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STRIVE News & Updates
September 1st, 2022
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Image Description (ID): "We're Hiring!" flyer with position and contact information and 3 photos of staff working with STRIVE participants. | |
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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!
For the month of September, 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 Betsy Morrison at bmorrison@pslstrive.org or at 207-879-0847 x207.
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Here's what's happening in our programs! | |
The first-year students are preparing for different employment opportunities! This month, the students, accompanied by staff went to Baker Newman Noyes, Fore street Location for mock interviews. The students worked really hard leading up to the mock interviews by attending weekly employment groups to help prepare for the interviews. The students were able to practice their interviewing skills with 1:1 interviews, tour the office, and learn more about Baker Newman and Noyes. A special thank you to Jessica & Sydney for conducting the interviews! STRIVE U is always looking for new employment partners and employment opportunities if you know of someone or a business that would like to join our network please reach out to Kiana at Kplumer@pslstrive.org. | |
ID: STRIVE U students in front of a brick wall with windows. The students are dressed nicely and holding folders. | |
ID: STRIVE U students sitting around a small round table. The table has a vase in the middle and papers/folders around it. | |
Are you interested in learning more about STRIVE U? We will be holding an in-person open house on Saturday, October 1st! Drop by to learn about the program, tour the campus, and meet current students and staff. Applications for the class of 2025 will also be available. For more information, or to RSVP, contact the admissions team at admissions@pslstrive.org! | |
ID: blue flyer with the STRIVE U logo on the top left. Near the bottom there are two photos. On the left is a photo of 11 STRIVE U students standing outside under a basketball hoop and on the right is a photo of 7 STRIVE U students wear graduations robes | |
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 admissions@pslstrive.org or call (207) 774.6278.
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Building Skills That Helps You Build Relationships and Be Successful At Work!
STRIVE WorldWIDE is excited to debut its newest course, Emotional Intelligence, running 9/26/2022-10/30/2022. Did you know that emotional intelligence, or understanding and responding to other people's feelings, is important not only in our relationships but in our success when working, too? This class teaches you how to develop your emotional intelligence through focus on four core skills: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Through these skills, we will learn how to identify emotions in ourselves and others, practice empathy, discover how these skills can help us to communicate more effectively, and much, much more!
If you are interested in learning more about our classes or joining us for Emotional Intelligence, check out our course catalog here.
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ID: Image with the "4 Core Skills" of Emotional Intelligence". | |
STRIVE WorldWIDE is STRIVE's online program that teaching independent living skills. For more information about STRIVE WorldWIDE, contact Dr. Anne Ryan at Aryan@pslstrive.org or at
207-879-0847.
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TOPS wrapped up their 6-week Summer “ESY” Programming this month. ESY services are provided to both returning and new TOPS students, allowing students extra time to transition into the program while also having some fun in the summer. Our groups practiced community safety, explored various creative outlets, navigated in our local community, participated in cooking groups and learned all about wellness. Our school year programming starts at the end of August/beginning of September! | |
ID: 3 TOPS students sitting on the trolley. | |
ID: 2 TOPS students at Panera Bread. They are holding paper take-out bags. | |
ID: TOPS student throwing a cornhole bag. There are orange construction cones behind him and scores written in chalk in front of him. | |
ID: Group photo with TOPS students and a police officer and his police dog. They are outside in the parking lot. There is a black police SUV behind them. | |
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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 18 years and older. For more information, please contact Betsy Morrison, bmorrison@pslstrive.org or by phone at 207-879-0847.
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This month at Bayside we started off the month by celebrating the completion of the Portland Downtown Scavenger Hunt. Participants had a blast finding over 85 items in downtown Portland. Some of the fun finds were a group photo on the marble staircase at Portland City Hall, a picture of a sock with a lobster on it, the Peaks Island town sign, as many monuments as they can find, and a coffee cup with a barista signature. Participants teamed up into three teams and competed for who could find the most items. The afternoon group, “Skittles” won first place and both other teams did a great job too! Participants celebrated with cool prizes like frisbees, t-shirts, sunglasses, and other summer swag. We also enjoyed a favorite summer pastime and had a “backyard BBQ” filled with hotdogs, fresh fruit, and pasta salad made by the participants.
Bayside welcomes AJ to the program this month and his fellow participants have greeted him warmly and have been showing him the ropes with goals at Hannaford and the bank, while navigating and exploring downtown on the metro. What a great summer we have been having here at Bayside!
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ID: Bayside participants behind a large grill that is built into a brick countertop. There are also BBQ ingredients and supplies on the countertop. | |
ID: 3 Bayside participants on the Casco Bay Ferry. There are cement piers and the ocean in the background. |
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 koconnor@pslstrive.org.
