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West Side Day Care Merges with Portland West

09/30/04 - For 30 years the West Side Child Development Center has been a staple of child care for west end residents and low-income families. They moved to 251 Danforth after a fire destroyed their home on Clark Street in 1999. While the new space provided a welcome environment and a fresh start, in recent years they hit hard times. Enrollment was slowing, overhead was increasing, paychecks were sporadic, and the staff was stretched too thin to get the job done.

Then, in the winter of 2003, Portland West and the Board of the Day Care began talking about merging. After six months, the collaboration officially took flight in July of this year. As of July 15th, 2004, the Day Care is now called the Portland West Child Development Center.

“This is a great opportunity for us,” Program Director Darlene Dehler said (former Executive Director of the Day Care). “By combining resources, Portland West has been able to reduce our overhead, take cumbersome paperwork off our plate, and most importantly give the staff more time to work with the children.”

“There is an important trend among non-profits to become more efficient so we have more money available to help our clients. By combining these two organizations, we have done just that,” said Ethan Strimling, Executive Director of Portland West.

Darlene added, “I am hopeful that with this new collaboration in place, the Child Development Center will be able to focus on becoming one of the foremost facilities in Portland. The days are definitely looking brighter.”

 
Summer Campership Campaign Raises Over $24,000 - A Record for the Program!

08/31/04 - For almost 20 years Portland West has been overcoming the hidden barriers that prevent children from low-income families from attending summer camp in Maine. Each spring, we ask for financial support to help us send kids to camp. This year, individuals and businesses have donated over $24,000 - the most we have ever raised in a single campership campaign! And because of this support, we sent 74 children, 15 of whom were first time campers, to 18 different camps in Maine! Here's what a few of our returning campers had to say about their experience:

My favorite part of camp was canoeing 18 and 1/2 miles down the Saco River! - Vera My least favorite part was the rainy day schedule. - Preston The mose exciting thing I learned was to help and care for others. - Katie Thank you for taking me to camp without you I wouldn't have got there. - Carly

Thank you for helping to make this a summer to remember for our campers!

07/07/04 - General Wesley Clark visited with Portland West and talked with Youth Building Alternatives Students and Staff. Gen. Clark is pictured signing student Ryan Leonard's T-shirt, watched by fellow Portland West Students Mike Barnhart, right, and Frank DeMelle, left, a Portland West graduate. DeMelle guided the General on a tour of the agency earlier in the visit. [News Article in Times Record]

Photo Courtesy of Doug Jones, Portland Press Herald, 07/07/04

01/07/04 - In a nationwide competition, Portland West's Youth Building Alternatives (YBA) program was awarded a grant of $700,000 for 2004-2005. The YBA program serves at-risk youth, ages 16 to 24 who are high school dropouts, under court supervision, or on probation with training in academics and vocational education.

"This is a great day. In my eleven years of working at Portland West, this is the first time I can honestly say that I feel like our youth programs have turned the corner of stability. With this grant, we can now feel confident that Youth Building Alternatives will be stable for at least three years, instead of the usual up and down we must go through annually." said Portland West Director of Programs Tom Pearson.

Executive Director Ethan Strimling further stated, "I'd like to thank Congressman Tom Allen and all his staff for all the support they provide in helping us through the Federal process. Additionally, Senator Olympia Snowe's office was instrumental in their support."

This alternative education program provides youth with an opportunity to complete their high school education, work towards the GED and at the same time receive counseling, training in the construction trades, life skills and leadership training. It is the only program of its kind in Southern Maine. YBA graduates referred by Juvenile Community Corrections have a recidivism rate of 13% compared to over 32% recidivism for all youth under the supervision of the Department of Corrections.

[News Article Portland Press Herald]
[News Article Portland Forecaster]