Raymond Parks and Recreation offers a variety of fall programs for young and old

By Masha Yurkevich

Raymond Parks and Recreation is offering a variety of programs and activities this fall for residents of all ages, from youth sports and adult recreation to outdoor activities, family events and community outings.

According to Raymond Parks and Recreation Director Riley Silvia, the department aims to provide opportunities for residents with a wide range of interests and experience levels.

“Our goal is to make sure Parks and Recreation truly has something for everyone,” Silvia said.

Youth soccer is currently under way, and registration is open for the upcoming youth basketball season. Adult offerings include basketball at Jordan-Small Middle School, pickleball at Raymond Elementary School and futsal at Jordan-Small Middle School.

The department is also offering several outdoor recreation opportunities. The “Fall in Love with Yoga” program, offered in partnership with Sebago Cycle, allows participants to practice yoga at Tassel Top Park. The “Together on the Trail” hiking group meets weekly and explores trails in Raymond and surrounding communities with Registered Maine Guide Elena Glidden.

For younger children, Raymond Play & Grow provides a relaxed weekly play group at Sheri Gagnon Memorial Park. The program gives young children an opportunity to play while their parents and caregivers connect with others.

While there are no brand-new programs being introduced this fall, Silvia said the department is continually looking for ways to expand its offerings.

“One of our biggest challenges right now is access to indoor recreation space,” Silvia said. “As we head into the colder months, we are trying to get creative with the spaces and resources available to us.”

Youth sports continue to be among the most popular programs. Soccer and basketball provide local children with opportunities to participate close to home, develop skills and become part of a team.

Pickleball has also become popular among adult participants. The department offers different nights for different levels of play, from beginner and leisurely play to intermediate and advanced, allowing people with varying levels of experience to participate.

Silvia said the department determines its programming by listening to residents, monitoring which programs fill up and considering feedback from participants. Staff members also look at how existing community spaces can be used in new ways. One example is Raymond Play & Grow, which was created around the existing amenities at Sheri Gagnon Memorial Park, including its playground and walking path.

Among the events Silvia is particularly looking forward to this fall is Pumpkins in the Park and Outdoor Movie Night at Tassel Top Park. The family-friendly event will give families the opportunity to decorate pumpkins together before watching an outdoor movie. The event is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 in partnership with the Raymond Schools PTO. Families will receive a pumpkin and decorating supplies, with the movie beginning at approximately 6:15 p.m. Popcorn and a drink will be included, and families are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs. The decorated pumpkins will also be displayed for the community to enjoy on Halloween night. Parks and Recreation will additionally have a photo booth available during Halloween trick-or-treating for families and children to take pictures in their costumes.

The department is also organizing “Night Out with Raymond Parks & Recreation” trips to Maine Celtics and Maine Mariners games, giving residents an opportunity to attend professional sporting events together. 

For Silvia, the importance of the department extends beyond the individual activities it offers.

“Recreation is about much more than the activity itself,” Silvia said. “These programs create opportunities for people to meet their neighbors, make friends, spend time with their families, and feel connected to their community.”

Residents can find information about current programs and register through the Raymond Parks and Recreation RecDesk page at Raymond.recdesk.com. Program updates, registration openings and special events are also shared through the Town of Raymond Parks and Recreation Facebook page. Silvia encourages residents who have never participated in a Parks and Recreation program to give one a try.

“You do not have to know anyone, be an experienced athlete, or have participated in Parks and Recreation before,” Silvia said.

Whether through a sports program, hiking group, family event or community outing, the department hopes residents will find an opportunity to get involved this fall.

“More than anything, I hope they leave feeling a little more connected to their neighbors, their family, the outdoors, or the Raymond community as a whole,” Silvia said. <

New volunteers sought to help others through traumatic events

By Erin Rose

The Traumatic Intervention Program of Greater Portland (“TIP”) is searching for new volunteers, and Windham resident and current TIP volunteer Richard MacLaughlin can attest to how rewarding it is to help people going through dark times.

