The Courageous Steps Project is excited to announce that it has kicked off the third phase of the Green House Nursery School Technology Expansion project. With generous donations from the community, we have been able to begin this next phase with donating Kindle Fires to the Green House Nursery School. "Kindle Fires are great products for this school, as they are a perfect size for the kids to hold, and most importantly they still are functional and durable". Phase 3 includes purchasing more Kindle Fires, and installing internet this summer at the Green House for the iPads and Kindles. So far, the school has had to download apps that don't require internet. "When the internet is installed, this will open a whole new door of opportunities for the school" added Archer. Two phases have been completed in the expansion project, including purchasing iPads, a projector, and a bluetooth speaker system for the school. "It is an exciting moment to see the school receive these products. They work hard everyday to help young children with challenges, and I want to make sure that it still continues to be that way" mentioned Archer. Archer hopes to continue the third phase throughout the course of this year, adding more technology to the school, while still making sure that the children learn that technology isn't the only thing that is important in life, even though it has been a big game changer in the society that exists today.
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The Courageous Steps Project has been receiving many generous donations this year, as part of the 3rd annual Courageous Steps walk-run fundraiser this spring. Recently, we recently had our first platinum sponsor join the Courageous Steps sponsor team. Machias Savings Bank donated $500.00 to this spring's fundraising effort. Archer was presented the check at the Machias Savings Bank branch in Bangor on Friday February 19th. In the past week, we've had many businesses join the team of sponsors. Businesses include: Marquis Heating, Morin Fuel, Sullivan's Automotive, Carpenter Associates, and Northeast Periodontal Associates. Archer was also notified that more donations will be coming in, so as soon as those donations come in, he will pass them along. Also in the past week, many businesses have donated items to the silent auction going on during this spring's fundraiser. RM Flagg Company, The Boomhouse, and Subway in Old Town, all donated to the silent auction. More businesses are encouraged, and welcome to donate in either a sponsorship, or an item(s) to go towards the silent auction. "It's incredible that we are this far ahead in just the firs two months of 2016. With a long break for me personally coming up, I can really focus on getting more businesses to get involved this year, making this year, the best year yet". Archer will be having registration forms, along with donation forms, available at Machias Savings Bank in Bangor, and Camden National Bank in Orono starting in March. Forms will also be available eventually at other locations in the greater Old Town area. Old Town student wins Spirit of Community Award for volunteerismCourtesy of Connor Archer Connor Archer of Old Town High School is shown with a check that he presented to the Regional School Unit 26 Special Education Department last July after the second annual Courageous Steps Walk-Run event. Archer has been named a state winner of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, which honor students from around the country for their volunteer efforts.
By Ernie Clark, BDN Staff Posted Feb. 18, 2016, at 7:26 a.m. OLD TOWN, Maine — Connor Archer might best be described as a relentless volunteer. When the 17-year-old senior at Old Town High School, who lives with autism, finds an activity that piques his interest, he pursues it with a seemingly infinite supply of energy. He’s a distance runner on his school’s cross-country and track teams, a member of several school bands, an honors student and a member of the National Honor Society. He also is the student representative to the Regional School Unit 34 board of directors. And, most personally, he’s the founder of the Courageous Steps Project, an effort he began nearly three years ago to give back to those who have helped him face his challenges head-on and to help other children with their own challenges. Archer recently was named a state winner of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, which honor students from around the country for their volunteer efforts. “This is not just my award,” said Archer, who will attend Husson University in Bangor this fall to pursue a degree in business management. “There are so many great people who volunteer their time and service in our state and our communities, and for me to get this honor is because a lot of people in the community helped give me the start I needed to get to where I am now and to get the Courageous Steps Project where it is today.” The Courageous Steps Project involves several events annually — among them a benefit dinner at the Old Town Governor’s Restaurant on March 22 and the third annual walk-run scheduled for May 22 at Victory Field. Those events support endeavors ranging from a scholarship fund to back-to-school supply boxes and technology and garden landscaping projects at the Green House Nursery School in Milford, which gave him his educational start after he was diagnosed with autism at age 3. He also has added a video project this year called the Courageous Steps “One Word” Challenge. Students are being asked to think of a word that describes them, with a video to be created of students from each participating school sharing their individual words on camera. Those videos will be displayed on the Courageous Steps website: thecourageousstepsproject.org. “Connor is just an unbelievable person and mature beyond his years,” Old Town High School principal Scott Gordon said. “This award is wonderful and is a great recognition for the countless hours