PRESQUE ISLE — A partnership between the Presque Isle Rotary Club and Aroostook Huskies Football will bring a new football field on U.S. Route 1 midway between Presque Isle and Caribou one step closer to reality.
The construction of the field on 20 acres of land owned by the Aroostook Huskies Football Club has been selected by Presque Isle Rotarians as their special project for the 69th annual auction, which is set for Nov. 29 and 30 and Dec. 1. The two clubs are hoping to raise $25,000 to support the earthwork and related infrastructure to get the field built in 2017.
“We are impressed with the financial management of the program, the emphasis on character development and the opportunity this program gives a significant segment of our young people to be active and involved,” said Gina LeBlanc-Eggert, president of the Presque Isle Rotary Club. “The biggest ongoing challenge to the program is the lack of field time for practices and games. Working together with the supporters, volunteers, coaches, and athletes and their families, the members of the Presque Isle Rotary Club are hoping to change that.”
The Huskies, which include both a high school and middle school team, practice and play primarily on a field rented from the City of Caribou. The field size and limited availability prohibit further growth and prevent scheduling some opponents. Paying rent is a significant financial drain to the program, and the Huskies are often at a competitive disadvantage against teams able to practice several more times a week.
“The need to develop a football field with lights is real and compelling,” said Stephen Richard, who along with Aroostook Huskies co-founder, longtime coach and fellow Presque Isle Rotarian Stuart Wyckoff, is co-chairing this year’s special project.
“Youth football is not children running around a field crashing into one another. It is a meaningful activity and active learning laboratory where the leaders of tomorrow are engaged in experiencing the benefits of hard work and achievement. They gain firsthand knowledge of teamwork and an understanding of how different people lend unique skills to achieving a common goal with some as leaders and some as followers,” Richard said.
The Aroostook Huskies Football Club currently benefits 75 kids a year, a number Richard and Wyckoff both believe will grow with the new field. The program is strongly grounded in several core life skills considered by the directors and coaches to be just as important as football skills.
The Aroostook Huskies teams belong to Aroostook Youth Football, a private, not-for-profit organization that has created a tackle football program for youth in grades 7-12 in The County. Starting in 2003 with two coaches and 13 players, the program has experienced steady growth and now has 14 coaches and around 75 players. They have also started a flag football program for children in grades 1-6 in conjunction with SAD 1.
Aroostook Youth Football is affiliated with the National Police Athletic League and conducts a free player development clinic annually. In addition, they were a pilot site for Maine for the Head’s Up safety initiative launched by USA Football and the NFL.
“This program is making such a positive impact on the lives of so many youth in our communities,” said LeBlanc-Eggert. “We are inviting the community to join us in supporting this worthwhile cause and to get behind the Aroostook Huskies to make their ‘field of dreams’ a reality.”
Presque Isle Rotary Club Special Project Partner status annually is funded through a collaborative solicitation of direct community member donations made during the auction. Typically, the goal for the special project is to raise between $20,000 and $25,000 for larger community projects.
For more information, visit www.aroostookfootball.org. Donations are currently being accepted at Aroostook Huskies Football Club and mail to P.O. Box 868, Presque Isle, ME 04769.
