CARIBOU, Maine — An employee of the Par and Grill restaurant, who’s battling cancer, received support with her medical bills through a fundraiser held in her honor.
When Glenda Chapman’s manager and coworkers found out she was diagnosed with cancer they cooked up the idea of having a “Celebrity Night” at the restaurant to help raise money.
“This place was packed,” Par and Grill manager Judy Dombroski said. “There was not a seat open and we had people waiting all the way down to the bakery to come in. Our customers are phenomenal. We couldn’t have done this without them.”
Local businessmen volunteered to play waiters and bartenders for the evening. Residents provided homemade goods for a silent auction. All tips from the evening were added to the pot for Glenda. And loyal customer, Dave Caron, was instrumental in gathering prizes donated from local businesses such as fuel oil, firewood, gift certificates, and gas cards.
“It’s amazing how a community pulls together,” Dombroski said. “There were some people here that didn’t even know Glenda, people that came in and gave cards and cash donations.”
Glenda and her family watched as person after person filled every inch of the restaurant throughout the evening “their expressions were very overwhelming,” Dombroski said.
To handle the mountain of orders the kitchen was fully staffed with all five cooks. And the celebrity waiters, complete with bowties, did the best they could to quickly serve as many as possible. “There were over a few hundred people. Every room and seat of the restaurant was full,” Dombroski said.
By the end of the evening the waiters, the auctions, and various donations managed to raise a significant amount of money for Glenda’s medical bills.
“Glenda’s a friend, she’s family and just a right down good-natured woman,” Dombroski said. “She’s very kind hearted and she’ll come to work with a big smile on her face. Everybody that knows her loves her.”
Glenda is prepping for her first treatment and was unavailable to comment at the time this article was written.
“We love her and we hope for a fast and speedy recovery. We’re all here to support her and her family in any way we can,” Dombroski said.