Windham resident Richard MacLaughlin
is a volunteer for the Traumatic
Intervention Program of Greater Portland 
which is hosting a training session for
new volunteers at the Westbrook Public
Safety Building from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on
Wednesday, Oct. 14.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

“Every time there is a call, I know I am going to help someone through something difficult,” MacLaughlin said of his year with the organization. “It helps me keep my problems in perspective.”

The group will be hosting a training session for new volunteers at the Westbook Public Safety Building from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The session will be the first of seven required trainings that are scheduled before volunteers are able to start taking calls and helping members of the community.

“The training is five weekday evenings, one full weekend day and two half weekend days,” MacLaughlin said. “It’s excellent training. I felt competent to volunteer on my own after completing the training. The trainers are local and awesome. I am a better person for having attended this training.”

TIP ‘s volunteers are available 24 hours a day to help provide support and resources to people impacted by traumatic events, including fires, accidents or severe injury, suicide, overdose or sexual assault. The group’s team of 25 volunteers serve nine local communities, including Windham, Gorham, Westbrook and Falmouth.

“In the towns we serve, we meet with the first responders and make our services known,” MacLaughlin said. “Anytime one of the first responders, or sometimes a nurse from MaineMed, sees the need for a volunteer because someone is in distress, they contact our dispatch and we go to where they are. You can’t always tell how someone is doing until you get a chance to really check in with them.”

Pam Grant, the Director of TIP, said the organization covers 62 shifts a month.

“We are called in by the 911 system to support the survivors of a tragedy, as well as the first responders,” she said.

The volunteers provide four main areas of support. Emotional first aid helps provide a “calm, caring presence when it matters most,” MacLaughlin said. TIP volunteers also provide clear information, to help the impacted families “understand what’s happening and what comes next,” he continued.

They also provide access to and information about resources that are available to victims and survivors, including cleanup services and community support, MacLaughlin said, adding that the fourth includes helping protect the victims and their families from harm and hurtful comments, even if they are well-meaning.

The support is not limited to just the direct victims of the trauma, but also to those who may be in the background as emergency services personnel work to assist their loved one.

“We prevent what is called a second injury, the feeling of being abandoned by the system that is caring for their loved one,” MacLaughlin said. “A simple example of what I’m describing would be if someone and their spouse were in an automobile accident and one of them was severely injured or died. While the police, EMTs, firefighters and the first responders work on the injured one, the other may be left alone and without support. That’s where we come in.”

Sometimes, it can be difficult for those who provide care to people during traumatic events to separate themselves from the incident, but the group provides opportunities for supporting each other.

“We have monthly required meetings and part of that is speaking about difficult calls, sharing with the group and making sure members get whatever support they need,” MacLaughlin said. “I have a mantra – ‘This is to be with and help, not to carry.’”

A dedicated volunteer, MacLaughlin gives his focus to a single group at a time, having previously been on the Board of Directors for the Windham Youth Soccer Association and a member of the Sebago Lake Rotary Club.

“I saw a story on a morning news program about TIP and thought ‘I could probably do that,’” he said. “Within a week, I began the training.”

MacLaughlin has lived in Windham since 2005 with his wife Sarah and son Josh and works as a local building contractor.

To learn more information about TIPS or to get more details about the upcoming trainings, visit https://www.tipgreaterportland.org/. <

Riding To The Top celebrates final Wine Tasting Event

By Erin Rose

The Riding To The Top Equine Therapeutic Riding Center (RTT) will be hosting its 15th annual and final Wine Tasting event at its facility on Lilac Drive in Windham from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19.

Riding To The Top Equine Therapeutic
Riding Center on Lilac Drive in Windham
will host the 15th annual Wine Tasting
fundraising event from 4 to 7 p.m. on
Saturday, Sept. 19 with proceeds to
benefit RTT's equine therapy programs.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

“This is 15 and we’ve had so much fun,” said Pat Niboli, a longtime volunteer at the center who helps host the event after developing the idea with her nephew when he began working at Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits. “He said ‘let’s have some fun, and let’s do a wine tasting party.’”

