Judging from the recent response from home and abroad, the efforts of the Family Assistance Center and the newly formed Operation Community Support program are a tremendous success.

We recently received an e-mail from LeeAnn Farley of Passadumkeag, whose husband, Sgt. Jody Farley, is with the 1136th Transportation Company at Camp Navistar in Kuwait.

LeeAnn Farley wrote to let people know about the Family Assistance Center, which is located in Bangor.

“They [at the center] are people who try and put things together for the families who are left behind,” she explained, “whether it be a potluck supper for everyone, or finding someone who may be able to help plow a driveway for others.

“They have really worked hard for us,” Farley wrote, and she thanks them for everything.

She also added “a specific thank-you” for the efforts of Operation Community Support, which offered her and her children an opportunity to see their first hockey game, at the University of Maine.

The night before the game, Farley received a call from Family Assistance Center asking whether her family would like to ride in a limousine to and from the game.

“Well, talk about some excited children,” she wrote. “I don’t know how they slept that night. It was a ride of a lifetime. Not only did we ride in style to the game, but we sat in style in the skybox seats. The kids had a blast, and then they got the chance to go on the ice with the ROTC color guard as well as meet the players after the game” and get their autographs.

“It truly was a night to remember.”

Later, when Jody Farley called his family, his children told him all about the evening and, his wife reported, “he was very happy that we have things to keep our minds off” other concerns.

She added that the efforts of Family Assistance Center and Operation Community Support mean a great deal to her and others who are in her shoes. She is grateful that there are people who truly care.

“Thank your for your time,” she said.

After her e-mail came another from the sergeant himself, who wrote to thank everyone involved with Family Assistance Center and Operation Community Support who helped provide “a wonderful time for my wife and two children with Operation Skybox.”

The limousine ride, the skybox seats, being on the ice, plus meeting the players and getting autographs “was the icing on the cake for them,” Jody Farley wrote. “Thanks again for the continued support of the families of deployed soldiers. It truly does mean a great deal to us away from home.”

The Bangor chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill is sponsoring a Speaker’s Night beginning at 6:30 p.m., the third Tuesday of each month in the Osprey Room at Acadia Hospital on Stillwater Avenue in Bangor, reports alliance advocate Sue Comins.

That means the next meeting is 6:30 tonight, and this month’s speaker is Dr. Trip Gardner, who will address important mental health issues.

The lecture, Comins added, is free. The public is encouraged to attend these monthly meetings.

Starting today, Penobscot Theatre Company in Bangor is accepting registrations for teens and young people who want to participate in its Creative Arts Program, which will be offered in July and August.

The camps will be taught by Penobscot Theatre artists and teachers, in cooperation with Brewer Middle School coordinator Rich Kimball of the Brewer Youth Theatre program.

Musical Theatre Technique camp is offered for ages 12-17.

Shakespeare Camp is for ages 13-18, and Advanced Acting Camp for ages 16-22.

The first two camps are in July, the third is in August.

The camps will be held at Brewer Middle School and will culminate in final performances for the community in the air-conditioned Bangor Opera House.

For information about registration and tuition prices, call Penobscot Theatre Company at 942-3333, or visit the company at the Opera House, 131 Main St. in Bangor.

New faces are always welcome, but space is limited, so it would be a good idea to register now.

Regarding my recent comments about the loss of the name “Sherman Station,” I would gladly respond if one of the anonymous letter writers from Stacyville would call and identify himself or herself.

If I am unavailable, leave your name and number, and I will return your call.

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