HOULTON, Maine — The seventh annual Aid For Kids’ Educational Fair, held Aug. 27, 2016 at the Millar Civic Center, once again proved to be a popular attraction for area residents.
“We had a lot of new things we added this year,” said Danette Ellis of Aid For Kids. “It seems to grow every year. We received a grant from the United Way this year to help with the expenses of bringing in new items for the fair. We had a great turnout and that is just fantastic.”
Bess the Book Bus, a mobile literacy outreach in Tampa, Florida founded in 2002 by Jennifer Frances in honor of her grandmother, Bess O’Keefe, was on site.
“Bess, nicknamed Nana Bus, taught me the joy of reading,” Frances said. “Every weekend we would walk into town where I was able to choose a new book. I could not wait to get home and have her read to me. Nana Bus opened a new world for me every time she opened a book and started to read.”
Bess the Book Bus was founded on one simple premise — bring that same joy of reading to children everywhere, Frances explained. She now travels nationwide and gives tens of thousands of books to children of all ages.
Steve Turner of Giving Tree Music, a friend of Frances from Florida, also made the journey to Houlton this year. Turner brought an interactive drum, where people could play the instrument.
“We combined our program and call it ‘Books and Beats’” Turner explained. “Jennifer asked me to come with her to Maine this year, and it’s been great. The people here are just amazing.”
Deacon Al Burleigh of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Houlton was on hand to let people know about indoor storm windows – a project his parish came up with a few years ago.
“The idea is to tighten up people’s homes, so they spend less money on fuel during the winter,” he explained. “We received a grant to start up from Catholic Charities and since then, every year we have workshops where people bring us their window measurements and we make them.”
Burleigh said they make close to 100 windows each year, which are given away for free. They also host workshops where individuals can make the air barriers themselves.
One of the new items to fair this year, was a crash test simulator for both teens and those in toddler seats. Rick Tarr of Atlantic Partners EMS in Augusta said he came up with the idea of doing a crash simulator for younger children.
“I discovered the idea when a friend asked if his daughter could try it on a real slow speed,” Tarr said. “I had done some simulations with dolls in booster seats, but that was the first time I tried it with a child.”
The purpose of the simulation is to show youngsters how much of an impact a crash at 5 mph can be and how important it is for them to wear seat belts.
“Once students transition from passengers to drivers, there seems to be a drop in seatbelt use,” Tarr said. “Teenage drivers have the lowest rate of any group and are also the highest risk group.”