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ACTIVE:
Portland Museum of Art: This month, with Meg and Doug, a group of ACTIVE participants went to visit the Portland Museum of Art! Museum staff gave us a tour of the museum and the current exhibits. While we were there, we walked around to look at all of the amazing artwork and we even got to do some drawing there as well. While we were at the museum, we got to check out their new "Flying Woman" exhibit by artist Katherine Bradford. This exhibit included paintings of women flying, swimming, diving, and doing other awesome things.
WAVES:
STRIVE Studios: This month, the WAVES group has been spending lots of time over at STRIVE Studios. We've been working with paints, colored pencils, stickers, crayons, clay, and we've even been sewing! This month we helped out (as well as some of our ACTIVE friends) with the STRIVE For 5: Foden 5K, one of PSL/STRIVE's biggest fundraisers, by helping to decorate medals for the race participants. The medals came out amazing! STRIVE Studios has provided great opportunity for our group to get creative and to try new things.
|  | ID: A group of ACTIVE participants looking at a painting at the Portland Museum of Art. There is a tour guide pointing to the painting. | |
ID: A group of WAVES participants sitting at a table at STRIVE Studios. They are painting medals. | |
For more information on PSL Services/STRIVE's Community Support Day Programs, ACTIVE & WAVES, please contact Community Support Program Director, Veerle Pottie, at vpottie@pslstrive.org. | |
Wednesday Night Educational Series | |
We had a great month of August learning all about Independent Living Skills in our Wednesday Night Educational Series and we got some hands on practice creating fire safety plans and at home cleaning schedules.
In September, we are looking forward to starting our new series on Self Expression/Storytelling through Writing and Art! In this series, students will learn all about self expression and the creative process and get to practice some writing and art of their own! Students will continue to have the option to join virtually or in person.
| ID: light pink flyer with yellow, brown, and gray leaves in all four corners. Program information is in the middle and there is an image of a paper and pen on the left and paint set on the right. | The Wednesday Night Educational Series is held every Wednesday, with a hybrid model, 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. For more information or for your link to join class, contact Alex at awoodhouse@pslstrive.org. | | |
August was our last month of Camp STRIVE for the summer and we closed it out in style! We started the month with a Hollywood Showdown week and also celebrated the Decades by learning dances and doing crafts from the 1960's through the 2000's! We finished the summer with a trip to the Sea Dogs game and by making pizza during Culinary Creations Week! Thanks everyone for such an amazing summer!! | |
ID: four campers making pizza in the kitchen | |
ID: 5 campers sitting outside at a Sea Dogs game | |
ID: 3 campers standing and 1 camper sitting on the rocks with the ocean in the background. | |
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. | | |
Happy Fall! We're ready for another fun month of Tweens programming! We have a busy and fun filled September and are excited to welcome back our new furry friend, Woodrow as well as make some crafts and do some yoga and movement together! Hope to see you there! Tweens is free and meets every Friday from 3:30-5:30. | ID: yellow flyer with tan in the middle. Dates and activities are in the center and there is an image of a paint set, dog, play doh container, woman doing yoga, and American sign language. |
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. | | |
Happy September! We're looking forward to another fun month of Hybrid STRIVE Nights! We'll meet every Friday in September and members are welcome to join us on Zoom or in person! We're also excited to kick off Fall with a STRIVE Night Fall Carnival on September 23rd. Join us for some fun fall decorations and carnival games! | ID: light orange flyer with yellow, orange, and red leaves along the top and the bottom right. In the center is information about the theme night with a red and white tent above and two tickets on the left. |
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 on Zoom 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 ready for another fun month of in-person and virtual socials! We will meet at Foden Road on Thursday, September 1st for an in-person get together and we will meet on Zoom on Thursday, September 22nd for a virtual hangout! Join us for some good conversation, bingo, and an opportunity to make some new friends! | ID: white flyer with red, orange, purple, and green leaves on the right side. Program information is on the left. | STRIVE 25 is a social event for folks 25 and older. It currently runs on the first and third Thursday of each month from 6-8pm. The first Thursday is in person and the third Thursday is on Zoom! For more information on STRIVE 25, contact Whitney at wwildes@pslstrive.org or Alex at awoodhouse@pslstrive.org! | | |
The STRIVECast had a great August! We spent a lot of time as a STRIVECast team this month and learned about Great White Sharks from our friend Jon, talked about the STRIVE for 5: Foden Road 5K, and played round 2 of the Newlywed Game with our very own Whitney Wildes! We also got to speak to Coach Kevin Woodhouse, head coach of the Portland High School Boys Cross Country Team! We hope you enjoyed listening to these conversations as much as we enjoyed having them! Do you have a guest idea for an upcoming show? Let us know! | |
ID: screenshot of a Zoom recording. There are eight squares - the seven members of the STRIVECast team and one guest.
