PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Presque Isle Rotary Club has selected the recipients for the 68th annual Rotary Auction. This year, the auction will be held Dec. 1-3 and is projected to raise approximately $50,000 for local charitable organizations.
The Club has selected Quoggy Jo Ski Center as this year’s “special project.” A goal of $25,000 has been set to help the organization fund its safety project campaign for capital improvements. This effort will address the much-needed replacement of aging equipment and help the ski center to provide safe, reliable and economical winter recreation activities to the children and families of Presque Isle and the surrounding communities.
“Through the years, Quoggy Jo Ski Center has been a ‘home away from home’ for many families and their children. By selecting the center as our special project, our Rotary Club is doing its part to help provide the ability to continue memory-building for present and future community members and their families,” said auction co-chair Gina LeBlanc-Eggert.
“We are so fortunate to live where we have facilities like this one that are affordable and available to families; and Special Project funds will help to ensure that children can play with their family and friends, learn to ski and grow confident in the sport, and feel safe,” she said.
Funds raised for this year’s special project will help to address the replacement of a half-century-old lift motor starting unit with one that meets modern safety standards, the refurbishing and replacing of five spring-loaded T-bar tubes, the refurbishing of all sheave assemblies on six towers on both the uphill and return sides, and the installation of trail lighting on the west side of the main slope entrance to enhance nighttime skier safety.
This year’s auction will also raise funds for several other organizations. Selected as recipients of regular auction proceeds from the 2015 fundraiser are:
Aroostook Autism Support Group — $2,000 to support the Annual Aroostook Autism Conference 2016, which will bring trainings and resources to Aroostook County, and various vendors and agencies that provide assistance and support to individuals affected by autism.
Grace Interfaith Food Table (GIFT) — $1,300 for an upright refrigerator (24 cubic feet) and hand trucks to hold 600 pounds of fresh fruits, vegetables, milk products, eggs and cheese that all need to be refrigerated during a week’s time. The hand trucks will help move 2 tons of food in a month by volunteers and help prevent possible injuries when volunteers are unloading food deliveries and stocking shelves.
Presque Isle Fire Department — $2,500 to give its fire extinguisher fill station ventilation hood system the ability to fill empty fire extinguishers. This will allow the fire department to fulfill its duty to protect local citizens from small fires not requiring a water hose.
Presque Isle Historical Society — $2,800 to fund an education exhibit to educate the general public, primarily children and youth, as to the rich history of agriculture, farms and specifically potato farming in the area. The exhibit will consist of five displays, some of which are interactive, showcasing topics including the various means of transporting goods to market from the 1800s to today.
Presque Isle Snowmobile Club — $2,000 for the replacement of the club’s six-burner gas range. The club offers its clubhouse to many non-profit organizations for stew nights, parties and meetings, which includes organizations such as youth hockey, Young Leaders, Relay for Life, Music Boosters and Rotary Club events.
Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery — $1,263 for the purchase of 30, 5-by-8-foot American flags to be used to fly 24 hours a day, seven days a week, May through Veterans Day in November at the cemetery’s Avenue of Flags. These flags will honor deceased Veterans and serve as a constant reminder of what Veterans have done in service to the United States.
St. Apollonia Dental Clinic — $4,000 for the inhalation sedation equipment needed to treat children requiring care for extreme dental disease that would otherwise be referred to Bangor or further south.
In total, about $16,000 will be raised for these organizations as part of the upcoming auction.
Last year, with generous donations from the community, the club raised about $50,000 for several organizations in the region, including Martha and Mary’s Ministries, Catholic Charities, Central Aroostook Humane Society, Wintergreen Arts Center, United Way of Aroostook, C.A.N.C.E.R., UMPI Geology Department, and Aroostook Teen Leadership Camp.
“It is fitting that Rotary International’s theme for 2015-2106 is ‘Be a Gift to the World.’ In small communities, the ‘world’ may sometimes feel like it is all in our backyards,” LeBlanc-Eggert said. “It has been a great donor solicitation process due to our wonderfully dependable donors that give every year, and to several new donors.”
