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NEWS

Horizons Ctr - Welcome

AOEC featured on PBS NewsHour segment: "Grassroots movement seeks to make hiking trails more accessible to all"  
PBS picked up a story by Jennifer Rooks of Maine Public featuring AOEC's Zach Stegeman, our friend Enock Glidden of Go Beyond the Fence, and Dan Ostrye of Yarmouth's West Side Trail. The story aired on the PBS NewsHour national broadcast on 2022.09.23.

An aerial photo of the Carrabassett Valley AOEC overlaid with text reading "Anew retreat aims to help men and women with spinal-cord injuries set goals and forge relationships within the community.

The AOEC in Carrabassett Valley, Maine will host the first Wheel Together Retreat in July...  
In collaboration with Monica Quimby of Wheel Sisters Organization and Jesi Stracham of Wheel With Me Foundation. 

A white man in black outdoor gear holds a news microphone up to a second white man in grey outdoor gear.

Semper Fi x AOEC Nordic Ski Clinic... 
Check out this awesome piece from WSKI about our collaborative Nordic Ski Clinic with Capital Region Nordic Alliance, Semper Fi, and the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center! 

A ski lift runs over the heads of two skiers on a snowy mountain.

An adaptive sports program making skiing accessible to all..  
Operating at Sugarloaf, Saddleback, and New Hermon Mountain, Horizons helps participants to ski and feel welcome. 

A group of six people pose in front of the AOEC Brunswick building. There is a dog sitting with them.

No barriers for people of all abilities at new Brunswick center..  
The Adaptive Outdoor Education Center's facility in Brunswick offers music, art, and theater...

A white man and women pose with a black dog on a stone patio in front of a red building.

New site in Brunswick enhances outdoor skills for those with disabilities...  
The Adaptive Outdoor Education Center, founded near Sugarloaf in 2015, is expanding to Brunswick with a site that offers 5.5 acres of gardens, accessible trails and a 3,000-square-foot events center.

Two water skiers, one seated one standing wave while skiing.

Outdoor recreation program for people of all abilities expanding...
OAKLAND, Maine — A nonprofit organization that provides Mainers of all abilities opportunities to learn outdoor skills is expanding with a new center in Brunswick.

A white person holds a metal disk with the AOEC logo carved on it. They are standing outdoors on a deck next to a backyard composter.

Technical School Students Create Accessible Composter in Brunswick... 
We know many will agree with the sentiment that backyard composting is a lot of fun, and you don’t need expertise to do it right. But the truth is, composters are not designed with everyone in mind. The backyard composting systems on the market can be cumbersome and require physical strength and space that many people do not have. This reality came to the forefront for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) when Adaptive Outdoor (AO) requested help developing an onsite composter for their new day-use facility gardens in Brunswick. 

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Water sports day for kids

and adults with disabilities...

​A day of "water fun" on Phillips Lake in Dedham for 10 kids and adults with special needs was provided by the 'Adaptive Outdoor Education Center.'

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Ten Most Intriguing Mainers:

Bruce and Annemarie Albiston

​One day you wake up and no one can understand you. In 2005, Annemarie Albistons father suffered a massive stroke, leaving him diagnosed with aphasia. “It’s a loss of language—not intellect,” Annemarie says. “It robs you of your communication. “It can affect not only your verbal speech but your ability to read and write. My father lost all three. He knew what he wanted to say but couldn’t get it out. Sometimes aphasia can affect comprehension, too, so yes might mean no. The brain is unbelievable.”

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University of Maine Foundation presents awards to six alumni at 85th anniversary celebration...

As part of its “Celebrating Success” 85th anniversary luncheon, the University of Maine Foundation presented one alum from each of UMaine’s colleges with the President Abram W. Harris Award. “These six outstanding UMaine alumni represent a sampling of the outcomes of a University of Maine education,” said Foundation President/CEO Jeffery N. Mills. “Our work in fundraising helps to ensure that a UMaine education can become a reality for more outstanding alumni. In 85 years, funds held at the Foundation have supported thousands of UMaine students with scholarships and other resources.”

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2018 Visionary Award 

Bruce and Annemarie Albiston were recognized as 2020 Vision Quest's 2018 Visionary Award recipients. The award recognizes humanitarian achievement in guiding others toward their peak potential, exemplifying the quintessence of the 2020 Vision Quest mission. 

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Angels Among Us 

A sign hanging over a nearby window reads: “If you can dream it, you can build it.” It’s an appropriate motto for Annemarie and her husband, Bruce, who two years ago built this center, which sits at the foot of the Sugarloaf ski resort and serves as a gateway to the outdoors for people with physical and mental disabilities.

A white woman in a black dress holds a silver award bowl. She is standing next to a white man in a suit with an orange tie.

Spurwink names Albistons for Humanitarian Award

​Bruce and Annemarie Albiston, co-founders of the Aphasia Center of Maine and the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center have been named recipients of the 2016 Spurwink Humanitarian Award.

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Adaptive Center Big Winner in CVA Raffle 

CARRABASSETT VALLEY — Each year the Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association holds a raffle to help fund its shooting range located about one mile north of the Sugarloaf Access Road. March 18 at the CVOA annual meeting and dinner event, Tom O’Hara of Carrabassett Valley won the top prize in the annual raffle, a Sugarloaf season pass.

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The Adaptive Outdoor Education Center is an awesome and inspiring place... 

This is an impressive program and place, with a goal of providing quality outdoor recreational and educational opportunities, and an improved quality of life, to people of all ages with disabilities. 

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New center in Carrabassett Valley brings outdoors to those with disabilities. 

CARRABASSETT VALLEY — Bruce and Annemarie Albiston have donated their time and money to develop the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center.

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New adaptive center for families in Carrabassett Valley

CARRABASSETT VALLEY - Aphasia is a communication disorder that affects more than 2 million Americans. They experience trouble speaking, reading and writing. One couple in Carrabasset Valley has dedicated their time and personal funds to creating a retreat for those dealing with the disability.

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Adaptive Water Sports Weekend

​On the weekend of September 2-4, the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center partnered with Pine Tree Camp to put on the first Water Sports Weekend. It was a two day event held at Pine Tree Camp and there were a total of 17 participants and 20 volunteers.

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Adaptive Center Grand Opening 

Senator Angus King unties a knotted rope at the Open House at the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center, ceremoniously opening the center.

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