 The Courageous Steps Project is pleased to announce that it's a recipient of a $7500 through the Maine Community Foundation's Penobscot Valley Health Association Fund. These funds will directly impact our biggest community program, the Green House Village Preschool, in supporting further collaboration and professional development within our current daily schedule.
"We are committed to support our early childhood education team. Anyway we can further their development, allows us as a program to grow and reach more children and their families" says Founder & Chairman/CEO Connor J. Archer. Over the past year, Courageous Steps has gone through transformational growth that has involved adding a new early childhood program, the return of in-person events, and the further expansion into other areas of Maine slowly. 2022 is already surpassing 2021 in many ways. "This grant will make an immediate impact in our programming as we head into the summer and fall months" adds Archer. The Courageous Steps Project is undergoing some major special projects in the coming months as well. You are encouraged to stay connected to the organization's website and social media pages for more information. For any questions on this grant, please contact Connor J. Archer at: connor@thecourageousstepsproject.org. The Courageous Steps Project, and its programs, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that strives to help children and young adults with various abilities and challenges in Eastern Maine, giving them the tools they need to succeed in school and in life.  The Courageous Steps Project once again has donated supplies to support schools all over the Eastern Maine region through our 8th Annual Back-To-School Drive.
This initiative was started in 2014, to give back to students in need in preparation for the upcoming school year. Founder & Chairman/CEO Connor Archer says the initiative has been pivotal during these unprecedented times. "Our commitment to students and schools all over the Eastern Maine region during the pandemic, has been at the forefront, and we are so happy to have great sponsors to back our vision to grow this initiative every year" said Archer recently. Supplies are at your school or they are coming. We are proud to continue our efforts of supporting over 2 dozen schools in Eastern Maine, as they begin or have begun their school year. Thank you again to our partners, sponsors, and volunteers for all of your hard work in making this year’s program a success!  The Courageous Steps Project recently received a generous grant donation to support the Green House Village Preschool's efforts!
Yesterday, Founder & Chairman/CEO Connor Archer and Green House Village Preschool Program Director Karen Thibault accepted the $5,000 grant award from the Bangor Savings Bank foundation to support tuition assistance and our healthy habits program promoting access to healthy food options for our students. Thank you to the Bangor Savings Bank foundation for your commitment in helping support these important initiatives!  The Courageous Steps Project is gearing up for the 8th Annual Dylan McInnis Walk-Run on Sunday May 23rd at Old Town High School's Victory Field from 1pm-3pm.
As we are trying to be proactive and follow the CDC guidelines, we are asking ALL participants to register online prior to Sunday May 23rd. This will help reduce lines at the event, and will allow us to keep everyone socially distanced (within reason) for the event. Please spread the word to anyone that you know. Please email us with any questions at: info@thecourageousstepsproject.org. NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Connor J. Archer Tuesday December 1st, 2020 Founder & Chairman/CEO connor@thecourageousstepsproject.org Courageous Steps Project Announces Launch of Green House Village Preschool & Step Forward Center Stillwater, ME — The Courageous Steps Project is excited to launch the Step Forward Center for Discovery & Learning & Green House Village Preschool programs in early 2021. The Step Forward Center for Discovery & Learning will provide specialty life-skills and educational based and other various types of programming for children ages 3-19. The Green House Village Preschool will be a community-based inclusive preschool program for children ages 3-5 with a belief that all children grow and prosper no matter the obstacles in their way. Founder & Chairman/CEO Connor J. Archer says, “this is going to completely transform the organization for the future. It has been something we’ve looked forward to getting done for a long-time now — this is an accomplishment for all of those involved in our organization, especially during such challenging times.” The programs will launch on January 1st, 2021 with the preschool program beginning on January 4th and specialty programming beginning in early 2021. Archer states, “children need early childhood intervention to build a strong foundation in order to learn important skills, and continue to develop those skills as they get older — through this programming, we will be able to do that in the most effective ways possible, while still working with current and many new community partners to offer unique types of programming.” Archer adds that the organization will be welcoming the Village Preschool and former Green House Nursery School staff with decades of experience and knowledge that will already allow the program to grow. “I’ve known Karen (Thibault) and Lynn (Faerber) since I was 3 years old, as they were my preschool teachers. Karen and Lynn gave me that start that I so desperately needed as an individual who was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3 — to give back to them and help them grow for the future is a dream come true” said Archer. “Since he (Connor) was 8 years old, he has said if he had one wish, he would want Green House to always be here for children. We are excited to say that that dream is coming true for him and us — this is such good news, opening up so many opportunities for us to expand our community outings (after COVID of course) and our programming for all children in our inclusive environment”, said soon-to-be program director Karen Thibault. Karen Thibault will serve as program director for the Step Forward Center for Discovery & Learning and for the Green House Village Preschool. Lynn Faerber will continue working at the preschool and on special projects for our community programs in collaboration with Connor. To learn more about the different initiatives and programs that the Courageous Steps Project offers and will be starting to offer, please visit our websites: www.stepforwardcenter.org www.greenhousevillage.org www.thecourageousstepsproject.org The Courageous Steps Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization striving to help children and young adults with various abilities and challenges all over Eastern Maine. The non-profit organization was founded on July 25th, 2016. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. To: The Courageous Steps Project Community
