CAMDEN — The brand new supportive living apartment home at 61 Elm Street in Camden will open its doors to the community Sunday, Feb. 8, with a ribbon-cutting, dedication ceremony and open house celebration.

The new facility contains three resident apartments on the first floor and one 'sympathetic tenant' unit on the second floor. Local builders have constructed the new living space using Universal Design concepts, which will allow residents to 'age in place' with as little disruption as possible for as long as possible. Camden architect Christopher Glass designed the building's exterior to replicate the significant historic elements of the 59 Elm Street home just next door, where the Coastal Opportunities tenants have resided for the past 25 years.

The new apartment home at 61 Elm Street will be named in memory of Gertrude "Trudy" Hurlburt Worthington, a longtime Camden resident who supported Coastal Opportunities for many years, most notably as a founder and the original treasurer of the Cash for Clothes Sale in 1975.

Trudy continued to serve on the Cash for Clothes steering committee for many years, where fellow volunteers fondly remember Trudy's whistle, which was blown to signal the opening of every sale. And, as a member of the First Congregational Church of Camden, Trudy played an instrumental role in securing the 59 Elm Street house for Coastal Opportunities' tenants in 1988. Trudy passed away in 1998, but her legacy will continue to thrive at 61 Elm Street. Speaking about the dedication of the home in his mother's name, Paul Hurlburt, Jr. said, "I know how dear the Cash for Clothes program and the recipient of the proceeds, Coastal Opportunities, was to mom. She would have been speechless upon hearing of this honor."

The public is invited to share in the festivities that begin at 11 a.m. in the Pilgrim Room of the First Congregational Church of Camden. A blessing of the home and its residents will be offered by the Reverend Kevin Pleas. The ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony will follow. An opportunity to meet the residents, tour the new apartment home, and enjoy light refreshments served by members of the Board of Directors of Coastal Opportunities and the First Congregational Church will round out the event.

Many drive by 59 Elm Street at least once a day. It is the residence of Melvin and Scott Achorn and Ben Schofield. Often times we see them coming and going from their home or sitting on the front porch while we are waiting our turn at the stop sign next to Village Variety (Stop ‘n’ Go).

That home, 59 Elm Street, is one of two residential apartment homes operated by Coastal Opportunities and it is owned by the First Congregational Church.

Melvin, Scott and Ben will soon be moving next door to their new home at 61 Elm Street. There has been a lot of interest in this construction project and with this important milestone just about here, two of the residents, Melvin and Scott, volunteered to chat about their daily lives along with the staff who are directly involved with supporting the residential program.

Joe Curll, Executive Director of Coastal Opportunities, said: "the philosophy of the home is to enable the residents, who have intellectual disabilities, to live independently in their own apartments with minimal support. The home's central location allows them easy access to all of the necessary services and to be more connected to the community. Each resident has an individualized care plan for assistance with banking, medical care, shopping, cooking, cleaning and nutrition."

Curll also emphasized the importance for economic participation in the community. Scott works at the Coastal Redemption Center in Camden and Melvin at the Penobscot Bay YMCA in Rockport.

The philosophy of Coastal Opportunities differs from a common one in our society, where too many people with disabilities are segregated in institutions, isolated in their family homes, all ways that they can be disconnected from full and meaningful lives.

Gail Varga, Program Coordinator at Coastal Opportunities, supervises the implementation of the individual assessment plans. For example, Melvin and Scott develop their own weekly grocery shopping lists with a focus on nutritional meals, not just frozen dinners that go in the microwave which tend to be high in sodium.

They are responsible for coordinating their own breakfast and dinner with lunch provided at Coastal Opportunities.

Direct Support Professional Kelly May coordinates their day to day support. Another support person is a tenant who lives in the fourth apartment in the residence who is available for any emergencies and supervises outside chores such as raking leaves and shoveling snow. This fourth apartment will also be a part of the new residence.

May regularly takes Melvin and Scott grocery shopping at Hannaford, provides transportation to medical appointments, Clean Bee Laundry and Sunday recreational outings such as movies, bowling or coffee. The Sunday outings are a social opportunity for Melvin and Scott to expand their friendships with other participants at Coastal Opportunities.

She chuckled when she said that they practically know everyone in town when they go out.

May said her priority is helping Melvin and Scott develop their strengths, make personal choices and to offer support where needed, like being a cheerleader. She feels they are both open to accepting this support and she admires their passion for learning and living independently.

According to Varga, without this type professional support, possibly the men could still live alone but not with the same quality of life and not as healthy and safe. She said that the Direct Support Professional is an important link to support their needs.

From Melvin and Scott's perspective, they love living in Camden and being able to walk to Rite Aid, Cappy’s, Coastal Opportunities, the YMCA, the Camden Public Library for movies and church. They enjoy being active members of the First Congregational Church and are regular ushers at the service. They both agreed that their church family is a very special part of their lives.

And the community is special to them as well. Melvin speaks fondly of when people stop and give them rides to work if the weather is nasty. He mentioned Frank Rankin and Camden Fire Chief Chris Farley, in particular. They also appreciate their friendships, hugs, smiles, the discounted meals at Cappy’s and even the stranger who picked up their dinner tab at the Helm.

They abound in activities beside their Sundays afternoon outings. That includes tennis lessons at Midcoast Recreation Center, the summer and winter Special Olympics, special programs at church, and classes at Midcoast School of Technology.

Their priority right now is packing boxes for the move to their new home. So far, Melvin has all of his pots and pans packed while Scott's video collection is all ready to go.

Melvin and Scott are feeling nostalgic about leaving their current home but also excited about moving into new apartments that do not need a lot of constant repairs and upkeep.

Scott shared that one of his favorite television shows is the Andy Griffith Show. Could it be that there may be some similarities between this community and the fictional town of Mayberry?

Camden does have more than one traffic light but it's a town that really cares and supports their neighbors at 59 Elm Street. And the rest of the cast in this story include the dedicated staff, volunteers and Board of Directors of Coastal Opportunities.

On Sunday, Feb. 8, the Board of Directors of Coastal Opportunities is inviting the community to a celebration at the news residence at 61 Elm Street. The event will begin at 11 a.m. in the Pilgrim Room of the First Congregational Church in Camden. The Reverend Kevin Pleas will be blessing the home and a ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication will follow at the residence next door. They hope you will stop by and meet the residents, tour the apartment home and enjoy some refreshments.

Sarah Shepherd can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com