90 Years of Breaking Barriers. A Century of Possibility.
Maine has been a state for 206 years. For nearly half of that time, Pine Tree Society has been at the heart of the Maine experience. Our history spans more than a third of the entire American story—a 90-year legacy of pioneering possibilities for people with disabilities.
Since 1936, we have been more than a service provider; we are a community of over 100 professionals dedicated to the bold idea that every life should be lived with passion and purpose. Whether it is a child finding a lifelong friend at Pine Tree Camp or an adult gaining independence through customized Assistive Technology, we provide the means to thrive. At Pine Tree Society, we don’t say we can’t. For nine decades, we’ve asked: “How can we?”
We have many special events and commemorative projects planned throughout 2026, Including a new documentary. We look forward to sharing this historic milestone with you.
Pine Tree Society began as Pine Tree Society for Crippled Children. In December of 1935, a group of 25, including doctors, officials associated with state government and other interested parties, met at the State House in Augusta. Their purpose was to form a Maine Society for crippled children. After the Social Securities Act was established, it seems like it was a national trend that each state would then establish their own organization for crippled children.
When it began, Pine Tree Society was tasked with helping children with disabilities live and play like “other children.” Some of its first services included providing teachers for children with disabilities who were unable to attend school; providing transportation to hospitals; and providing needed orthopedic equipment and devices.
Pine Tree Society’s vision was to cooperate with all interested departments, organizations, institutions and individuals to that end that whatever “lacks and gaps” may now or subsequently exist in Maine’s programs for crippled children may be supplied and filled – but always in such a fashion that additional services will supplement and complement, rather than duplicate or displace, the aids that are already available to physically handicapped youngsters.
