How very appropriate that the ribbon-cutting ceremony and formal dedication of the newly renovated gift shop at St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor are scheduled for Valentine’s Day.

That is when “Helen’s” becomes the official name of the gift shop which will be dedicated in memory of the late Helen and Carl Libby, who were among the hospital’s most loyal and ardent supporters.

Those of you who knew and loved the prominent Bangor couple know that pink was Helen’s favorite color, so it makes having the dedication on Valentine’s Day even more special, since pink is the valentine color for friendship.

Diane Galutia of the hospital’s public affairs office said naming the gift shop, which has actually been open since last fall, for Helen Libby was a decision made by the St. Joseph Hospital Auxiliary board of which Helen’s dear friend and hospital CEO, Sister Mary Norberta, is a member.

Helen Libby, who died in 2000, was credited with being one of the individuals who founded the Auxiliary, which helps fund St. Joseph Healthcare programs and projects through proceeds from the gift shop as well as other Auxiliary fund-raisers.

The dedication ceremony is planned for 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, inside the hospital lobby on Broadway in Bangor.

You are cordially invited to attend and, if you have not already done so, get your first glimpse of “Helen’s.”

Our most recent update on the activities of members of the Skowhegan Area High School drama and speech department – who will represent the state of Maine in the prestigious Fringe Festival next August in Edinburgh, Scotland – is word from Tim and Marti McFadden that the students have raised $63,000 of their $100,000 goal.

The next fund-raiser features two SAHS drama program alumni, professional actor Timothy Wheeler and his wife, Maura Smith, performing the play “Love Letters.”

Wheeler has returned to Skowhegan from New York City, but he still works there, and has made appearances in such television series as “Law and Order.”

Smith, a former editor of Forbes magazine, now directs the Madison High School drama program.

The couple is donating their time and talent to help with the fund-raising efforts of the drama students who are working to cover expenses for all the thespians who will participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Offered as a Valentine’s Day Dessert Theatre, “Love Letters” begins at 7 p.m. both Thursday, Feb. 14, and Friday, Feb. 15, at the Centenary Methodist Church Hall on the Dr. Mann Road in Skowhegan.

Tickets are $15 for couples and $8 for individuals, and may be reserved by calling the McFaddens at 474-5855.

Tickets may be purchased at the door but, because organizers want to know how many people to expect, you are asked to call ahead, reserve your tickets and pay for them, with cash or a check, when you arrive.

After a highly successful Family Day activity last September at Fields Pond Nature Center in Holden, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society Maine Chapter has selected that site as one of two for “Moving Forward,” a half-day, educational program from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Saturday, March 2.

A similar program also will be offered from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. the same day, Saturday, March 2, in Classroom No. 4 of the Dana Center at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

The program in our area is offered by the MS Society’s Bangor outreach office.

Unlike the program last fall, which was designed to help family members learn about MS and how it affects their lives and the lives of the ones they love, this program is specifically designed for people who have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis within the past two years.

With the help of Dr. Peter Morin and registered nurse Sandy Smith, you will learn more about available treatments and obtain answers to questions about this chronic illness of the central nervous system.

To register for “Moving Forward” through the Bangor office, call (800) 273-4703.

For the Portland session, call (800) 639-1330.

If you become a member of the National Arbor Day Foundation during February, the foundation will send you 10 Colorado blue spruce trees – free – as part of its Trees for America campaign.

The conical-shaped trees can be used as ornaments, windbreaks, living Christmas trees or as a privacy screen.

The trees will be shipped, postpaid, just in time for planting, sometime between March 1 and May 31, and will come complete with planting instructions.

The trees are 6-12 inches high and guaranteed to grow, or they will be replaced, free of charge.

You may become a member of the foundation by sending $12 to Ten Free Colorado Blue Spruce Trees, National Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Ave., Nebraska City, NE 68410.

Your order must be mailed by Thursday, Feb. 28.

Nominations are being accepted by the Maine Children’s Alliance for its eighth annual Giraffe Awards.

The awards, which will be presented at the annual Champions for Children event next May in Portland, are presented to Maine people who have “stuck out their necks” for children.

Awards can go to individuals, businesses, communities or organizations that have made extraordinary efforts on behalf of children.

To request a nomination form, write MCA, 303 State St., Augusta 04330; call 623-1868, Ext. 201; e-mail Mainekids@mekids.org or visit the MCA Web site www.mekids.org and click on the events link at the top of the page.

Nominations must be received by Tuesday, April 2.

MCA is a statewide, nonprofit organization advocating on behalf of all Maine children.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.