FRANCIS, Maine — When Cindy Jandreau co-founded Friends of St. Francis, it never crossed her mind that a few years later she would be accepting an award on behalf of the community betterment group from the Greater Fort Kent Area Chamber of Commerce.
“It was pretty awesome, but we don’t really do this stuff to get recognition. We saw that St. Francis was really dying and just wanted to make it a better place to live,” Jandreau said.
“I love my town. I was just seeing it falling apart. We were getting so disconnected and people were complaining that there was nothing to do here, nothing for the kids, so we tried to make things better.”
Jandreau, 60, has spent most of her life in St. Francis, though she left the area for a short time to attend nursing school in Portland. A registered nurse, she later earned a bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of Maine at Fort Kent. She currently works for Northern Maine Medical Center.
Jandreau was among several concerned community members who first formed Friends of St. Francis as a think tank to prevent the St. Francis Elementary school from closing. When the school’s closure became inevitable, FOSF switched gears to helping the town retain the school building, which became the St. Francis Community Center.
Among many acts of volunteerism, FOSF helped install fire alarms in over 200 St. Francis homes along with the American Red Cross and the town’s fire department. FOSF has also raised funds for local fire victims and put on a talent show, which drew more than 30 performers.
The group was instrumental in opening the newly formed St. Francis Community Library within the community center.
“There was a library in the school and when the school closed they left a lot of books here,” Jandreau said. “The people that really should be credited for the library are Carla Albert and Connor Pelletier.”
Pelletier, who just completed sixth grade, is among a new generation of community volunteers Jandreau and her fellow FOSF members are helping to inspire.
“He came up to us and started talking about it and has been volunteering for us … every Saturday for months. He’s just awesome,” Jandreau said.
FOSF hosts annual family fun days in the summer and Christmas parties in the winter which include visits from Santa.The group will host their fourth annual family fun day on July 8. As during years past, the party will include a parade, games, food, contests and horse and carriage rides.
Jandreau maintains the Friends of St. Francis Facebook page, and the group welcomes those who move to the town with personalized gift baskets. Jandreau said she feels encouraged by recent real estate action, which saw eight homes sold in St. Francis last year and a family with five children move in last month.
“It’s a good little town, a good place to raise kids. People are friendly, and I don’t know — it’s a pretty safe town,” she said.
Jandreau is reluctant to take credit for the group’s success, and quickly pointed out many other FOSF members — Wayne Harvey, Myra and Stanley Pelletier, Claudette and Gary Michaud, Craig Ouellette, Judy Jandreau, Keith Jandreau Jr., Dale Taggett, Andy Taggett, Crystal Jandreau, Dickie Williams, Myrtle Ann Williams and Anne Horne.
Jandreau is close to her two daughters, Carrie Jandreau and Danielle Duperry, and her granddaughter, 8-year-old Sara Craig. Work and FOSF activities keep her busy, but in her free time she enjoys studying her ancestry and the history of St. Francis.
“I love genealogy and I love doing anything outdoors — hiking, camping, just being out in nature,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot about genealogy and love finding new family members. So many people I wouldn’t even know; I connect with them and it’s awesome.”
She has no plans of leaving her hometown anytime soon.
“I grew up here. My whole family grew up here. It’s just where I live.”
