Student Art Exhibit

Colorful multi-media art by The Birchtree Center's students is included in SPLASH! The Art of Portsmouth’s Young People, an exhibit at the Portsmouth Public Library now through May 31.

The Friends of the Portsmouth Library organized the show, which features art by students from public and private schools throughout Portsmouth. A small exhibit reception will take place this Sunday, May 18, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the library.

The Birchtree Center's students created art for this show in honor of their instructors. The life-saver shape represents the life-changing impact that skilled and dedicated professionals can have on children and youth with autism.

Each student incorporated favorite colors, books, objects, and characters into his or her piece.

The exhibit is on display now through May 31 in the Portsmouth Public Library’s Levenson Room at 175 Parrott Avenue.

The library is open 9am-9pm Monday-Thursday, 9am-5:30pm Friday, 9am-5pm Saturday, and 1-5pm Sunday. Access to the Levenson Room is restricted when a program is taking place inside the room; see the library’s program calendar for details.

To read a Portsmouth Herald article about the exhibit, click here.

Happy Mother's Day!

On May 6, volunteers from the Portsmouth chapter of Altrusa International helped students at The Birchtree Center show their love and appreciation for their mothers by planting flowers in decorative pots as Mother’s Day gifts.

Many children with autism are extraordinarily sensitive to smells and touch, and may have difficulty working with dirt or plant material. With guidance and encouragement from The Birchtree Center’s instructors and the Altrusa volunteers, students carefully packed soil around brightly colored, sweet-smelling pansies and marigolds, watered the plants, and signed cards to accompany their gifts.

“We are so grateful to the thoughtful and generous members of Altrusa International,” said The Birchtree Center's Executive Director, Dr. Christine Guarino. “Without Altrusa's help, our nonprofit organization wouldn’t have the time or resources to make these gifts. Many of the Altrusa members are mothers themselves, and they understand how much a handmade present from a child can mean to a hardworking mom on Mother’s Day!”

Fundraising Update

Thank you to everyone who supported The Birchtree Center's fundraisers during Autism Awareness month this April! With your help, we raised more than $1,200 in support of The Birchtree Center's educational programs for children and youth with autism.

On April 1, The Flatbread Company in Portsmouth hosted a benefit night for The Birchtree Center. Families, staff, board members, and friends of The Birchtree Center enjoyed delicious flatbread pizzas from a wood-fired oven, with a generous portion of the proceeds going to support our organization. Thanks also to Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Newington, who hosted a fundraising “book fair" for our organization during their Autism Awareness Month author event on April 10.

Throughout the month, we offered a Spring Fever fundraising raffle, with a variety of prizes offering springtime fun. We sold 145 tickets; thank you to all the ticket purchasers and to our generous raffle donors:

The Boston Red Sox
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Pease Golf Course, Portsmouth
Rolling Green Nursery, Greenland
Water Country amusement park, Portsmouth

We held the raffle drawing at The Birchtree Center on May 30 at 8:00 p.m. , and notified the winners by telephone the following day. The winning ticket numbers are listed below. Congratulations to all our winners!

• A signed baseball from Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Mike Timlin: #890


• 4 Box Seat Tickets to any New Hampshire Fisher Cats home baseball game: #888


• $35 Gift Certificate from Rolling Green Nursery: #877


• $35 Gift Certificate for The Flatbread Company: #884


• 4 Nine-Hole Rounds at Pease Golf Course: #860


• 2 Tickets to Water Country amusement park: #987

Autism Awareness Month Update

Thanks to everyone who supported The Birchtree Center's Autism Awareness Month programs this April. The series increased autism awareness, promoted discussion about the impact of autism on our families and communities, and offered practical suggestions for families living with autism. For a complete list of programs, click here.

The series received some excellent media coverage. The Portsmouth Herald published a feature article and "Thumbs up" opinion piece about The Birchtree Center, our dedicated staff, and our Autism Awareness Month programs. Information about the series also appeared in the Portsmouth Atlantic News, Foster’s Daily Democrat, and The Wire, and during an hour-long radio interview program broadcast April 14 on WSCA-LP 106.1 FM.

The Birchtree Center's Executive Director, Dr. Christine Guarino, wrote an essay in honor of Autism Awareness Month offering suggestions for "Five Things YOU Can Do to Support Individuals with Autism in Your Community." The piece appeared as a letter to the editor in Foster's Sunday Citizen and as a guest column on SeacoastParentsConnect.com.

The educational programs in this series were made possible thanks to generous grant funding from the Greater Portsmouth Rehabilitation Center Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation - Piscataqua Region. Thank you, NHCF, for your support!

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has been working to improve the quality of life in our communities since 1962. It builds and manages a collection of funds, currently totaling $344 million, created by individuals, families and corporations for charitable purposes. In 2005, the Foundation awarded $25 million in grants to nonprofits and scholarship funds to students. Based in Concord, the Foundation serves communities through seven regions - Lakes, Manchester, Monadnock, Nashua, North Country, Piscataqua and Upper Valley. For more information, visit www.nhcf.org or call (603) 225-6641.