Press Release                                                                                                                                     Camden July 2011

Susan McChesney of Phippsburg, Maine is the lucky winner of the  all-inclusive four-day Maine Dream Vacation Raffle.   The raffle was sponsored by the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce and Broadreach Family & Community Services to benefit Youthlinks, a community service and skills enrichment program for area youth.

The winner was officially announced at a drawing ceremony held at the Camden Harbour Inn.  “We are so happy to be able to give Ms. McChesney this phenomenal dream vacation package,” Amie Hutchison, Youthlinks Program Director said, “And we are so very grateful to the Chamber and area businesses for their incredibly open-hearted support of Youthlinks and this raffle.”

Raffle ticket sales were limited to 500.  Tickets were purchased by residents from 24 states- as far away as Alaska and California, though many locals bought tickets as well.  “We want to congratulate Ms. McChesney and thank everyone who purchased tickets to the raffle,” said Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber Executive Director, Dan Bookham.  “September is a great time to visit the Camden and Rockland area.  I can’t think of a better way to have a few days of rejuvenating fun and help local youth at the same time.”

Ms. McChesney and her guest will enjoy a fantastic array of top-notch lodging, fine meals and wonderful activities.   They will spend three nights at the AAA four-diamond Camden Harbour Inn, and enjoy a daily gourmet breakfast, snack, and evening turndown service. Each night they will have dinner at a different nationally acclaimed local restaurant: Camden’s Hartstone Inn, Rockland’s Primo, and Natalie’s, at the Camden Harbor Inn. The prize also includes a $500 gift card provided by Machias Savings Bank, which the winner may use as she pleases.  Ms. McChesney will receive a large Red Claw tote from Sea Bags to take home,  stuffed with local goodies.

Ms. McChesney will choose two of the following enticing activities to round out her vacation: spa services at Beauty Mark Spa,
Camden; a biplane tour over Penobscot Bay, courtesy of the Owls Head Transportation Museum; a round of golf at the oceanfront Samoset
Resort, Rockport; a day sail and picnic aboard the Schooner Olad, Camden; back stage tour of the

Drawing the winning ticket

Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland;  private winemaker’s tour with lunch of Cellardoor Winery, Lincolnville; personal cooking class with Chef Kerry Altiero of Café Miranda, Rockland; personal hike in the Camden Hills with Registered Maine Guide and editor of Down East magazine Paul Doiron and birder/trails expert Kristin Lindquist of Coastal Mountains Land Trust; and a portrait sitting by award-winning photographer Amy Wilton.

The prize package had also included round-trip airline tickets and a rental car- but since Susan lives close by,  she was happy to donate those options back to support Youthlinks programs.  For more information about Youthlinks, call them at (207) 594-2221, visit their website at www.youthlinksonline.org, or check them out on Facebook.

Photo:  “Drawing the Winning Ticket”   Amie Hutchison- Director, Youthlinks; Raymond Brunyanszki – Co-Owner, Camden Harbour Inn and Natalie’s Restaurant; Dan Bookham- Executive Director, Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce

Rockland After-School Alliance (RASA) is gearing up for its third summer of
free day camp for Rockland-area youth. There are exciting program offerings this
year as well as schedule changes.

Programs will begin July 5^th and are open to current Rockland
District Middle School students. We will welcome out of area
5^th-8^th grade students on a space-available basis. Camps
will run at RDMS five days a week through August 12^th. Participants
sign up for one week at a time. Campers may choose one week of camp, or all six.
Youth also have a choice of a morning or afternoon session (but not both).
Morning camp will run from 9:00am to 12:00pm and the afternoon session will
begin at 1:00pm and end at 4:00pm. “We are very excited about this new
schedule,” says Club Coordinator Christy Monroe. “Having morning and afternoon
sessions will allow us to accommodate families’ schedules more easily, while
allowing us to serve twice as many kids.”

Encourage you camper to pick a track—or focus area—for each week of camp
based on their interests. Bobcat kids will play field games and sports. Fox kids
will engage in creative art activities. Moose kids will spend their time
volunteering in the community. Visit www.youthlinksonline.org/RASA
for complete program descriptions and registration information.

RASA, a 21^st Century Community Learning Center Program, is a
partnership between Youthlinks, a program of Broadreach Family & Community
Services, and RSU 13.

