 5K & Block Party! Our Annual 5K Run/Walk is Saturday, September 14th, here at Foden Road in South Portland! Our 5K is a flat, accessible course that is great for new runners and lifelong runners alike! Cost of the race is $20 per person up until September 12th, and $30 per person on the 13th & 14th. More details and registration is available  by clicking HERE! After the race, join us for our annual Block Party, hosted by the Foden Road Networking Group! Local businesses will host various booths and activities, from dunk tanks to balloon animals and more! For more information on our 5K, visit our website or contact us at info@pslstrive.org.

 

Summer spending got you blue? Join us for our Money Management course to help you manage your green! STRIVE WorldWIDE is offering a 5-week online Money Management Course starting September 9 with weekly seminars every Tuesday and Thursdays evening from 7-8 PM. See a STRIVE WorldWIDE course in action --  Complete the technology self-assessment and pre-registration form . Email aryan@pslstrive.org with any questions!

The STRIVECast

The STRIVECast had an EXTRA special month in July! This month we not only interviewed one of our biggest superstar-guests yet, Olympic Gold Medalist Joan Benoit-Samuelson, but we also got our very first sponsor of the show! The STRIVECast has 5 episodes coming your way that are all sponsored by Block Brothers Custom Cabinets! We are so grateful to have their support. They're located in Northport, Maine, and can be found online at www.blockbrotherscabinets.com!  

Coming up in August we have some exciting guests, including Jessica Gagne from News Center Maine! We hope you're enjoying the show. Have a guest in mind you'd love to have on the show? Email us at strivecast@pslstrive.org! We'd love to hear from you.

The STRIVECast is a podcast brought to you by the team at STRIVE in South Portland - 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, edited, and produced by people with disabilities! Episodes can be found on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, as well as on our website and Facebook page. Like what you hear? Shoot us an email at  strivecast@pslstrive.org !

In the month of July we had some really fun Friday Nights, with the favorite of course being our annual 4th of July celebration! Everyone came wearing their best red white and blue outfits, and we enjoyed a big fireworks show on the projector screen at the end of the evening. 

We've been re-modeling our teen center over the past few weeks, and it's been so great to have some new gaming equipment, some fresh paint on the walls, and new furniture to freshen up our space! We are lucky to have such a large and space for our socials and are really excited to be making it look even better in there. Stay tuned for news of our grand "re-opening" in the next month or so!

Coming up in August we'll be holding an event many of our members have been waiting for...Baseball Theme Night! This will be on Friday, August 16th. Come wearing your team's favorite hat or jersey, play some fun baseball themed games... and visit with a VERY special guest from the Portland Sea Dogs! There might even be some Sea Dog biscuits, too!

 

STRIVE 25

STRIVE 25 is turning 2 years old! Come celebrate our 2nd Birthday Party TONIGHT, August 1st here at STRIVE! We'll be having a barbecue, birthday cake, and of course tons of dancing! Don't miss out on the celebration!

STRIVE 25 is a social event for folks 25 and older, and happens here at STRIVE the first Thursday of each month. For more information on STRIVE 25, contact Caroline at ccole@pslstrive.org.

Camp STRIVE

Camp STRIVE has been having our biggest and best summer yet! It's been amazing to watch campers who haven't seen each other since last summer re-connect and pick right back up where they left off. We've been adventuring all over Southern Maine -- even just to the Yarmouth Clam Festival, Old Orchard Beach, and Funtown Splashtown all in this month!

Our big treat for this summer has been our partnership with Camp Mataponi in Naples. Each Tuesday in July, our group would head out to their camp on beautiful Sebago Lake, and our campers were buddied up with one of Camp Mataponi's campers. Watching the genuine friendships between campers with and without disabilities blossom over the course of this past month has been such a gift - we are so grateful to Camp Mataponi for having us. We ended our first summer's partnership with an amazing day on the lake -- boating, swimming, water trampolining, and with some tears from campers in both programs. But we know it's not goodbye- it's just see you later!

Camp STRIVE provides tweens, teens, and young adults, ages 11-24 a supportive, safe and active program during school vacations and throughout the summer. During each camp session, campers participate in a variety of activities, including community trips, arts and crafts, games, cooking, and of course social time. Camp STRIVE is focused on ensuring that everyone has access to the camp experience. We operate Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. Campers are supported at all times by our staff, who have completed PSL Services' full training program and are certified Direct Support Professionals.

Bayside

This past month, we moved towards change when we said goodbye to the familiar as three of our participants went off to STRIVE U! We moved forward by welcoming a few new faces to our independent living learning program! Welcome Gabby S. and Matthew O.! We start each day with a Round Table Talk, where we work on good manners and social skills by engaging in conversation with each other. In our group sessions, we transitioned from talking about the importance of having good manners at Bayside (and everywhere else!) to working on banking and math skills. We have just begun to discuss how to access and use the bank properly, understanding the differences between deposits and withdrawals, and how to add and subtract using a budgeting book.

Along with working on our weekly goals, which participants choose to work on themselves, we have also begun to celebrate our new Peer of the Month! This month we say congratulations to Jordan C.! Thank you, Jordan, for all of your hard work and positive attitude here at Bayside and beyond! On our traditional Adventure Day Fridays, we have navigated to GoodWill for some good deals, we had a movie and pizza party, and we also navigated to Dunkin' Donuts for a cold beverage on a hot summer day! We also planted some lovely flowers to send over to our recent graduates. We are very proud of our past and present participants for taking what they are learning at program and we all look forward to what next month will bring us!

  

TOPS

Next STEP is a great option offering quality curriculum for those who are on a waiting list for other services, in combination with other services or for those who may not qualify for other services. Please contact Betsy Morrison at bmorrison@pslstrive.org or 207-774-6278 if you would like more information regarding Next STEP or would like to schedule a tour. Part-time and full-time options are available.