Teen members from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine work together to clean up the beach at Camp Tall Pines in Poland.

Boys, Girls Clubbers clean up at local camp

POLAND – Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine members participated in a weekend community service cleanup project at Special Olympics Maine’s Camp Tall Pines on April 18.

The teen-driven project is one of several that are part of the organization’s centennial celebration for 2009.

“It was fun and we helped by giving back to the community,” said Dylan May, a member of the Auburn-Lewiston clubhouse. “It helped me learn that I could take charge of things and succeed if I put my mind to it.”

Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine has been serving kids in southern Maine since 1909 as the “Positive Place for Kids.” With a history of giving back to the community, teen members from all three clubhouses met last fall with a representative from the Special Olympics Maine about organizing a community service project that included the spring clean-up and Camp Tall Pines, an affiliate of the Special Olympics, and helping out at the Special Olympics Summer Games in June.

“It was important for the kids because they got the opportunity to help out some people who really need their help,” said Mary Greenvall, program director of the Portland clubhouse. “It gave them a sense of responsibility and leadership. And it was a great day to be outside.”

Four staff and volunteers from the three main clubhouses joined eight teens for the two-and-a-hour work session. The group split in two and one group spent the morning tearing up a wooden boardwalk on the beach replaced last summer by a new gazebo. The second sorted food and cleaning donations collected by the camp over the winter in preparation for its summer season.

“The kids worked out great. The finished product was absolutely, exactly what we were looking for,” said Ian Frank, camp director. “Projects like this help us out dramatically. We have such a small staff, so a volunteer group getting these projects together and completing them helps us in preparation of opening summer camp for our season.”

Next up, teens participating in the project will bring magic to the Special Olympics Summer Games on Saturday, June 6. Members will transform Alfond Arena at the University of Maine in Orono into an underwater wonderland for the Special Olympics dance. Using the theme “Under the Sea,” clubhouses are designing decorations to be used at the Saturday night prom hosted by Special Olympics.

“This was a great opportunity for our teen members,” said Andie Hannon, unit director of the Auburn/Lewiston clubhouse. “Our teens learned an important lesson about paying it forward in life, as well as giving back to their community.”