PORTLAND, Maine - Two of Maine organizations are receiving a total of almost $118,000 in federal funds to expand sports programs for disabled veterans.
Pineland Farms in New Gloucester will receive almost $66,000 from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to continue offering adaptive sports such as skiing, biathlon, tennis, archery, snowshoeing, fishing and oher activities.
Kristina Sabasteanski is director of the Veterans Adaptive Sports and Training program at Pineland. She says the program is free of charge to any veteran with a physical disability, traumatic brain injury or post traumatic stress, "or any veteran that wants to volunteer. So we don't have a hierarchy where you're the participant, I'm the teacher. It's just about veterans helping fellow veterans."
Sabasteanski says, in addition to allowing continued programming, the new cash infusion will fund more activities.
Carlisle Academy in Lyman will get more than $52,000 from the Veterans Affairs Department to increase the number of veterans it can serve with adaptive programs in therapeutic riding, dressage and Para-equestrian activities.