For four years, Youthlinks has been teaching local middle schools classes
using a curriculum called Lions Quest, a program based on the promotion the
positive potential of all youth, character development, personal responsibility,
and prevention.  This year, Youthlinks Program Manager Caitlin Schick has been
utilizing Lions Quest with fifth graders in Joanna Duke’s health classes at
Rockland District Middle School.  Together, the classes have been looking at
issues like productive teamwork, demonstrating positive listening skills, and
promoting a safe classroom environment.

For most young students, the experience of going to school presents many more
weighty challenges than just tests and homework.  Students have to integrate a
litany of social and emotional information on a daily basis while concurrently
trying to focus on what is being offered in the classroom. Navigating social
expectations which dictate behavior and conformity, learning on how to
communicate with teachers and follow school rules, dealing with bullying or peer
pressure, and trying to process hardships or stress happening at home all take
considerable attention away from academics.  However, just like mathematics or
literacy, core social and emotional skills like positive decision  making,
setting goals, processing stress, and working cooperatively with others hold
lifelong value.  These latter skills help students develop ways to cope with the
everyday intensity of being an adolescent, allowing them a little more mental
energy to tackle their studies.

Schick puts emphasis on these life lessons by making them fun and engaging.
Classes begin with a group game requiring teamwork to get students ready to
participate in class lessons. Working together in a fun way allows students to
drop their guard a little with one another and be receptive to listening and
cooperation.  Lions Quest classes differ from most academic classes because as
Schick tells students “You are already the expert in your life.  I am not here
to teach you about you. Instead, I will be asking for you to think about the
things you experience, and we will work together on developing skills that help
us make good choices around the challenges we face every day.”  There are no
wrong answers, and everyone is asked to participate in discussions using first
person experiences and thoughts.  Because so much of Lions Quest classes are
routed in personal sharing, Schick emphasizes the importance of creating a safe
classroom together as a platform for this different type of group learning.  As
one student summarized, “[In Lions Quest] we learned how to work with each other
and not argue, and the importance of teamwork and having fun together.”

The ultimate goal of Lions Quest and Youthlinks alike is to create a
community that supports the development of capable, and caring young people with
strong character.  Starting in the classroom by strengthening social skills and
emotional resiliency not only helps students thrive in their personal lives but
their academic lives as well.  If students can learn to value themselves, feel
respected by peers, and see adults as allies, the hope is that this combination
carries beyond Lions Quest and into the rest of their lives.

Youthlinks is a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services located
in Rockland that provides community service, leadership and enrichment
opportunities to youth ages 11-17 in mid-coast Maine. These programs help youth
learn skills, build self-esteem, cultivate social responsibility, develop
leadership abilities and connect to their peers, to adult mentors, and to their
communities. Youthlinks is funded by grants and the generous donations of
individuals and businesses. All programs are free for participating youth.

There are lots of extracurricular activities that students can choose do
after school, from organized sports to piano lessons to babysitting, but this
winter six students at Troy Howard Middle School chose to spend their Thursdays
engaging in community service, through Youthlinks’ Community Service Club. Over
the course of nine weeks, the 6^th and 7^th graders found a
variety of ways to meaningfully engage  with other members of their local
community and the wider circle of the world. The students’ first mission in the
club was to make a meal for the St. Francis Soup Kitchen located in the Belfast
Community Center. After a fieldtrip to the soup kitchen the students spent 2
hours making an enormous quantity of meatballs and pasta sauce for a pasta
dinner. In the weeks following, they baked cat and dog treats and delivered them
to the Camden-Rockport Animal Rescue League, where they spent the afternoon
socializing with cats and walking dogs awaiting adoption. It was a particularly
cold day and while walking a very small shivering dog, it was touching to
witness the students’ empathy as they scooped her up and took turns tucking her
in their jackets until they were able to get back to the shelter. The students
also made recycled crayons and drew coloring pages for a preschool classroom at
Broadreach’s all-inclusive preschool program, visiting the next week to lead a
coloring activity and spend some time acting as mentors to younger kids. In
addition, participants made thank-you cards for soldiers serving overseas and a
large pot of soup for an empty bowl dinner fundraiser. For the last meeting the
group broadened the scope of their service by discussing the recent natural
disaster in Japan and folding paper cranes for the Students Rebuild project,
which donated $2 to reconstruction in Japan for every paper crane made and
mailed to their organization.
Youthlinks’ spring program just got underway as well—another
community-service oriented program called “Play With Your Food.” This program is
a collaboration between Youthlinks and Broadreach’s all-inclusive preschool
program located at Mill Lane in Belfast. Youthlinks participants from Troy
Howard are meeting each week to plan healthy, creative snacks for preschoolers
and an activity to accompany the snack. In their first week together, the
students had a great time teaching the preschoolers how to make a fruit-face
snack. The objective is for both the younger and older kids to see that eating
healthy foods can in fact be tasty and fun. So far, the students seem to
agree.

