LEWISTON, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) visited the Lewiston Adult Education Learning Center (LAE) and Tree Street Youth Center this morning where he commended the two organizations and underscored the importance of their work in helping expand educational opportunities for adults and at-risk youths in the greater Lewiston-Auburn area.

“Lewiston Adult Education and Tree Street Youth Center are first-rate models of alternative education that are making a tremendous difference within the community,” Senator King said. “It’s easy to think of education in traditional terms, but as our economy evolves, so too must the way in which we think about learning. Simply put, the conventional classroom approach just doesn't work for everyone. But by providing unique educational opportunities, LAE and Tree Street are reaching more people and equipping them with the tools, knowledge, experience, and attitude necessary to succeed. I applaud both organizations for their commitment to improving the lives of their students, and with their example in mind, I will continue to support measures in the Senate that will strengthen alternative education.”

At the Lewiston Adult Education Learning Center, Senator King met with students and teachers, toured classrooms, and learned about the wide array of academic, technical, and vocational courses offered through the program, including workforce training and English as a Second Language classes that help prepare and better position people, many of whom are refugees, to secure work, make a living, and become involved members of the community.

At Tree Street Youth Center, Senator King met with Executive Director Julia Sleeper, staff, and volunteers who on a daily basis serve hundreds of kids, ages five to eighteen, through five programs that promote academics, arts, and athletics with the goal of encouraging healthy physical, social, emotional, and academic development in a safe and inclusive environment. Since the Center’s founding in 2011, demand for its programs and services has increased tremendously.

For more information about Lewiston Adult Education, click HERE, and for more information about Tree Street Youth Center, click HERE.

This afternoon, Senator King will tour Jarden Plastic Solutions in Wilton, meet with members of the Maine Commission for Community Service in Farmington, and visit Western Maine Community Action in East Wilton. To see Senator King’s schedule for the rest of today and this week, click HERE.

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