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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 strivecast@pslstrive.org!
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Thank you to our August Donors! | |
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Todd and Sarah Lawson- In Memory of Nicholas Vaughan
Barry Dunlap- In Honor of Caleb Dunlap
Jack and Catherine Emory
Lynn and DJ Rooney
Erica Schwarz
Garcia-Canning Family Foundation
Samantha Leavitt
Kari Wagner
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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 September! | |
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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Elizabeth Langworthy
Justin Crockett
Olivia Frankl
Jessi McCalmon
Sarah Bean
Myles Frederick
Dominic Arsenault
Sierra Tuttle
Ruby Hawk
Nicholas Sutter
Sam Newcomb
Sam Keiter
Diego Brochu-Senkbeil
Kelsey King
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ID: photo of member spotlight, Matthew. He is wearing a blue shirt and has a blue sweatshirt over his shoulders. | |
Meet Matthew! Matthew is one of our summer Camp STRIVE campers. He loves coming to camp in the summer so he can spend time outside and see all of this STRIVE friends! Thanks for joing us again this summer, Matthew!
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My name is Casey Buchert and I am STRIVE’s JV this year! I am from Boyertown, Pennsylvania and I love art, listening to music, and reading! Being a JV (Jesuit Volunteer) means I am committed to a year of direct service under the values of simple living, spirituality, community, and social justice in Portland, Maine. JVs can be placed to serve in communities all over the country! My favorite thing about STRIVE is playing air hockey and coloring with participants at STRIVE Night. I feel very grateful to have been placed at PSL/STRIVE and I look forward to everything this year brings!
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ID: A picture of Casey. She is wearing black overalls and is sitting on a rocky beach with the ocean and clouds behind her. | |
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STRIVE for 5K: Foden Road 5K
Thank you to those who participated in our Foden Road 5K and Block Party at the end of August!
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ID: 2 images of STRIVE participants at the STRIVE for 5: Foden Road 5K. They are both wearing their race bibs and 5K shirts. | |
ID: 3 images of runners starting the 5K. They are running under a large blue blowup start line that says "start" and has the STRIVE logo. | |
ID: Children at the start line for the Children's Fun Run at the STRIVE for 5. They are standing under a large blue blowup start line with the STRIVE logo. | |
ID: Texas Instruments booth at the STRIVE for 5 Block Party. There are 4 TI employees standing behind the table, smiling. | |
ID: Geico booth at the STRIVE for 5 Block Party. There are 2 Geico employees standing behind the table, smiling. | |
ID: Northern Light booth at the STRIVE for 5 Block Party. There is a Northern Light employee standing behind the table, smiling. | |
ID: MPX booth at the STRIVE for 5 Block Party. There is a MPX employee and her child standing behind the table, smiling. | |
ID: Children playing Limbo at the Block Party. Limbo was sponsored by LegalSheild/IDSheild | |
ID: People playing giant Connect 4 at the Block Party. | |
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STRIVE's 18th Annual Auction
Coming Soon!
| ID: STRIVE's 18th Annual Auction ad. The flyer is different shade of purple and includes event information as well as logos for our Presenting sponsors- SunLife and Bangor Savings Bank. | |
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting this year’s auction in a hybrid format! We will be hosting an in-person kick-off event Thursday, November 10th at the Elk’s Lodge, where we will have bidding on our live items, the fund-a-need portion of our program, hear from STRIVE participants and more! Bidding on our silent auction items will take place online on Bidding for Good. Bidding will be open Thursday, November 10th- Thursday, November 17th.
STRIVE’s 18th Annual Auction
In-person kick-off
Thursday, November 10th from 6-9pm
Portland Elk’s Lodge
1945 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04102
Online Bidding
Open Thursday, November 10th-17th
You can browse our items at https://www.biddingforgood.com/strive!
Items are added daily, so be sure to check back often!
More information on both portions of the event coming soon!
Are you interested in donating to our auction? We are asking for support via a donation of an auction item - a product, experience, gift certificate or a creative idea of your own design. Donors will be acknowledged by having their business website linked to the item that they give, which will be seen to our online audience of thousands of bidders. Contact STRIVE Program Director, Whitney Wildes, at wwildes@pslstrive.org if you are interested in donating!
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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 (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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