HOULTON, Maine — An estimated 125 people took advantage of the Maine Winter Sports Center’s cross country ski trailer from Feb. 7-19 at the Military Street Baptist Church, in Houlton. Multiple school districts also used the cross country skis for afterschool programming.
Adopt-A-Block of Aroostook (AABA) sponsored the event and had many volunteers available for the two weeks they had use of the trailer. Adopt-A-Block is a local non-profit whose motto is to “Find a need and fill it, find a hurt and heal it.” After finding these needs, AABA works to meet them.
“It’s based on meeting people where they are, not waiting for them to come to us,” explained Tammy Goetsch, director of AABA. The Adopt-a-Block program in Houlton works in partnership with a number of local agencies, churches and organizations.
“Providing the trailer for people to try skiing has been a wonderful community project for us, and is a great fit for our program because we are all about bringing the community together as well as families trying new things,” said Goetsch.
The church opens trails on its 45-acre property year-round for local residents to use.
The trailer filled with cross country ski equipment is obtainable through the Maine Winter Sports Center and is available for rental to encourage children of all ages to enjoy XC Skiing and enjoy physical activity in the great outdoors.
Since its inception in 1999 the Maine Winter Sports Center has been dedicated to creating a healthier, more active, outdoor lifestyle throughout Maine. Healthy Hometowns, the community development division of MWSC, meets this challenge by providing resources such as equipment, curriculum, and training to volunteers and professionals across the state. Internationally recognized as one of the top youth development programs in the world, Healthy Hometowns seeks to build the active, outdoor culture of Maine with an emphasis on accessibility, sustainability and quality.
The trailer was made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Healthy Aroostook, a program of ACAP, EMHS and the Partnership to Improve Community Health.
“We were honored to be able to help provide the use of the cross country ski trailer for the Adopt-A-Block program this year because we love to see people try new activities and get moving in the process,” explained Carol Bell, partnership director for Healthy Aroostook, a program of ACAP.
Dawn Roberts, community education specialist for Healthy Aroostook, helped provide the grant and is excited about the possibilities of the trailer being used in local communities.
“Providing people with the opportunity to try a new sport can lead to a lifetime of good health and possibly give someone a chance to see that they can do a sport they may have thought was not for them,” she said.
For 44 years, Aroostook County Action Program, Inc. (ACAP) has provided the people of Aroostook County with services and resources that help individuals and families achieve greater economic independence. As a leader, or in partnership with others, ACAP provides guidance to the community in responding to emerging human needs in the areas of community, family, energy and housing, and workforce development services.
For more information on ACAP, or to make a tax-deductible contribution, please contact the agency at 771 Main Street, on the web at www.acap-me.org, or by calling 764-3721.