The Play With Your Food program is currently meeting Thursdays 2:30-5pm,
through June 9^th.  All Youthlinks programs are free and open to all
students ages 12-15. For more information or to register a student, contact
Ashley at 975-3878.
Youthlinks is a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services located
in Rockland that provides youth with community service, leadership and
enrichment opportunities. These programs help youth learn skills, build
self-esteem, cultivate social responsibility, develop leadership abilities and
connect to their peers, to adult mentors, and to their communities. Youthlinks
is funded primarily by state grants and the generous donations of individuals,
businesses, and foundations. All Youthlinks programs are free for participating
youth. For more information, visit www.youthlinksonline.org, or call 207-594-2221
207-594-2221.

Proceeds help support the community service programs of Youthlinks, connecting the teens of Midcoast Maine to their communities and expanding their aspirations through services and enrichment, and the community development work of the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce. Youthlinks is a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services.

http://www.mainedreamvacation.com/

Glee mania has taken over Rockland District Middle School.  Says student Zoe Goff, “I love the show!  I wish I could watch it every minute of the day!”  The appeal of the show is widespread, and this year several RDMS students decided that they wanted in on the Glee phenomenon.  Enter the Rockland After-School Alliance, which tailored a musical program to the passionate requests of this enthusiastic group.  Participant Sydney Gustafson shares, “There’s just something about the show—it’s fun and special and kind of crazy, and we wanted to have that here.”  For several weeks now, fourteen middle school students and two high school volunteers have met with Youthlinks Program Manager Hilary Flagg to master song and dance routines from the show they love, in preparation for their April 15^th showcase performance.

While all involved would admit that preparing for a five-song performance is a lot of work, the fun seems to be what stands out most to this dedicated crew.  Each practice ends with a chance for students to check in about how the day went, usually by rating the day on a scale of 1 – 10.  Inevitably, off the chart numbers were shouted out as students reflected on how much they accomplished and how much fun they had singing and dancing together.  Says Flagg, “When we started the program, a top priority was making sure that Glee was fun for everyone, regardless of vocal ability and past experience.  It’s been incredible to see how much they have improved musically because of being in such a positive environment with their peers.”

The part of the show that students love most, in addition to the elaborate and flawless musical routines, is the camaraderie that develops between students from different social circles as they come together in a mutual love of song.  That team mentality is evident at RDMS, too; students who have never hung out prior to Glee have become each other’s biggest supporters and mentors, working together to learn dance steps, sing with emotion, and, perhaps most challenging, to overcome stage fright.  Delia Sastaamoinen, one of Glee’s soloists, says, “I originally joined because I love the show, I thought it would be really fun, and I had to get over my stage fright.”  She, along with many of her fellow Gleeks, signed up for the program without feeling prepared to take the stage and sing for a crowd.  After lots of practice and encouragement, this session’s showcase performance featured fourteen of its sixteen members in solos, duets, and small group numbers—every single student who was brave enough to ask for a feature got one.

The Glee Club’s recent performance caps off the program for the year, but it’s likely that next fall will be the start of another Gleeful year!  Youthlinks, a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services, is part of the Rockland After-School Alliance and provides community service, leadership and enrichment opportunities to all youth ages 11-17 from anywhere in mid-coast Maine. Youthlinks programs help youth learn skills, build self-esteem, cultivate social responsibility, develop leadership abilities and connect to their peers, to adult mentors, and to their communities. Youthlinks is funded primarily by state grants and the generous donations of individuals, businesses, and foundations. All programs are free for participating youth. For more information, visit www.youthlinksonline.org, or call 207-594-2221

The beat went on at the Youthlinks 2^nd annual I Pity The Fool fundraising ‘80s dance, despite the April Fools Day blizzard.

Youthlinks would like to thank all of the guests who trudged through the snow Lincoln Street Center to dance to the awesome sounds of The Nikki Hunt Band.  Over a dozen people won fabulous prizes for their outfits and dance moves thanks to our prize sponsors:  FIORE Artisan Olive Oils and Vinegars, Belfast Dance Studio and RHEAL Day Spa.  The entire evening was made possible through the generosity of our title sponsors, Atlantic Studios, Café Miranda, and Machias Savings Bank.

