Through Tuesday – with the number of participants increasing hourly I’ve been told – more than 325 people throughout Hancock County have joined Lose and Win, a 10-week fitness program based on the book “The Town That Lost a Ton.”

To all who have joined that program, I extend my heartiest congratulations and best wishes for great success.

Iris Simon of Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth reports that Lose and Win, arranged by Healthy Hancock, kicks off at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, at Ellsworth High School.

Dr. Erik Steele is the keynote speaker, and his topic is Use It or Lose It.

Admission to the 10 weekly meetings, which Simon said are open to the public even if you are not enrolled in the program, is $2 general admission or free for Lose and Win participants who wear their buttons.

The meetings will be held on successive Thursdays in Hancock County communities from Ellsworth to Gouldsboro, and all you need do is either call Health-Link at MCMH, 667-2474, to register or receive more information, or visit www.

mainehospital.

org.

At that Web site, scroll down to Introducing Lose and Win.

At the end of the paragraph, go to “click here” and, when more information comes up, click on the specific information you need.

By the way, the site also includes a Recipe of the Week.

But, particularly, you should click on Schedule to learn what the weekly meeting topics are, who the guest speaker will be, and the time, date and location of the meetings.

Among businesses and organizations with teams participating in the program are MCMH, Ellsworth American, Mount Desert Island Hospital, Jackson Laboratory and KidsPeace.

Lose and Win’s sponsor, Healthy Hancock, is a coalition dedicated to improving the health of Hancock County residents.

And Simon said she wants you to know that “it is not too late to join.”

The program may be called Lose and Win, but it certainly sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Senior Class adviser Susan Thibedeau reports that tickets are available for a Bangor High School Class of 2005 fund-raiser with two seatings, one at 5:15 p.m. and the other at 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9, at Oriental Jade Restaurant on Bangor Mall Boulevard.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children 12 and older.

Proceeds benefit class activities, including its prom and senior banquet.

“All are welcome to attend,” Thibedeau wrote.

Tickets are available during school hours through Friday, Jan. 7, at BHS on Broadway, or you can obtain them at the door on the day of the event.

For more information, call class advisers Thibedeau or Joanne Miller at BHS, 941-6200.

Friends of Andy and Mary Beth Siegfried of Somerville, and their only child, 3-year-old Rachel, invite the public to attend a benefit supper 5-7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7, at People’s United Methodist Church in Union.

In an e-mail from Suzy Shaub, she explained little Rachel has Turner syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects growth and development in girls and women.

Rachel is “missing a chromosome, which has caused several problems and will probably cause more as Rachel matures,” Shaub wrote.

“One of the major issues, right now, is digestive problems.”

Rachel’s mother, Mary Beth, organized “the Ronald McDonald House Christmas project” at the Union church, Shaub wrote, “in which she received donations of many items to assist families who use that facility in Portland” while their critically ill children are receiving treatment.

The Siegfrieds know from experience what the facility needs, because they have spent a great deal of time there when Rachel was ill or undergoing tests.

Shaub wrote that physicians in Portland urged Rachel’s parents to seek a second opinion about her condition at Cleveland Children’s Clinic, and that the family is scheduled to fly there next week.

Parishioners are hosting the lasagna supper “to raise money to help the Siegfrieds with their travel expenses,” Shaub added.

The lasagna will be made by church members, and the meal will include salad, pies, cakes, and bread donated by Borealis.

Admission is $6 for adults, $3.50 for children 5-12, or a maximum of $20 per family.

The snow date is Saturday, Jan. 8, at the same site.

The church is located on Depot Street (Route 235) just off the Common in Union.

For more information about this event, or the activities of PUMC, call 785-4114.

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