Pine Tree Camp awarded grant from Evelyn S. and K.E. Barrett Foundation
A grant from the Barrett Foundation provides support for Pine Tree Camp's Dirigo Experience overnight summer camp for Maine Deaf and Hard of Hearing youth. Applications are now open for this week-long camp in August. Abel Celestino, Saco (left); Gabriel Alberto, Westbrook (center); Hunter Minch-Bohlin (right); and Fion McLoughlin, Mount Desert Island (holding ball) were among 22 young Mainers who attended this unique program last summer. (Photo courtesy Pine Tree Camp)
A grant from the Barrett Foundation provides support for Pine Tree Camp's Dirigo Experience overnight summer camp for Maine Deaf and Hard of Hearing youth. Applications are now open for this week-long camp in August. Abel Celestino, Saco (left); Gabriel Alberto, Westbrook (center); Hunter Minch-Bohlin (right); and Fion McLoughlin, Mount Desert Island (holding ball) were among 22 young Mainers who attended this unique program last summer. (Photo courtesy Pine Tree Camp)
ROME — Pine Tree Camp has received a two-year, $200,000 grant from the Evelyn S. and K.E. Barrett Foundation. The Barrett Foundation funds organizations that benefit children in need and these funds will support camp’s Dirigo Experience and Camp Pine Cone programs.
Dirigo Experience is a six-day overnight camp for Deaf and hard of hearing youth ages 7 to 15. Camp Pine Cone is a fully-accessible summer day camp for kids ages 5 to 13 who are not yet ready for overnight camp.
“Both these programs fill critical needs,” said Pine Tree Camp Director, Dawn Willard-Robinson, in a news release. “Our fully-accessible waterfront campus gives young people of all abilities the chance to come together for a summer camp experience, make new friends, try new things and develop greater self-esteem, confidence and a sense of independence that carries over into their daily lives.”
Thanks, in part, to the support of the Barrett Foundation, Pine Tree Camp’s Dirigo Experience overnight camp will take place August 18 through August 23. There will be six Camp Pine Cone sessions in 2025. Campers are encouraged to apply for more than one week of this specialized day camp.
Camp Pine Cone Session Dates:
Week 1: June 30-July 4
Week 2: July 7-July 11
Week 3: July 14-July 18
Week 4: July 21-July 25
Week 5: July 28-August 1
Week 6: August 4-August 8
Applications for Dirigo Experience and Camp Pine Cone open on Monday, March 3. Full tuition assistance is available. For more information, please visit https://pinetreesociety.org/camp-home/ or contact Lori Chesley, Camp Relations Coordinator at 207-386-5993 or ptcamp@pinetreesociety.org.
Pine Tree Camp, which celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2025, is a program of Pine Tree Society and an American Camp Association-accredited camp for people with disabilities. Every year, hundreds of Maine children and adults with disabilities arrive at Pine Tree Camp in Rome and their lives are transformed. Year-round, campers experience freedom and independence by actively participating in outdoor activities like kayaking, boating, swimming, fishing, hiking, biking, archery, snowshoeing and cross country skiing thanks to Pine Tree Camp’s 285-acre, fully-accessible campus on North Pond. Full tuition assistance is available. Since 1945, no camper has ever been turned away due to their ability to pay. https://pinetreesociety.org/camp-home/
