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| Last updated on February 20, 2008 |
Island Connections seeks to provide free services to the elderly and people with disabilities on Mount Desert Island and the surrounding off shore islands that will enable them to live independently and with a strong quality of life.
Description:
Island Connections two main programs areas are Transportation/Meal Delivery and Visitation. The Transportation program involves volunteers driving seniors and/or people with disablities to medical and other life enhancing appointments. Ride requests are made through our office in Bar Harbor. Once a request for a ride is received our office will query our pool of volunteer drivers to create a match. We also deliver several routes of meals from the Community Kitchen (operated by EAA's Meals-for-ME) in Bar Harbor.
In 2005 Island Connections volunteers provided over 3,700 rides to 190 seniors/people with disabilities.
We offer two types of visitations. In Care Call, regular phone calls are made to "check-in" and see how things are going. Some program participants receive calls on a daily basis - other several times a week. Great friendships often develop from this program.
Friendly Visits are in person visits to the senior's home and may involve a variety of activites. Some visitors use the time to provide a trip to the grocery store - others spend all their visting time at the senior's home.
History:
The first ideas for Island Connections came out of a conference held in March 1996 sponsored by the Bar Harbor Hospital and U. Maine Cooperative Extension. Over the next year a group was formed to research the needs of seniors and people with disabilities and to find ways to address those needs using volunteers. In 1997 the group applied for a Faith in Action grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The grant was awarded and in the spring of 1998 Island Connections was incorporated.
Transportation and Visitation were among the first programs offered and they remain Island Connections foundation. Since our founding we other programs have been developed including: social events for seniors, including winter matinee movies, trips to the Flower Show & the Common Ground Fair, outings to theater events at MDI High School, Tea & Popovers at the Jordan Pond House... Other programs include an Alzheimers Care Givers Support Group and food deliveries from the Bar Harbor Food Pantry.
Contact people:
Address:
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15 Eagle Lake Road
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.islconnections.org
Directions:
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Coming into Bar Harbor on Route 3 you'll arrive at a stop sign. On the opposite side of the intesrsection is a Quality Inn and a restaurant called Bunny's. Turn right onto Eagle Lake Road. Proceed past. . . (more)
Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: none
Nearest Bus Stop: DE Transportation/Rodick Loraine, 1 minute walk |
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