A huge thank you goes out to the eight fabulous supporting Rockland restaurants, Amalfi on the Water, Café Miranda, In Good Company, Lily Bistro, Park Street Grille, Rustica, Waterworks and Sweets and Meats.  One lucky raffle winner took home gifts certificates to each of these restaurants!

Thank you to Central Distributors and TEA printing for our posters, and Bonnie Farmer and Jesse Stuart for event photography.  You can check out photos online at facebook.com/groups/ipitythefool.

You can put away your leg warmers and shoulder pads for now, but mark your calendars for year three:  Saturday April 1, 2012.

All proceeds from the evening went to support Youthlinks, a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services located in Rockland that provides community service, leadership and enrichment opportunities to youth ages 11-17 in mid-coast Maine. These programs help youth learn skills, build self-esteem, cultivate social responsibility, develop leadership abilities and connect to their peers, to adult mentors, and to their communities. Youthlinks is funded by grants and the generous donations of individuals and businesses. All programs are free for participating youth.

, 594-2221.

Youthlinks is excited to announce the first-ever Annual Run-A-Hound 5k fundraising race. Youthlinks, a program of Broadreach Family and Community Services, serves over 500 Mid-Coast youth a year through quality after-school enrichment programs, in-school prevention, and summer camps. Many of the programs include service-learning and animals. The 5k is to benefit the animal programs of the organization and is modeled on one of Youthlinks’ popular service programs, Run-A-Hound, in which high school students volunteer with local animal shelters by taking dogs out for a run to exercise and train them.

The Run-A-Hound 5k race will start and finish at Youthlinks, located at 420 Broadway in Rockland, on Saturday, April 23rd at 9:30am. Participants are asked to park at RDHS. There will be door prizes, complimentary snacks for runners, as well as awards for top Runner and Dog pair and top Runner. Registration fees are $10 for Runners with a dog, $15 for Runners without a dog, and $8 for Students with or without a dog. Pre-Registration is greatly appreciated and is available on active.com.

Race details are available on www.youthlinksonline.org/runahound5k. For more information: please contact Youthlinks, 594-2221.

Staying Connected with Your Teen is a self-study program designed to give parents the skills they need to help their teen successfully make the transition into adulthood. This program enables parents of teens ages 12-17 to increase the chances their children will grow up healthy and avoid substance abuse, delinquency, and violence. Parents will learn and practice skills for improving communication and building stronger bonds with their teen, thereby helping teens avoid the risks they face. This is a program that families complete at home over a period of 8 to 10 weeks. Participating families will be required to come to an initial meeting with a family consultant from Youthlinks, where they will receive an instructional guide, worksheets, and a dvd. Parents should plan on devoting about 60 minutes a week to the activities in the guide. In addition, a family consultant will make a weekly call to participating families to check-in and answer any questions parents might have about the material.

Any family with a child between the ages of 12-17 is eligible to participate in the Staying Connected with Your Teen program. Orientation meetings will be held monthly in Belfast and Rockland. This program is FREE, and families who complete the requirements of the program will receive a complimentary graduation gift valued at $25. Parents can choose between a gift certificate to a local restaurant, movie tickets, or an evening of bowling.

Orientation meetings will be held on the last Thursday of each month from 6-6:30pm, starting January 27th. Meetings in Belfast will take place at Broadreach’s main office building at 5 Stephenson Lane, while Rockland meetings will be held at Youthlinks at 420 Broadway. For more information or to sign up call 594-2221 or visit www.youthlinksonline.org.

Youthlinks is a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services located in Rockland that provides community service, leadership and enrichment opportunities to all youth ages 11-17 from anywhere in mid-coast Maine. These programs help youth learn skills, build self-esteem, cultivate social responsibility, develop leadership abilities and connect to their peers, to adult mentors, and to their communities. Youthlinks is funded primarily by state grants and the generous donations of individuals, businesses, and foundations. All Youthlinks programs are free for participating youth. The Staying Connected with Your Teen program is made possible through a Maine Children’s Trust Parent Education Grant.

The snow is rolling in and so is a new RASA session. Winter session starts January 10th and if you are interested in making things with your hands, learning new things or meeting new friends, there is a program for you.

Program offerings include glee club, movie making, painting and fun! Visit www.youthlinksonline.org/RASA for an online catalog and registration form or call 594-2221. Program space is limited. Registration is recommended by December 17th.

