Any high school teen or young woman, who needs a formal dress for a special occasion but cannot afford to make that purchase, can obtain a free dress through the kindness and consideration of 15-year-old Greenville High School sophomore Amelia Butman.

Butman runs the only Maine chapter of Becca’s Closet, a Florida-based organization formed in memory of a teenager who died in a 2003 car accident. The program is in its second year.

According to the mission statement, “Becca’s Closet was created as a legacy to Rebecca Kirtman and the project she started,” which was providing “formal attire to high school students who, otherwise, would not be able to attend their prom or homecoming.”

Amelia’s mother, Georgine Butman, told me that young women throughout Maine have taken advantage of this wonderful opportunity to have the dress of their dreams.

Anyone who cannot afford a special-occasion dress can visit Becca’s Closet and choose one that is perfect for her particular event or ceremony.

The dresses are not old, Georgine Butman said.

There are a variety of dresses of all styles and sizes, including brand name dresses donated by such fashion notables as Alfred Angelo Bridal.

“Amelia has outfitted quite a few girls in lots of schools all the way from St. George to Kittery,” her mother said.

Recipients do not have to pay for shipping, which is covered by Becca’s Closet.

“It is costly,” Amelia’s mother said, “but it is worth it to help someone else.”

Amelia is fortunate to have the sponsorship of American Legion Auxiliary Post 94 of Greenville.

“We even had one girl whose aunt is getting married, who asked for a dress,” Georgine Butman said, “and we have a bride who is getting married in August who requested a dress.”

They will have their dresses.

To obtain your special dress, all you need to do is call Amelia Butman, 695-2805, or e-mail cheer22@midmaine.com.

Thank you, Amelia, for bringing Becca’s Closet to Maine.

For everyone who had a hand in restoring the Soldiers Monument in the Monroe Village Cemetery, remember that the rededication of that historic statue is this week.

Festivities begin with lunch at 11:30 a.m. Friday, May 27, at Monroe Elementary School, and will be followed by a dedication at the cemetery that includes Civil War re-enactors.

If you have questions, call Marge Sheridan, 525-4428.

Several Move & Improve Walks, sponsored by Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, are taking place in our area.

Naturally, Move & Improve participants are encouraged to participate, but the walks are open to the public.

The only restriction is that anyone age 17 and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and you need to know that all the walks will be outside, so dress appropriately.

Bangor-Brewer Area Walk is 9 a.m. Saturday, May 28, at the Cianchette Building, 43 Whiting Hill Road in Brewer.

For more information, call Nicole Hammar, 973-7245.

The Healthy Hancock Area Walk is the same day at 10 a.m., starting at the Jordan Pond House overflow parking lot in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. For more information, call Iris Simon, 667-2474.

The Presque Isle Area Walk is 5 p.m. Thursday, June 2, at the Nordic Heritage Center. More information is available from Dawn Poitras, 768-4043.

Finally, the Waterville Area Walk is 9 a.m. Saturday, June 4, at the proposed Kennebec Messalonski Rail Trail, Front Street, Waterville with participants meeting at Head of the Falls parking lot.

For more information, call Donna Walsh, 861-3378.

From Nancy Herr, we learn that the third annual Ruggles House Society Plant Sale is 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 28, at Ruggles House, 146 Main St. in Columbia Falls.

The sale features perennials, annual seedlings and vegetables “from plants donated by Ruggles House Society members and others,” Herr wrote.

Plant donations can also be made the day of the sale or by calling Ellen Tenan, 546-7903, before the sale.

The circa 1818 facility, open as a house museum since 1951, “is noted for its Federal Period architecture, flying staircase, intricate carvings and period antiques,” Herr wrote.

Guided tours are available 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sundays, from June 1 through Oct. 15.

Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children

In season, call 483-4637 for more information.

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