Raymond voters to determine van program’s fate

By Dina Mendros

Raymond voters will decide Tuesday whether to approve funding a transportation system that would provide rides to grocery stores, doctors’ appointments and the like. The ride system would provide transportation for seniors, those without licenses and others who find it difficult to get where they need to go.

Raymond voters will decide on June 10 whether to fund a
mini-van for RTP's QuickRide program which would
schedule and provide transportation for local residents
anywhere within the town. SUBMITTED PHOTO 

At the June 10 election, residents will vote on whether to approve $67,500 in funding – Article 19, Referendum Question Q on the Town Warrant – which would be the town’s share for the QuickRide program. The town would partner with the Regional Transportation Program which would provide the service.

Unlike a typical bus service where people wait at established bus stops to catch a bus that drives a specific route, riders using QuickRide would schedule, either via telephone or online, a micro-van that would pick them up at their home and take them where they want to go within the Raymond community.

Raymond Town Manager Joseph Crocker compared the bus to an Uber service that provides door-to-door service.

“The thought is to get people to be transported to groceries or doctors’ appointments, things like that, in the area,” Crocker said. “Use almost like an Uber that comes to your house but through RTP. They have an app or office to call to schedule (a ride). They’ll pick you up at your location and then drop you off at either appointments or groceries. So it’s kind of like a scheduled transportation service. So, it’s a little more customizable than just a regular bus stop.”

The Quick Ride program is needed in Raymond, Crocker said.

“Public transportation has definitely been on the radar for people,” he said. “Obviously, being a rural area, it’s kind of tough to get to certain areas for like shopping or anything like that. It’s definitely been something that’s been heard in our community.”

Currently, Age Friendly Coordinator Debbie Tarr has been taking seniors to appointments in her own car, Crocker said. If voters do approve funding for the RTP mini-van program it will take the strain off Tarr and offer the ability to accommodate more people.

If approved, the QuickRide program would run Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It would start sometime this summer and continue year-round. Customers would pay about $3 per ride.

RTP Executive Director Don Libby said if Raymond voters approve funding, RTP and the town would run a 12-month QuickRide pilot program and then reevaluate how the program is working.

The program was started in January 2024 in Windham; it also runs in Gorham and Standish.

“The goal,” Libby said, “is to run in every town up and down the 302 corridor to Bridgton.”

The QuickRide program is working well in Windham, said Windham’s Age Friendly Coordinator Erica Bell-Watkins.

One of the reasons that Windham adopted the program was because transportation was identified as one of the top needs in a community survey, she said.

Anyone of any age can take advantage of the program, but it’s especially important for seniors, Bell-Watkins said.

“As people get older and decide not to drive or people sometimes use it because they’re getting their eyes dilated or getting a colonoscopy so it’s not just for people who don’t drive it’s for people who are not driving that day,” she said. “That QuickRide program has been very helpful. “It’s all been successful.”

She said she shared Windham’s experience with a town staffer in Raymond.

“I told her I thought it would be great for Raymond because it has been a great success here,” Bell-Watkins said.

Election Day voting in Raymond will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 10 at Jordan-Small Middle School. <

Windham student first graduate from Integrated Studies Program at Saint Joseph’s College

By Dina Mendros

When Joanne Haibon graduated from high school, she didn’t consider going to college. The 26-year-old Windham resident has autism. Then her mother, Mary Haibon, learned of a pilot program at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine that seemed like it would be a good fit for her daughter.

Windham resident Joanne Haibon was the
first graduate from Saint Joseph's College
of Maine's new Integrated Studies Program.
She graduated from the program  on May 10.
SUBMITTED PHOTO  

Joanne was the first to apply to, be accepted into, and complete the Integrated Studies Program at the Standish school. The program is designed to provide a college experience for students with intellectual disabilities. It seeks to support every participant at their current academic level. Joanne was the first to graduate from the two-year non-credit certificate program on May 10.

Both Joanne and her mother said the program was “awesome.”

Initially, Joanne said she wasn’t interested in pursuing higher education. She said the last two years of high school “was not a pretty experience.” But after a little nudging from her mom, she applied to Saint Joseph’s.

“I was accepted, and it turned out to be a great experience,” Joanne said.

“The confidence and self-esteem that Joanne was able to build through this program,” Mary said, “all the skills that we’ve worked on for so long she really got to put into practice.”

In the beginning, going to college and attending classes was “overwhelming,” Joanne said. “But once you get past the overwhelming, you see it’s a lot easier.”

Students who enroll in the Integrated Studies Program can register for up to 16 credits per semester. Participants audit classes based on a modified curriculum tailored to their person-centered plans, said Shanna Webster, Associate Dean of Academic Success and Retention at Saint Joseph’s.

Joanne took a variety of courses in subjects like science, philosophy, communications and leadership at Saint Joseph’s. She also participated in internships each semester. A number of accommodations had to be made to help Joanne succeed.

For instance, she attended classes with a peer partner. Peer partners are students studying education and other programs that gave them the skills to help students like Joanne. Her peer partners helped Joanne by taking notes for her and helping her complete her assignments. Other accommodations that are available include having more time to take a test, completing fewer assignments and more.

During the two-year program, Mary said that she saw her daughter’s abilities grow.

“They really built up Joanne’s ability from the first semester, and the first class, to really doing much more the last semester,” Mary said. “By the end of her experience, Joanne was taking more notes, participating more fully in group projects and completing more of her assignments.”

“Everything was geared for her to be successful in the classroom,” Mary said.

Students in the Integrated Studies Program not only take classes but they can also participate in clubs and other college events and activities, like every other Saint Joseph student. Although Joanne was a commuter, those who want to live on campus to get the full college experience can do so.

The icing on the cake was when Joanne graduated.

“The ceremony was amazing,” Mary said. “When Joanne got up to get her certificate, the graduating class and everyone stood up and gave her a standing ovation.”

Although she has graduated, Joanne said that she plans to continue commuting to campus and work in the college mailroom.

Since Joanne, more students have been accepted into the program, and the Integrated Studies Program has been officially institutionalized.

“In the past year, we had three students enrolled in our Integrated Studies Program,” Webster said. “Two of these students were residents on campus, and we are thrilled that both will be returning for a second year. For fall 2025, we have already accepted another student participant and have a final interview scheduled this week for another promising candidate.”

Mary said she’s thrilled the program is continuing and growing. “Obviously we’re so proud of Joanne,” Mary said. “She worked through so much and a lot of anxiety to do this and we just want to see this program grow because it’s a wonderful opportunity for others.”

For those who are unsure if the Integrated Studies Program is for them, Joanne advises them to go for it.

“It will be worth it in the end,” she said. <