For more information concerning the Rockland After-School Alliance, please call Amie Hutchison, RASA Project Coordinator, at Youthlinks: 594-2221. RASA is a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services offered in collaboration with RSU 13 supported by a 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant from the Maine Department of Education. Broadreach Family & Community Services is a non-profit organization that has been serving the children and families of Waldo and Knox Counties since 1983. For more information on Broadreach programs and services visit www.broadreachmaine.org
Contact: Amie Hutchison, 594-2221

 Rockland After-School Alliance (RASA) is gearing up for its second summer of free day camp for Rockland area youth.

 Programs begin June 21^st and are open to students entering 6-9^th grade in the Fall of 2010. 

Camps run at RDMS Monday through Thursday, 9:00am to 12:00pm.  Activities will include cooking, hiking, volunteering, art and sports.  Visit www.youthlinksonline.org/RASA for complete program descriptions and registration information.

 Registration opens on May 3^rd for Rockland, South Thomaston and Owls Head residents. 

 RASA, a 21^st Century Community Learning Center Program, is a partnership between Youthlinks, a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services, and RSU 13.

Youthlinks/RASA and our very own Caitlin Schick make the front cover of the  March 2010 Down East Dog News.

Run-A-Hound Outing Club is a nine week program in which students from Rockland High volunteer to run with shelter dogs. The program is geared for students who are not involved in sports or fitness routines and provides social/emotional bonding with homeless dogs. Students receive community service credit for their time, a requirement for graduation. Well structured civic coordination and corporate funding is successfully pushing Run-A-Hound towards year-round operation.
Caitlin Schick is the Program Manager at Youthlinks, a division of Broadreach Family & Community Services located in Rockland. Through the Rockland After-School Alliance, she develops opportunities for kids ages 11-17 to do community service and take part in recreational activities. Currently, Schick is directly responsible for operating the Run-AHound program. She meets with the humane society staff during the week to discuss which dogs are available for the run. On the day of the run, she picks up the dogs at the shelter and heads to the school to acquaint everyone. After loading six students and three dogs in the van they head off to the day’s location; she distributes equipment and leads the run.

The full story with pictures is at http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?m=1134&l=1

A group of local middle-school students recently completed an after-school program run by Youthlinks, called “Animal Care Team”. This has long been one of Youthlinks most popular after-school programs in the Rockland area, but this was the first time the program was offered in Waldo County. Youthlinks partnered with Blake Veterinary Hospital in Northport to run this program.  After touring the veterinary facility and asking questions of the office staff, the kids began socializing with Dakota, Kasey and Emma -cats who currently live at Blake Vet as they await adoption. The students made catnip toys for their new four-legged friends and conducted behavioral observations on each cat. Through the observation exercise, they were able to collect information and photos for writing an adoption ad for each cat.  On the last day of the program, the finished adoption advertisements were given to the Blake Vet office staff to post at their office, and some were posted on the Belfast Co-op’s community bulletin board as well. The students hope that their ads will raise awareness about Dakota, Kasey, and Emma, ultimately helping them find homes.  Collaborations such as the one with Blake Vet truly enhance Youthlinks’ programming and provide a wealth of opportunities for students to learn while giving something back to their community. For more information about these cats and other animals available for adoption through Blake Vet, please call 207-789-5700.

In addition to working with Blake Vet, students in the Animal Care Team program spent two weeks volunteering at the Camden Rockport Animal Rescue League. The group also enjoyed a fieldtrip to the Good Karma Farm in Belfast, where they met some alpacas, llamas, and sheep, while also getting a first-hand look at the processes of yarn and soap-making. The Animal Care Team program exists to enhance youth awareness about proper care and treatment of animals, pet overpopulation issues, and to foster a sense of empathy toward animals. This six-week after-school program is just one of many exciting opportunities offered by Youthlinks. Youthlinks is currently running “Global Chefs”, an international cooking class at the Troy Howard Middle School, and will be taking registrations for the spring session in the coming weeks.

Youthlinks is a program of Broadreach Family & Community Services located in Rockland that provides community service, leadership and enrichment opportunities to all youth ages 11-17 from anywhere in mid-coast Maine. These programs help youth learn skills, build self-esteem, cultivate social responsibility, develop leadership abilities and connect to their peers, to adult mentors, and to their communities. Youthlinks is funded primarily by state grants and the generous donations of individuals, businesses, and foundations. All Youthlinks programs are free for participating youth. For more information, visit www.youthlinksonline.org, or call 207-594-2221.

Watch here for news about Youthlinks and other teen related issues.