FROM: Connor J. Archer, Chairman/CEO, Courageous Steps Project Heather Martin, Events Chair, The Courageous Steps Project DATE: Saturday March 14th, 2020 RE: Update on COVID-19 and The Courageous Steps Project For Immediate Release The Courageous Steps Project has been closely monitoring COVID-19 (Coronavirus). We are continuing to stay in contact as an organization to determine the best decisions necessary as we move forward as an organization during this difficult time. As indicated by Maine Governor Janet Mills in her press conference on Thursday (March 12th), there is a recommendation that any social gatherings are limited or postponed for the immediate future. Because of the recent confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maine, we have made the difficult decision to POSTPONE the upcoming 2020 Masquerade for Awareness. While this is a difficult decision for us to make, keeping our supporters, volunteers, and all parties involved safe is our utmost priority at this time. We do not have a set date at this time; however we are working on setting a new date as quickly as possible. It is our full intention to reschedule this event for a later date. We will make this announcement as soon as possible. As a small non-profit organization, these events are crucial to our initiatives and programs that support many children and young adults with developmental challenges. Major events, such as the masquerade, fund our initiatives and our organization as a whole. That is why we are taking some immediate steps to ensure that our organization continues to grow its mission and vision for the foreseeable future. We appreciate your patience and ongoing support to help The Courageous Steps Project and its important mission. Refunds will be granted if you wish; however, it would be greatly appreciated if consideration is given to a partial or full donation of your ticket purchase. We appreciate your thoughtful consideration of a generous contribution. We appreciate your patience as we work on confirming a new date and hope you will attend the postponed event. Those with questions or concerns, should contact Connor Archer, Chairman/CEO of The Courageous Steps Project at: connor@thecourageousstepsproject.org. We thank you for your time and patience as we all try to navigate the unknown at this time. With Appreciation, Connor J. Archer, Founder & Chairman/CEO Heather Martin, Events Chair To: The Courageous Steps Project Community
FROM: Connor J. Archer, Chairman/CEO, Courageous Steps Project DATE: Wednesday March 11th, 2020 RE: COVID-19 and The Courageous Steps Project For Immediate Release The Courageous Steps Project has been monitoring the status of COVID-19 for a few days now. A memo was sent out from Special Olympics of Maine and the Maine Principals’ Association yesterday regarding suspensions of all Unified Sports activities through March 31st, 2020, “Maine Principals’ Association’s recommendation is to follow Special Olympics Maine’s position on suspending all Unified Sports activities through the end of March. At that time, we will reevaluate the situation to determine if this will affect any Unified Sports activities through the remainder of the school year”. The Courageous Steps Project has been in communication with all parties involved in this weekend’s event. We have come to a decision that is difficult and hard for us to make, but is necessary due to protocols set by other organizations involved. This means that our 4th Annual Unified Basketball Fun Day Festival set for Friday March 13th & Saturday March 14th is CANCELLED at this time. As you can imagine, this decision is challenging and difficult for us to make as an organization. However, due to the liability associated in pursuing the event, it is not safe or appropriate to proceed forward hosting this event. We are choosing to adhere to the outline recommendations and feel like many if not all attending schools will also follow the same guidelines. All other Courageous Steps Project upcoming events and other activities will resume as normal. If there are any changes/updates, we will be sure to pass that along to you! We appreciate your support and understanding on this decision. It has been a difficult one to process on our end, but this is an important decision to ensure all involved are safe at this time. Anyone with questions or concerns, should contact Connor Archer, Chairman/CEO at: connor@thecourageousstepsproject.org. As we close on another successful year, all we can say is THANK YOU! We more than appreciate all that our supporters and volunteers have done to help our organization grow!
Because of more growth and exciting challenges, our organization is in a more sustainable place heading into 2020! Many new events and programs launched this year, with tons of opportunities and projects that will advance our mission and vision going forward. We truly are fortunate and amazed to have a team that is unlike most. From those that just wear our shirts to show support, to those that are involved in the everyday operations of the organization, it truly is a team effort that has created ample opportunities for the communities that we serve. As Walt Disney said "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." I would have to say that those have and will continue to become possible with optimism and creativity always in mind. 2020 will be full of new and exciting challenges. Some definitely daunting and challenging to pursue, but many of them exciting and rewarding. But with that comes following our same mission that has gotten us here today. That same mission that has impacted 29+ schools, thousands of children in Eastern Maine, and has supported numerous other programs/organizations. We look forward to all that 2020 brings, and we cannot wait for you to join us for the fun and exciting ride! With Appreciation & Gratitude, Connor J. Archer Founder & CEO/Executive Director The Courageous Steps Project  The Courageous Steps Project recently awarded a donation of $500 to the Dr. Lewis Libby School in Milford. This donation will be used to add more flexible seating options within the classrooms of the school.
We are so pleased to continue our support of local schools and their pursuit of making the lives of students better inside of school and outside of school. The Courageous Steps Project's Wishlist Initiative continues to support several programs in the Eastern Maine region. Interested in learning more about our Wishlist Initiative? Click here to visit the page and find the application: Wishlist Initiative.  The Step Forward Initiative of The Courageous Steps Project hosted its' first ever Step Forward Essay Contest. This year, we were able to recognize three middle school students for their outstanding essays, demonstrating how the power of writing can be used to share powerful stories.
This year, we were proud to recognize two 8th grade students from the Bangor Christian School, and a 6th grade student at the Dedham School. The Step Forward Essay contest gives the opportunity for middle and high school students, to tell their stories, and challenge themselves to write creatively. The Essay Contest debuted in 2019, and will be offered again next fall! |
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