Two parks in the heart of Biddeford have recently been adopted by Spurwink’s Biddeford Adult Community Support Program. The program, focused on providing adults affected by behavioral health challenges, intellectual disabilities, and autism, connects clients to the community to help gain life skills.
Weekly, volunteers from the Biddeford program visit Williams Court Park and Main Street Park to help maintain and clean them for the public to enjoy. Things wind-down in the winter months because of the weather, but gear back up in the spring. A community garden is expected in Williams Court Park this spring, which will be planted and tended to by clients of the program.
“We provide supports to our clients to help connect them to their community and build relationships with community members and gain life skills in the process,” said Shannon George, Community Support Manager, Spurwink. “We enjoy celebrating peoples’ accomplishments.”
The Biddeford program is connected to the community through other ways too. Volunteers can be seen at the St. Louis Child Development Center teaching sign language to children, at Southern Maine Medical Center helping with administrative tasks, delivering meals through Meals on Wheels, and helping out at the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland.
For more information about the Biddeford Adult program, please call 207.282.7113 ext. 117 or email sgeorge@spurwink.org. For general inquiries about Spurwink’s Adult program, call the Spurwink LINK line at (888) 889-3909.
More about Spurwink’s Reach in York County
Spurwink has seen significant growth in York County over the last year, now serving approximately 1,800 individuals. The Spurwink York County office is in the heart of Biddeford in the Pepperell Mill and provides outpatient therapy, Public School Counseling in partnering schools (Biddeford, Dayton, Old Orchard Beach, Buxton, and Saco), Functional Family Therapy strengthening family relationships for at-risk youth, and a Behavioral Health Homes for children, adults, and families. In partnership with Biddeford public schools, Spurwink launched ShifaME in 2018, providing Trauma Systems Therapy for refugee children and their families. Spurwink’s Therapeutic Preschool in Saco supports 25-30 children with acute behavioral health needs and often histories of complex trauma, and developmental disabilities or ASD.
In January 2018, Spurwink merged with Community Partners Inc., and now serves more than 75 adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities throughout northern York County where they focus on connecting adults with behavioral health challenges, intellectual disabilities, and autism to the community and gaining life skills.