The first year was hosted at a neighbor’s house, and while attendance was small with only seven people, it quickly grew.

“We decided to do it again because we had so much fun, and moved it to RTT,” Niboli explained. “Over the 15 years, we have had over 1,000 people come in to that wine tasting party. It’s been huge.”

The event has raised more than $70,000 to support the center over the 15 years and has allowed people to tour the facility and meet the equine members of the staff.

“This event has long been a staple of RTT’s fundraising events,” said Kelly Johnson, Development Director for the center. “It’s always a pleasure to welcome those long who are familiar with the farm and our work here alongside newcomers who are being introduced to RTT for the first time. It is always special to get to watch members of the RTT community, particularly RTT’s stalwart volunteers who attend this event as guests, get the chance to introduce their friends and family to the farm. Our volunteers are such an integral part of what gets done on the farm and it means so much for them to get to share it with their loved ones.”

The wines will be selected from the most popular offerings at event sponsor The Good Life Market, located on Roosevelt Trail in Raymond, and will be paired with a selection of cheeses also provided by the local market.

“The event includes an educational component with Bob Scheele of Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits offering insights into the different wines and the regions they come from,” Johnson said. “The evening ends with a shared potluck dinner provided by various community members. It’s an event that allows people to come together to enjoy good wine and cheese pairings, curated by Walt Manchester of The Good Life Market, some time with friends and the chance to reset after the bustle of the summer.”

The center’s significant impact on the population it serves is witnessed by the volunteers who are well placed to watch the patients’ growth over their time at RTT.

“We see some of these clients grow from four years old to 15 years old and it’s just incredible the feeling you get when you watch a kid smile when he gets on a horse, or when he runs to his horse and puts his arms around him,” Niboli said. “It’s just a wonderful feeling.”

“It’s like an empowerment to that child,” she added. “The parents say that they look forward to that one day a week, and that’s really something.”

The impact is not limited to the patients who take part in equine therapy but also touches the 200 specially trained volunteers that devote their time to the center.

“The volunteers are tremendous,” Niboli said. “We know how much it means to those kids for us to be there, but it means so much for us because of what we get in return from both the horses and the kids and adults that ride. We get a lot out of being with the horses, almost as much as the clients we work with do.”

Johnson echoes the same, as she hears from volunteers who have benefited from their work at the center.

“Our volunteers also comment on the physical and social-emotional benefits that they receive from volunteering at RTT,” she said. “One volunteer recently commented, ‘As soon as I step out of my car on Monday mornings at RTT, I can feel myself decompressing. Probably the most special moments are that some of the horses seem to want to be there for you, coming and standing near you, sensing the emotional grief you are feeling that day.’” 

The center decided to end the event while it remains popular and are still working to find a new idea for future fundraisers.

“This event is a close partnership between Riding To The Top, The Good Life Market in Raymond, and Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits,” Johnson said. “After a joint discussion, it was decided that while we’re all open to collaborating in different ways in the future, 15 years felt like a good stopping point for this particular event.”

Tickets for the event are available to members of the public who are 21 years of age or older for $25 and must be purchased in advance through a link on the center’s website: https://www.ridingtothetop.org/wine-tasting

Founded in 1993, RTT is the only center in Maine accredited by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) solely dedicated to Equine Assisted Services. The center’s facility includes a heated indoor arena and an outdoor riding ring on 50 acres of land at 14 Lilac Drive in Windham.

The center’s programs include therapeutic riding, where patients are helped through horsemanship and riding activities. Therapeutic Carriage Driving provides the opportunity for patients who cannot ride to harness and drive a horse from a cart or carriage. RTT also offers Equine Assisted Learning, where interaction with the horse, both mounted and unmounted, helps in the development of life skills, and Hippotherapy, where the horse’s movement is used as a therapy tool.

