PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Presque Isle Youth Hockey held its annual fundraising dinner/auction at the K of C Hall in Presque Isle on the evening of Dec. 5.
The event featured two big announcements concerning a two-year fundraising effort to replace the aging portable locker rooms/trailers at the Presque Isle Forum, home to the Presque Isle Youth Hockey Wildcat program.
Coach Bob Davis said, “These trailers were 15 years old when we purchased them 14 years ago, and it is time to retire them. They are showing their age and not the kind of place we want our players and parents changing in every day of the week.”
Davis said all funds raised for the new locker rooms have been raised outside of the normal fundraising activities of the association which made it a big challenge. Several businesses and organizations have contributed over the past two years, but two big contributions were made this year that put the effort over the top.
Presque Isle Youth Hockey coach Bob Davis, left, and Presque Isle High School hockey coach Dr. Carl Flynn, right, accept a $3,000 donation from Rachel Rice on behalf of the Presque Isle Rotary Club to help complete the hockey locker room project.
(Courtesy of Bob Davis)
A big boost came when the Presque Isle Rotary Club designated the youth hockey locker room effort a Project Partner in their annual Rotary Auction. That contribution amounted to $3,000 and Rachel Rice, representing the Presque Isle Rotary Club, attended the dinner and presented Coach Davis and longtime youth hockey coach and Presque Isle High School coach Dr. Carl Flynn with a check.
Coach Davis commented that the PI Rotary has long been a supporter of youth hockey, but has never contributed such a large amount for a specific project.
Finally, Davis said he had saved had the biggest news of the evening for last and was very happy to announce that Chris and Hope Green of Mechanical Services, with offices in Presque Isle and all over the state, had made a critical donation of $5,000 to help push the project to completion.
He said Chris Green had contacted Jason Woollard of Penobscot-McCrum in Mars Hill and wanted to know if there was a project to which he and Hope could contribute that would make a difference for kids in central Aroostook. Woollard, a member of the PIYH board, told him of the locker room project. The Greens immediately approved, and sent the funds in a few days.
“Its not very often you receive a gift like this and our entire organization wants to say a huge ‘Thank you’ to Hope and Chris for their generosity,” said Davis.
The couple were unable to attend the annual dinner, but joined the peewee team for a group photo on Saturday, Dec. 7, just before the team played Augusta. Their company logo will adorn the peewee uniforms very soon, Davis added.
