My name is Ellie Wolfe and I’m a junior at Bates. This summer I was fortunate enough to receive Purposeful Work funding to write for the Sun Journal. I loved being in Lewiston and exploring the community through writing. One of my favorite pieces I wrote was about Tree Street Youth, a nonprofit serving the city’s youth through a variety of programs.

The organization is one of the Harward Center’s long standing community partners. Learning about all they do for local youth was so inspiring. In addition, it was awesome to connect with Julia Sleeper, who graduated from Bates in 2008 and co-founded the organization alongside Kim Sullivan ’13. Julia, who is currently the executive director at Tree Street, walked me through the building and specifically spoke at length about the safety the nonprofit hopes to provide to the community’s youth. Safety not just in terms of the physical space, she explained, but also in the ability to explore and discover new passions. The organization has numerous different programs, including an incredibly successful one that helps students prepare for college and complete their applications. Lots of Bates students have volunteered at Tree Street in the past, and it was awesome to get to know more about the organization and Julia’s commitment to Lewiston.

– Ellie Wolfe ’23

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