Green Valley Association has its roots in caring volunteers from our community and has developed through providing services needed by people in our area who have intellectual and cognitive disabilities.  Services have become more diverse and have changed over the years, but our founding principle of control by, and service to, local community members has not changed. In 2007, Green Valley Association celebrated 40 years of serving the people of southern Aroostook and northern Penobscot counties.

In 1967, Green Valley Association for Retarded Children was incorporated. It was, and continues to be, a nonprofit corporation governed by a board of up to 12 directors.  At its inception, Green Valley provided advocacy services and some academic programming. Over the next 10 years, dedicated family and other community members volunteered to provide academic education for children in borrowed spaces with donated materials.

In 1977, a one-year grant of $25,000 was awarded to Green Valley to provide academic and vocational services to 11 people.  A building was purchased and Green Valley Center opened with one full-time and one part-time employee.  A year later the name of the corporation was changed to Green Valley Association for the Retarded.

In 1979, the Green Valley Group Home was opened in Island Falls as a boarding home housing six men.  The next year this residence was certified as an Intermediate Care Facility serving people with Mental Retardation (ICF/MR).  The name of this program was changed in 1988 from Green Valley Group Home to One Sewall Street.

In 1983, the Green Valley Patten Group Home was opened. It, too, was an ICF/MR facility providing housing to four men and two women.  Along the way this home was renamed 24 Katahdin Street.

June of 1986 marked the end of Green Valley Center's academic programs. At that time, all academic programs in our catchment area were integrated into the local school systems. Green Valley Center was then used for the agency's day programs.

Green Valley Center operated three programs serving 27 people.  The Work Activities Program did furniture stripping, janitorial and wood working skills training and other work on a contract basis.  The Practical Life Program trained people in social skills, money handling, hobby activities, domestic skills, and any other skills needed in day-to-day life.  The Fundamental Life Program conducted training in simple functional skills needed in daily life, physical development exercises, communication and social skills training, and other activities that advanced the development of each person's potential. These programs were funded through a combination of federal, state, and local money from area towns, counties and the United Way.

In 1988, the name of the agency became Green Valley Association. This change was driven by our participation in the national move to person-first language.  The principles of person first language require that the person should be considered and named first in any discussion. For example, talking about a person that has mental retardation is preferable to talking about a mentally retarded person.  Additionally, a person's disability should not be named at all when it is not relevant to a particular discussion of that person or their abilities. 

In 1989, 10 Gardner Street was opened in Patten as an adult waiver foster home. Under this model, four men lived there with a significant degree of independence.

In 1994 Green Valley divided the day program into two separate programs in separate locations.  Developmental programming and community integration services are based in Community Connections located on Katahdin Street in Patten. Work programs remained in Crystal and focused on an expanded wood product production facility. Initially named Wicked Good Wood Shop, the name was later changed to Maine Trellis Company.

Green Valley Association spent many years developing an individual placement supported employment program which included job finding, training on the job, help with transportation, job site modification, and employer support. Poor employment prospects and tough competition from non-disabled workers for the few jobs in our community made this program prohibitively expensive and the success rate of finding and retaining placements was low.

Consequently, the focus shifted toward developing and integrating the workforce of our sheltered workshop, Maine Trellis Company.  Development of a cedar products line and improved marketing allowed the program, to expand the choice of activities and jobs for the people served as well as improved their potential for earnings.  This also facilitated the employment of a number of people from our local community that were employed to work side-by-side with the people served by MTC.  Due to adverse economic conditions and changes in the MaineCare regulations regarding sheltered workshops and work programs in general, Maine Trellis Company ceased operations in 2010.

1996 began the transformation of Green Valley's residential services. Waters Road (now called Shin Pond Road) opened in Patten to provide supported living services to two people.  In the next year the two ICF/MR group homes converted their licenses to Level III Supported Living Services. This change reduced the capacity of each residence to four. The David Street home was opened in Island Falls. In total, 30 people were served in all programs.

In 1997, the Family and Children Services program opened to provide in-home and community-based support to approximately 22 children with mental health or developmental disabilities and their families. 

By 2001, 66 people were supported through the adult and children's services programs. In 2005, changes within the DHHS system for supporting children reduced the number of children eligible for services. Because of the declining enrollment and the resignation of the program's administrator, the program was closed in 2007.

Green Valley association continues to provide home and community supports to 26 people. All of our residences are licensed by the Maine Department of Human Services and provide ongoing, active support in social, physical, and intellectual development, as well as daily living skills. Particular emphasis is placed on the areas of community integration and functional skills. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services surveys each residence on an annual basis, with the majority of funding coming from MaineCare.

For over 30 years, Green Valley Association has supported an area Special Olympics team. This substantial and enthusiastic team competes in both the Aroostook County regional games in May and the Maine State Games at the University of Maine in Orono in June. Athlete participation in these events is funded completely through fundraising.

revised:  2.28.11