Communities That Care

Posted on January 26, 2011

Vote for Five Town CTC in the Community Matters More Contest!

Five Town Communities That Care is honored to be among those non-profit agencies selected for this year’s Community Matters More campaign by Bangor Savings Bank!  Maine residents can vote for up to three candidates across the state, with the winners in each region getting a grant of $5000!  Voting will continue until March 7th.

Please log on to the Community Matters More website (www.bangor.com/cmm) and scroll down to the Midcoast section to cast your vote for Five Town Communities That Care.  You can vote in two other regions if you like!   You will need to enter your name, zip code,  and email address as an identifier to vote, but it takes only a few minutes.

If you prefer, you can also vote by filling out a paper ballot (download one, or pick one up at our offices or at any Bangor Savings Bank branch) rather than via the online site.

Voting is an easy way to support our local prevention efforts and to help ensure that we can continue to offer our programs, training, and other services at no cost to participants.  If you have questions about the competition or about our organization, please contact Five Town CTC Executive Director Dalene Dutton at (207) 236-9800 or dalene@fivetownctc.org.

Posted on January 21, 2011

Five Town CTC Offices Closed, STAR Canceled (Jan 20, 2011)

Due to yet another heavy snow storm, our Rockport offices will not be open today.

As is always true, when our sending schools (Appleton Village School, Hope Elementary School, Lincolnville Central School, or Camden Rockport Middle School) cancel classes due to inclement weather, we do not run the STAR program.  STAR Monday /Wednesday classes will meet again on January 24th, and Tuesday /Thursday classes on January 27th (weather permitting, of course).

If you have questions about the STAR program, please give us a call at 207-975-6722 (the STAR cell phone) or at the Five Town CTC office at 207-236-9800.

Posted on January 19, 2011

Five Town CTC Welcomes Liv LiaBraaten!

Five Town Communities That Care is pleased to formally announce that Liv LiaBraaten has accepted the position as the new STAR Program Coordinator.  Hailing most recently from Washington, DC where she served as the Director of Communications for Recruitment and Development with Wesley Theological Seminary, Liv accepted the STAR Program Coordinator reins from interim coordinator Nicole O’Brien Blake in late November.

The innovative program uses experiential learning opportunities to encourage skill development, to recognize positive behaviors and to connect local youth with the larger community. Program offerings include any number of vocational or avocational pursuits from learning how to handle cattle at Aldemere Farms, stop-motion animation at CHRHS, to child care at People Place.

The STAR program is available at no cost to participants thanks to generous donations from community members, organizations, and businesses. To learn more about the program, please visit us at http://www.fivetownctc.org or call (207) 236-9800. If your organization is interested in partnering with FTCTC as a teaching site or sponsor, please call or contact us via email at star@fivetownctc.org.

Board members Lynn Johnson and Peter Russell welcome Liv LiaBraaten (center) to the Five Town CTC family.

Posted on January 18, 2011

STAR Canceled January 18, 2011

Due to the weather coming our way, STAR classes today are canceled.  As is always true, when our sending schools (Appleton Village School, Hope Elementary School, Lincolnville Central School, or Camden Rockport Middle School) cancel classes due to inclement weather, we do not run the program.

Our Tuesday/Thursday classes will meet again on Thursday and the Monday /Wednesday classes will get started on Wednesday (weather permitting, of course).  All students enrolled in classes should join us for Fun Friday this week!  We will be going to the PenBay YMCA for rock climbing and other fun.

If you have questions about the STAR program, please give us a call at 207-975-6722 (the STAR cell phone) or at the Five Town CTC office at 207-236-9800.

Posted on January 12, 2011

STAR Classes Canceled Today

Due to the weather coming our way, STAR classes today are canceled.  As is always true, when our sending schools (Appleton Village School, Hope Elementary School, Lincolnville Central School, or Camden Rockport Middle School) cancel classes due to inclement weather, we do not run the program.

Our Tuesday/Thursday classes will launch on Thursday (weather permitting, of course) and the Monday / Wednesday classes will get started next week on Wednesday (Monday is a holiday).  All students enrolled in classes should join us for Fun Friday this week!  We are planning a great tubing session at the Camden Snow Bowl, so make sure your students have warm clothes and their Snow Bowl release forms when they head off to school on Friday!  This new snow should make for a great time on the hill.

If you have questions about the STAR program, please give us a call at 207-975-6722 (the STAR cell phone) or at the Five Town CTC office at 207-236-9800.

Posted on January 3, 2011

STAR Registrations Open NOW!

Five Town Communities That Care launches a new session of its award-winning STAR after-school program on January 12 (registrations due by January 7th). This will be the 21st cycle of STAR, which has engaged over half of all the area’s public middle school students since its inception in the spring of 2004. Thanks to robust funding and donorship, the STAR program is offered at no charge to participants and transportation between local public middle schools and program locations is provided.

This year’s winter line-up includes Bookmaking: The Artist’s Book, Childcare Education, Creative Writing, Cooking, Aldermere Farm Hands, Jewelry-Making, Freestyle Jiu Jitsu, Korfball, Music & Lyrics, Snow-shoeing, Stop Motion Animation and Woodworking for Wildlife. The program, featuring an exciting team of area instructors and support staff, takes place locally at sites such as Camden Hills Regional High School, Merryspring Nature Center, the Penobscot Bay YMCA, the Mid-coast Martial Arts studio at the Midcoast Recreation Center, Peopleplace Cooperative Preschool and Farmers Fare.

Participants join skills-training classes on either Mondays and Wednesdays OR Tuesdays and Thursdays and then come together for group activities on Fun Fridays. Winter 2011 Fun Fridays will include trips to State of Maine Cheese Company, Merryspring Nature Center, The Teen Center, Freyenhagen Family Maple Farm, The Penobscot Bay YMCA and The Camden Snow Bowl.

Registration packets have been mailed to parents of all grade 5-8 students enrolled in public schools in Appleton, Camden, Hope, Lincolnville, and Rockport. Registration packets are also available for middle school students from the Five Towns who attend private schools or who are home schooled by calling the Five Town Communities That Care offices at 236-9800 or emailing star@fivetownctc.org.

The STAR program is made possible by a generous grant from Maine’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Group and local donations. For more information about STAR, visit http://www.fivetownctc.org/programs/star/, call 207-236-9800, or email info@fivetownctc.org.