HOULTON, Maine — Students participating in the first-of-its-kind Heidi’s Hope Serve-a-Thon on Oct. 18 in Houlton are literally going to the dogs and reaching out to help other kids.
The community has rallied around the Houlton Humane Society, and now, students who are participating in the community service event that raises funds for college scholarships for County kids, are joining the efforts to make the shelter better than ever.
As many as 25 students and two adult volunteers will be rolling up their sleeves and flexing their muscles to help the rescue facility clean the new building, count supplies (and possibly critters), and organize the new space to better serve the furry friends who call it home, at least temporarily.
A second project is assisting Aid for Kids, a non-profit corporation dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through the “Other Maine” Project. This project also requires muscle and a willingness to work hard. The organization has a monster new building and it is filled with merchandise, so the volunteer staff needs some help in cleaning and organizing. Students will be mostly inside for this cleaning, organizing, and counting project. With tons of shelves and lots of little nooks and crannies, this project is huge and will be a wonderful work environment.
Milton Cone, Houlton’s fire chief, ambulance and cemetery director, is in charge of the enormous Evergreen Cemetery. He wanted to involve students in the history of the 64-acre Evergreen property and came upon a great twist to the mapping concept: although the cemetery is mapped, the town doesn’t have a complete list of the veterans who rest in this beautiful piece of property. To solve this, students will work on gathering the names of the men and women who served our country, assuring that their resting place is honored with an American flag every year. This project will allow students to get into the grounds and learn about the incredible history on the many stones.
Friends of Aroostook wraps up the project offerings with the carrot of an old-fashioned cook out for students who sign up to help them carry in the last of their harvest. Dale Flewelling, the director of the project, gives the all of the food harvested from their many fields to area soup kitchens and food pantries. Students will get a great workout and help a great cause.
Executive Director April Flagg said she was impressed with the sense of community in Houlton.
“Houlton is doing an incredible job connecting their students and the concepts of community service,” Flagg said. “Dee Butler, the Jobs for Maine Grads coordinator in Houlton and the teacher coordinator for Heidi’s Hope, has a long history of community service and kids. Heidi’s Hope was a great fit for the district’s goals and attitude.”
Principal Marty Bouchard added he was proud of the commitment to service and community Houlton schools exhibit.
“The students and staff of Houlton Middle/High School are happy to take part in community service and give back to our wonderful communities,” Bouchard said. “There are many worthy projects in the greater Houlton area we are happy to support.”
The Heidi’s Hope Serve-a-Thon honors Heidi Graham of Mapleton, who was AAI Founder Ray Gauvin’s partner in Advantage Payroll Service for 26 years, and helped Gauvin build the business to be the number one payroll processor in Maine. In addition to her key role building Advantage Payroll alongside Ray Gauvin and her other full-time job as wife and mother, Heidi was always willing to help out in any way she could. She volunteered countless hours with schools, church, Girl Scouts, Aroostook Teen Leadership Camp, and other community programs. Graham lost a two-year battle to breast cancer in 2013. The Serve-a-thon honors Heidi’s spirit and determination and her commitment to community service and education.
For additional information, please visit www.gauvin fund.org and click on the pink Heidi’s Hope tab.
