9 years, 63 selections, $7,026
Since October 2015, Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation has been selected to benefit from the Hannaford Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs 63 times at 34 different Hannaford locations. In total, the organization has received $7,026 to continue empowering people of all abilities to get active outdoors.
Tell us about Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation.
At Maine Adaptive, our mission is to promote year-round education and training to help individuals with disabilities develop skills, enhance their independence, and experience enjoyment through active recreation.
Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation originated in 1979 when the Salzman family tried on their outdoor activities gear, as most families do at the beginning of a new season. Their young boys, Craig and Kirk, were trying on their ski boots. The boys’ sister, Kim, had cerebral palsy and couldn’t ski, but she expressed interest in joining in and wanting to try on ski boots.
Once she tried on the ski boots, her parents realized she was actually a lot more stable and could even walk. Her parents thought that if she could walk, why not actually try skiing? Her dad went to Sunday River Cross Country Center and bought her some fish scale skis.
Once she tried on the ski boots, her parents realized she was actually a lot more stable and could even walk.
In 1979, they went to Sunday River during Christmas vacation, and Kim was able to try to ski for the first time. Her dad was her instructor, and she did a few runs at South Ridge. She would go about 10 feet and fall, but she loved it. Her dad put her between his legs and helped her. Later, they recruited a ski school to help instruct her, which became the jumping-off point for Maine Adaptive.
In 1982, Leslie B. Otten, who happened to own Sunday River at the time, teamed up with Charlie Roscoe, Charles Stevens, and Omar Crothers, and Maine Adaptive really got started. The organization has been going ever since.
As for myself, I’m an employee at Maine Adaptive now, but I’ve been a student since I started skiing with the organization in 1993. As a student, I have had the opportunity to really benefit from our mission and grow alongside Maine Adaptive. It has been a full-circle experience.
What services do you provide to the community?
Our program began with skiing, but now we are a year-round program. We have programs for paddling, cycling, mountain biking, climbing, tennis, pickleball, and golf. Needless to say, he organization has expanded quite a bit since the organization was founded!
We also have a bunch of specialty programs. For example, we have NEVI Fest (New England Blind and Visually Impaired Ski Festival), which empowers people with visual impairments to ski at Sugarloaf. We have mono ski camps for kids and adults. Additionally, through our Veterans No Boundaries Program, veterans are able to come to the area twice a year, in the summer and winter, to explore a variety of activities. All these programs focus on getting people together and building relationships.
All these programs focus on getting people together and building relationships.
How has Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation used the donations from the Hannaford Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs to further its mission?
This year, we are focused on volunteer recruitment. Since we have expanded so much, we have a lot of people who really want to go skiing and try other activities with us. We’ve had waitlists for many of our programs this year, and without more volunteers, we cannot get students off the waitlist.
We have used the donations not only to recruit volunteers but to retain volunteers. We’ve had many volunteer appreciation events and are doing outreach to newly recruited volunteers. That money has gone a long way. We have signed up almost a hundred new volunteers this year, just in the winter season! It has really helped us expand and get people off the waitlist.
Tell us a story about a program, service, or initiative that the Hannaford Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs have supported.
These donations have gone a long way toward helping us get people off the waitlist. We have had quite a few new students this year. One of our main goals is to make sure new students have the experience of getting active outdoors and meeting new people.
When I started coming to Maine Adaptive, what impacted me the most was being able to meet people like me. I got to see that people like me could have lives and do things I didn’t get to see in my day-to-day life. Growing up, I was the kid in the wheelchair, and there wasn’t anybody like me in my community. Being able to come to Sunday River, meet people like me, and see those people like me doing things everyone else gets to do really opened up my world. Anything is possible; you just have to find a way to do it.
Being able to come to Sunday River, meet people like me, and see those people like me doing things everyone else gets to do really opened up my world.
What advice would you give to other nonprofits participating in the Hannaford Helps Community Bag and Bloomin’ 4 Good Programs?
The biggest piece of advice would be to make sure you get the word out so everyone knows it’s happening. Get it out on social media. Tell your volunteers and your community so that you can have the most impact. We have worked to really get the word out so that we can have that big impact and gain the most from the program.
Interview with Enock Glidden, Development Coordinator