Pine Tree Society’s “As Seen on TV”

In honor of our 90th anniversary, Pine Tree Society has partnered with television’s All Access with Andy Garcia, “where creativity meets purpose.”

The mission of All Access programming is to bring powerful stories to the big screen, using their influence to share underrepresented stories with widespread audiences. Their features reach over a million viewers worldwide, using creativity to encourage support of non-profits like ours and other worthy causes. Their stylistic choices bring light to impactful narratives that expand the audience’s awareness on these important topics – such as Pine Tree Society’s mission to serve individuals with disabilities across the state of Maine.

In 2026, Pine Tree Society celebrates nine decades of constantly evolving programming that supports and engages Mainers with diverse disabilities, modeling the vision of completely barrier-free spaces across our community.

The team at All Access with Andy Garcia dove excitedly into representing how so many years of impact can be captured on film. They spent several weeks with our organization interviewing team members and client families, truly getting to the heart of what Pine Tree Society means to the people it serves. Many become emotional when describing the profound difference we have made in their loved one’s life.

The feature captures our fully accessible recreation experience at Pine Tree Camp and other community programs, but the interviews focus heavily on our Early Learning Center (ELC) and how they partner with our speech and occupational therapists to ensure that every child can communicate freely in the classroom.

Highlighted in the video are Karen McClure-Richard, ELC Director, and Linda Bonnar, Communication Pathways Director, sharing the experience of supporting several families through the process of receiving their diagnosis, identifying communication and motor needs, and ensuring that those needs are not only met, but nurtured.

It is our belief that no child should be sidelined from skill-building due to differences in need. Our ELC’s kindergarten readiness program promotes a love for learning, creates comfort with the classroom setting, and enables children with disabilities to learn through doing. Approaching every challenge with a smile and a ‘how can we?’ attitude is what sets us apart.

Thanks to All Access with Andy Garcia, our mission will reach audiences far and wide. Our organization strives to be a model for other non-profits and disability agencies in our imagination of a completely barrier-free society and equal opportunities for all.