“For many individuals who struggle in traditional therapy, medical or classroom settings, time spent at the farm is frequently life-changing due to RTT’s natural, nurturing and non-medical environment,” Johnson said. “Teachers and family members, along with medical and mental health providers, tell us that RTT has a significant impact on the lives of children with disabilities and that the farm is a safe and trusted setting.”

RTT will also be hosting their 18th annual Triple B ~ Boots, Bands & BBQ at the facility on Saturday, Oct. 17.

“This is our largest fundraiser of the year and focuses on raising money for our rider scholarships and horse care funds,” Johnson said. “It’s an evening of dinner, dancing, a bucket raffle and a mission-based auction led by auctioneer, Elizabeth Ross.”

To learn more about RTT, its programs, to make a donation, or to inquire about volunteering, visit www.ridingtothetop.org or call 207-892-2813.

Details about the Good Life Market can be found at https://www.thegoodlifemarket.com/ <

Maine's public universities to award college credit for career-aligned high school microcredentials

AUGUSTA – As part of its efforts to promote postsecondary access, upward mobility, and the growth of the state's workforce, the University of Maine System (UMS) will award academic credit for microcredentials earned by high school students through Jobs for Maine's Graduates (JMG).

Through the agreement announced today, Maine's public universities will award up to eight college credits for microcredentials earned through JMG that demonstrate mastery of competencies and skills in high demand, including financial and digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and leadership development.

"This historic agreement between Maine's public universities and JMG will strengthen aspirations, access and degree attainment while reducing student debt and time to a door-opening college degree and meaningful, good-paying career," said UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy. "JMG's microcredentials demonstrate a student's college-level learning and skill development in critical areas necessary to their future success and the growth of the state's workforce. Our System has rigorously evaluated them and is proud to accept them for credit as part of our ongoing efforts to create more college and career pathways that promote upward mobility and Maine's employers and economy."

To meet the workforce needs of the state, Maine has set a goal that by 2035, some 70 percent of working-age adults will hold postsecondary credentials that lead to good jobs. The state has made considerable progress over the past decade, thanks in large part to Maine's public universities expanding college access through early college, direct and guaranteed admissions, online offerings, adult degree completion initiatives, and region-leading affordability. Still, just 55.5 percent of Mainers hold a high-value credential, even as automation raises the premium employers place on durable human skills such as leadership, communication, and judgment.

Under the new program, JMG students can earn UMS credit for eight career-readiness credentials: Leadership Development, Personal Growth, Entrepreneurial Mindset, Multicultural Foundations, Pathway Navigation, Job and Career Readiness, Financial Literacy, and Digital Literacy. Students earn the credentials over multiple years of high school as portable digital badges, with the exact number of credits and course designation set by each UMS university.

Because most of JMG's more than 13,000 annual students do not enter the program planning to attend college, the agreement gives young people who may never have considered a degree the chance to leave high school with credit already in hand.

It is the first time faculty governance groups at Maine's public universities have agreed to accept microcredentials for college credit. The evaluation process used for the JMG short courses was consistent with that already used within the System to award credit for prior learning, such as work and military experience.

The partnership builds on JMG's three decades of programming across all 16 Maine counties and its long-standing partnerships with Maine's public universities, where JMG college success advisors are embedded. The approach is already drawing interest from other states through Generation US (GenUS), a national nonprofit launched by JMG. The same model is now being considered by education systems in Kansas, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

JMG partners with public education and private businesses to provide results-driven solutions to ensure all Maine students graduate, attain postsecondary credentials, and pursue meaningful careers, including right here in RSU 14. Serving more than 13,000 students statewide each year, JMG offers on ramps from sixth grade through age 24 to nearly 150 programs embedded in public schools, career and technical education centers, and on every campus in the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System.

"We've watched too many students walk into our classrooms who never once saw college as a realistic option for themselves," said JMG President and CEO Kimberley Acker Lipp. "Maine can't afford that anymore. We're the oldest state in the country, and we need more young people to stay and build careers here. Now a student can graduate from high school having already earned eight college credits. That changes the math for a 16-year-old who is considering whether college is within reach."

For more information, please visit gen-us.org and jmg.org. <