that he has put in to benefit others. He always deflects the recognition and talks about how his friends and community and schools have helped him to develop his foundation. “That is Connor. He doesn’t care about the accolades, he cares about making other people happy and supporting them. We need more people in the world like him.” Archer, the son of Mike and Jessica Archer, is one of two state Prudential Spirit of Community Award recipients from Maine, along with 14-year-old Benjamin Levesque of Massabesic Middle School in East Waterboro. Two other Maine students, Alyssa Burbank of Winslow High School and Harper Gordon of Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport, were selected as distinguished finalists. Students eligible for this year’s awards must be in grades 5-12 as of Nov. 3, 2015, and have engaged in a volunteer activity that occurred at least partly during the 12 months before the deadline. State honorees receive a $1,000 award, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense paid trip with a parent or guardian to Washington, D.C., from April 30 to May 3 for national recognition events, including the naming of national award winners. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is sponsored and administered by Prudential Financial, Inc. in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. The Courageous Steps Project will be hosting it's 2nd benefit dinner on Sunday May 22nd, at Governor's Restaurant in Old Town from 4pm to 8pm. 10% of proceeds from the benefit dinner will go towards Courageous Steps endeavors this year. We will also have accessories up that we will be selling. We also encourage donations. The 2015 benefit dinner raised $550, and we are hoping for more people to come in and eat. Please contact Connor Archer if you have any questions at: [email protected]. If you are also friends with the Courageous Steps Project on Facebook, you can visit the event page. Recently, founder Connor Archer was awarded Maine's State Honoree for the Prudential Spirt of Community Award. This award aims "to applaud young people who already are making a positive difference in their towns and neighborhoods, and to inspire others to think about how they might contribute to their communities". On April 30th-May 3rd, Archer will head to Washington D.C. to represent the Courageous Steps Project, along with his hometown & state, to attend many award ceremonies, and meet other young people in the country that have also done outstanding things for their communities. This is one, of many awards that Archer has been recognized for. In December, Archer was WLBZ2 & WCSH6's Teens Who Care Award Winner for the months of December 2015, and January 2016. MESSAGE FROM FOUNDER CONNOR JACOB ARCHER In the past week, we've had two more businesses jump commit to this Spring's walk-run fundraiser. Owen J. Folsom Inc. has donated for three years now, and Hardy Orthodontics donated for the second year now. A change that occurred this week, will be that donations will be made out to Old Town High School with Courageous Steps written in the memo. However, all donations will still be mailed to P.O. Box 1, Stillwater ME, 04489, unless otherwise notified. This is a recent change, in order to accommodate for the time that we have. We plan on transferring the accounts during the summer of 2014. People making personal donations, should do this as well. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at: [email protected]. The Viola Rand School in Bradley, and the Alton Elementary School recently accepted a Courageous Steps 'One Word' challenge. I had the privilege today, to visit both schools, to videotape students and staff, for each of their 'One Word' challenge productions. All staff in both schools, created signs to hold up when saying their word, and this was done also by the students. The energy in both schools was amazing, and all staff and students were excited to participate. The videos for both schools will be released as late as the end of next week. I hope to get out the Viola Rand School video released by the end of this weekend. You will be able to find it by going under our videos link on our website. The Alton video will be released later, due to more people wanting to participate in the video. With about 3 1/2 months until the 3rd annual Courageous Steps Walk-Run event, we are pushing hard to get businesses to sponsor this year's fundraiser. In the past month, we've had 7 businesses confirm their sponsorship for the fundraiser. Recently, Machias Savings Bank has committed to the fundraiser as our first platinum sponsor. We've also had the University Credit Union, Penobscot County Federal Credit Union, Maine Savings Federal Credit Union, JC Autobody, Noonan Chiropractic, and Van Syckle Kia commit to this year's fundraiser. I are still waiting on more businesses to commit, but I am about a month ahead of schedule from last year's fundraiser, so I am hoping to get our sponsors wrapped up by the end of March, and focus on getting people to come to the fundraiser in April. My hope is to release registration forms, donation forms, and team registration forms online by the beginning of March. Please send your donations to P.O. Box 1, Stillwater, ME 04489. You can also send your registration forms to that mailing address. UPDATE** In the best interest of the Courageous Steps Project, I am still having checks made out to Old Town High School, with Courageous Steps written in the memo. With some delays that have occurred in the past month, it has come to my senses that I need to continue this transition into next summer, in order to do it in the most efficient way possible. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me at: [email protected]. Please also visit our Facebook page to see new sponsors that have jumped on board with this year's walk-run event. |
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Media LinksCourageous Steps Project fundraiser held at Governor's - 8/9/16 |