Feeling darn good
about the future of Caribou and beyond
To the editor:
Over the past several months I have been privileged to serve on a committee that helped establish Heidi’s Hope — a project of the Aroostook Aspirations Initiative named in honor of the late Heidi Graham who, through her community service and other works was an inspiration to people throughout Aroostook County. I must say I have not been as available as some of the folks on the committee but I made as many meetings as I could either in person or by conference call.
The project seemed like a long shot. Getting teenagers from all over Aroostook County to take a Saturday and provide community service projects for multiple towns and to generate pledges from family, friends and others to raise money for scholarships that will help local students attend local colleges. The project, a Serve-A-Thon, the first of its kind ever offered, was the brain child of Ray and Sandy Gauvin. The Gauvins created the Aroostook Aspirations Initiative through their financial support. It took months of meetings with some very busy people to put this event together as well as a very dedicated staff.
The event happened this past Saturday and fortunately I was able to volunteer and work with a group of students from Caribou High School who, volunteering their time, helped to sort out the inventory for Cary Medical Center’s ‘Ride Aroostook’ Project.
Ride Aroostook, now going into its fifth year, is a two-day cycling tour of Aroostook County. Seven students, young men and young women, some soccer players, and National Honor Society, rolled up their sleeves and went to work. By the time it was over some three hours later, the inventory was complete, the data put on a flash drive and the students were off to soccer and other weekend pursuits. By the way, I also had a couple of other adult volunteers and two of the Gauvin Scholars who were awarded scholarships from Aroostook Aspirations and lest I forget, one little pug-nosed puppy.
When I got back to the office to wrap things up I had to pause for a moment and think of what just happened. I know, it’s the same old thing from when I was a kid, we are always hearing, “what’s the matter with kids today?” Well you know what? At least for these kids and hundreds like them working their hearts out on this Saturday, absolutely nothing! Not only did these kids do the work, lifting boxes, sorting through hundreds of items, cataloging, they did it with flair and fun. They were nice to each other and respectful of their adult leaders. Heidi’s Hope is all about just what the name says, Hope!
I found a lot of it in these kids and it made me feel pretty darn good about the future of Caribou and beyond. What a great project and to think it raised thousands of dollars for local students to attend local colleges and maybe stay local to help sustain the workforce in Aroostook County. Congratulations to The Aroostook Aspirations Initiative, to Ray and Sandy Gauvin and to all the people who helped make this possible. I am pleased to have had the chance to play a small part and I look forward to an even bigger event next year. Here’s Hoping!
Bill Flagg
Stockholm
