2,000 attend United Way kickoff rally Fund-raising goal $2.55 million

BANGOR – In a moment that was both moving and eerie, a Maine Air National Guard airplane flew over the grandstand at Bass Park Thursday as a University of Maine soloist led more than 2,000 Mainers in a rendition of the national anthem.

Though organizers of United Way of Eastern Maine’s annual fund-raising campaign kickoff said the military flyover wasn’t planned, it was one of several that day that helped facilitate what served as a mass release of pent-up emotions.

“And for anyone who might complain about the noise, that’s the sound of freedom,” said master of ceremonies Ric Tyler, a WLBZ 2 news anchor.

The kickoff, which this week was changed to a community response rally, was the area’s first major public event in the aftermath of Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.

An estimated 2,200 people converged on Bass Park, according to Bass Park officials. That’s more than double the usual number of people attending the annual fund-raising launch, Executive Director Jeff Wahlstrom said Thursday.

In addition to singing the national anthem and “God Bless America,” those who took part in the rally prayed for the victims and others affected by the tragedies, remembered them during a minute of silence and carried U.S. flags of many sizes while walking around the track and sitting in the grandstand.

“It was a very emotional gathering for everyone and it was a great opportunity for people to feel like they are part of the community and that they’re not alone with their feelings,” Wahlstrom said.

Given Tuesday’s tragic events at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania, representatives of the United Way of Eastern Maine decided Wednesday to change Thursday’s 2001 fund-raising campaign kickoff to a community response rally.

Many of the participants in Thursday’s gathering alternated between tears, cheers and goose bumps. Most wore red, white and blue ribbons pinned to their chests, mementos they were given upon signing in. Jim Owen, an Eastern Maine Healthcare counselor, delivered a talk aimed at helping parents help their children grapple with what they are seeing in newspapers and on television and hearing on the radio.

“The timing was just fine,” Wahlstrom said. “It worked out well for everyone involved. The interesting thing is that since then, we’ve received numerous calls from individuals and companies that want to organize fund raisers or volunteer efforts and get involved. We’ve seen an immediate response to the day. That, for us, was very rewarding.”

The event also offered Mainers who have been feeling helpless in the face of this week’s events to do something to help ease pain and suffering, both in the affected cities and locally.

During the rally, Wahlstrom said, United Way collected more than 90 cases, or about 3,600 pounds, of nonperishable food items. The items were taken to the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Brewer, a regional clearinghouse, for distribution to food pantries and soup kitchens throughout eastern Maine.

United Way also collected more than $400 for the September 11th Fund, created late Tuesday by the United Way and the New York Community Trust to collect financial donations from concerned Americans across the country. Funds will be administered by the two organizations, which will form a distribution committee to make sure that resources are deployed effectively in New York and other places affected by the tragic events.

The United Way’s mission is to help people in the community care for one another by supporting collaborative initiatives, volunteerism and health and human service programs. Last year, United Way of Eastern Maine raised nearly $2.5 million to support its 75 partner organizations in Penobscot, Hancock, Piscataquis, Waldo and Washington counties. This year’s fund-raising goal is $2.55 million, according to campaign leaders.

The Pacesetters, a dozen local companies that launched their internal fund-raisers earlier, have raised more than $265,000 already. Campaign Chairman Charles “Chip” Hutchins, vice president of Alternative Energy, further primed the pump this year with a $100,000 challenge gift.

For information on the United Way of Eastern Maine and its programs, call 941-2800 or log onto its Web site at www.unitedwayem.org.

Those wishing to contribute to the September 11th Fund may send donations in care of United Way of New York City, 2 Park Ave., New York, NY 10016, by calling (212) 251-4035 or accessing the organization’s Web site at www.uwnyc.org.