Old Town auction to aid crash victims’ families

OLD TOWN – The families of four high school seniors recently involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident will share the proceeds of a benefit auction to be held Jan. 25 at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Gilman Falls Avenue.

Organizers Evey Niles and Norman Russell are requesting donations from community members and area businesses.

Niles said the auction is a way for the community to show its concern and support for the families of Stephen Gomm, Gabriel Wood, Nathan Gates and Sean Kinch.

The boys, all 18 and seniors at Old Town High School, were in a Ford Escort that backed out of a driveway onto Bennoch Road and was hit Dec. 12 by a loaded wood-chip truck bound for the Georgia Pacific Corp. paper mill in Old Town.

Gomm and Wood were dead at the scene; Kinch and Gates were listed in serious condition at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor on Thursday.

“Everyone feels so terrible, but there’s not a lot you can do,” said Niles, who works as a secretary at the Old Town Housing Authority. “But we have to do something.”

Niles said she’ll be calling on businesses soon to solicit merchandise, services and gift certificates. Area residents are encouraged to donate furniture, sporting goods, tools, dishware, services, food and other saleable items.

Cash donations will also be accepted and deposited into an account at Bangor Savings Bank. All proceeds will be divided evenly between the four families to be used for whatever they choose.

Schoolmates of the four boys will pick up donated items and help with the work of the auction. Lakeview Auctions will donate on-site storage, and Russell, who runs a local bingo game, will be the auctioneer.

For more information or to volunteer or make a donation, call Evey Niles at 827-4614 or Norman Russell at 827-5032.