“I have lasting memories of the many experiences I have had at Camp Susan Curtis. Camp helped me develop into a productive member of society.”
"Your program is terrific! Thank you for having my son there.”
“When I come to camp, all the stress, all the tension…everything from the outside world leaves my body. Its just about the woods and being at Camp Susan Curtis.”
"Thank you so much for offering this to kids who might not otherwise be able to have this experience.”
“Camp Susan Curtis gave me a resource deep within myself that I will draw on for the rest of my life.”
"I am grateful for the last five years. Because of your camp, my daughter’s outlook on life has broadened. Thank you so much for giving her the things I couldn’t have given her on my own.”
“ When I was a camper, there were counselors that helped me out, and I looked up to them. Today, I try to be that person for another kid.”
"At camp I found out that my life mattered and that I was important.”
“ I am grateful for the last five years. Because of your camp, my daughter’s outlook on life has broadened. Thank you so much for giving her the things I couldn’t have given her on my own.”
"I love camp at lot! I love playing soccer, hiking, swimming and fishing!”
Best Buy and Geek Squad Volunteers Visit Susan Curtis Outdoor Education Centers!
Press Release: Susan L. Curtis Foundation, August 2, 2009
Contact: Alan F. Cartwright, President & CEO, Susan L. Curtis Foundation
(207)774-1552; acartwright@susancurtisfoundation.org
www.susancurtisfoundation.org
Best Buy, Geek Squad and Unum Donate Time, Expertise, Computers and Software, all to benefit Disadvantaged Maine Children at Susan Curtis Outdoor Education Centers.
On Sunday, August 2nd, ten volunteers from Best Buy and the Geek Squad spent the afternoon at the Susan Curtis Arts Education Center and Camp Susan Curtis. The squad installed computers donated by Unum and software donated by Unum and Best Buy, in preparation for an expansion of the technology program at both campuses. The Unum and Best Buy gifts were facilitated by Jim Smith and Sally Smith, a Trustee of the Susan L. Curtis Foundation. The Susan Curtis Foundation expresses its heartfelt thanks to Best Buy Volunteers Lindsay, Connor, Bart, Paula, Jason, EJ, Robert, Dan, Dave and Shawn. Best Buy General Manager Bart Gillespie (second from right, below) led the team of volunteers. 
Susan Curtis programs already use computers and technology creatively to serve the educational needs of disadvantaged Maine children and youth. Sessions in film-making and digital photography are very popular at the Arts Center. (Read more). The emphasis on technology is being expanded to include literacy, financial literacy (read more) and graphic design.
The introduction to technology helps ensures "that...children from low-income households are not at a disadvantage in situations where technology is used in the school." It also helps "them take advantage of the many opportunities that technology opens during the learning process." (ASHA).
Efforts to enhance literacy and financial literacy will help student-campers in school and in life. Literacy levels are associated with educational attainment and "Research has documented a strong correlation between education and income levels" (ASHA). Our positive outcomes help support the value of our programs: a ten-year tracking study shows that 9 out of 10 of those who have attended Camp Susan Curtis at least four years and completed leadership training graduate high school, and 8 out of 10 go on to college.