What a pleasure it was to hear from Penobscot Paddle and Chowder Society vice president and Taylor Pelotte Surf-A-Thon coordinator Kyle Duckworth of Bar Harbor with the results of that fund-raiser.

You may remember reading in an earlier column that on Saturday, July 31, society members were paddling 16 miles of the Dead River, beginning at The Forks, to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine.

The event was in memory of Taylor Pelotte, daughter of members Greg and Sharon Pelotte of Winslow and a Make-A-Wish recipient.

Taylor died of cancer in November 2003, three months after she and her family visited Walt Disney World.

But this story was about more than the society’s members in this area. It was about the effort of member Lt. Col. Chip Ridky of Bar Harbor, stationed in Kirkuk, Iraq, and his participation in this fund-raiser.

Rather than paddle, which he certainly can’t do in the desert, Ridky decided to spend an equivalent amount of time on an elliptical trainer inside the military recreation tent there.

In that tent, he explained in an email to Duckworth, he would be in full view of hundreds of his fellow soldiers as they played bingo, which he described as their “big, weekly social event.”

Duckworth wrote that Ridky “decided to stay on the elliptical trainer for the duration of Super Bingo,” which meant Ridky was on the machine for four hours.

For his effort, Duckworth reported, Ridky raised $1,240 for Make-A-Wish.

“Here in Maine,” Duckworth added, more than 40 canoeists, rafters and kayakers “paddled those 16 miles of whitewater, and raised more than $15,000” for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine.

Duckworth and the Penobscot Paddle and Chowder Society hope that efforts such as these, both home and abroad, will “generate more interest in the Taylor Pelotte Surf-A-Thon with each passing year.”

If you are interested in obtaining more information about the society or this event, visit the Web site at www.paddleandchowder.org, call Duckworth at 460-7576, or e-mail kduckworth@msn.com.

Speaking of Iraq, although I received no response to my e-mail asking where she lives, I do know that Alana Dubost is grateful “to all the wonderful people who greet the troops returning from duty in Iraq.”

She emailed the Bangor Daily News to inform us that her cousin returned recently “and couldn’t stop talking about the welcome all the soldiers on his plane received” from our Bangor International Airport troop greeters.

And she extended a special thank you for the use of cell phones, provided by Unicel.

“It means so much to the family to know a soldier has finally made it back to the States,” she wrote.

Of the troop greeters, she added, “it’s a great country that has you in it. Many thanks!”

Cathy Brown, director of communications for Abnaki Girl Scout Council in Brewer, announced the council has joined a new, online fund-raising initiative featuring the Web site, www.CommitToAGirl.org.

Visitors to the site can make direct donations to Abnaki Girl Scout Council or Girl Scouts of the USA.

You also can create your own “Commit To a Girl” page which can be customized to honor a loved one, contact old friends, celebrate birthdays or anniversaries, join book clubs, host a virtual fund-raising party or connect with co-workers or classmates.

Now in its 92nd year in the U.S., Girl Scouts of the USA has more than 3.8 million girl and adult members.

To volunteer or make a donation, call (800)-GSUSA4U, visit www.girlscouts.org/news, www.studio2b.org or call the Abnaki Girl Scout Council at (800) 464-3858 or visit www.abnakigsc.org.

Lynn Leighton of Hampden, and her sons Jason and Cal, “sincerely thank all of the hundreds of friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances who offered their support with phone calls, visits, flowers, cards and monetary donations to the Leighton Family Fund” as her husband and their father valiantly fought brain cancer.

Steve Leighton, 48, lost that struggle on Sunday, July 18, but his family wants you to know that the support “reinforced our understanding of just what a wonderful person Steve truly was,” Lynn Leighton wrote.

“While we miss him tremendously, the love of our family and friends has made a huge difference in our lives and we just cannot thank you enough.”

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