Areawide

Help for Gulf Coast

HAMPDEN – Parishioners of St. Gabriel’s in Winterport, St Matthew’s in Hampden and St. Mary’s in Bangor accepted donations from the community for the relief of Gulf Coast hurricane victims Sept. 11-13, at the request of Christian counterparts in the Gulf Coast region. Donations consisted of money, water under garments, toiletries, sleeping bags, sheets, hygiene products and more.

Donations were taken to the parking lot of St. Matthew’s Church in Hampden, where they were be sorted, packed and labeled. The items left Wednesday for locations in the Gulf Coast region.

“It’s always very easy to give of our surplus, but we are called to give of our substance. This effort is only possible because of the donations made by the community. Hartt and Pottle trucking companies, H.O. Bouchard, various local businesses and all the volunteers of our two parishes have stepped up with their goods, generosity and time,” said the Rev. Robert Vaillancourt of St. Matthew’s and St. Gabriel’s parishes.

Hurricane relief

Donations are being accepted to benefit the United Way Hurricane Katrina Response Fund. The fund is an easy way to help people in affected communities begin rebuilding their lives. Funds will be allocated for front-line disaster relief and long-term recovery needs, as determined by Gulf Coast United Ways in affected areas, in coordination with a vast network of human services agencies.

United Ways in the Gulf Coast states are leading response and recovery efforts by identifying the most serious needs of communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

To donate by credit card, visit https://volunteer.united-e-way.org/hurricane-katrina/donate/ or send a check to: United Way of America, P.O. Box 630568, Baltimore, MD 21263-0568. Make checks payable to UWA and reference Hurricane Katrina Response Fund in the memo.

For more information, call 941-2800 and visit www.unitedwayem.org.

Bangor

Dining out for music

The Bangor Symphony Orchestra invites the public to participate in a benefit for the Bangor Symphony Orchestra at the Oriental Jade restaurant, Bangor Mall Boulevard, 2-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25. Meet Maestro Xiao-Lu Li and the staff of the symphony as they get ready to kick off the 110th season.

The event offers an opportunity to subscribe. New subscribers may purchase one season subscription and get the second at half price. Those who subscribe to the BSO at Oriental Jade will receive a free BSO CD.

While there, participants may enter to win special prizes, including an overnight at the Bangor Hampton Inn and dinner with Maestro Li at the Oriental Jade, Nutcracker Ballet tickets and more.

Enjoy live music by BSO musicians while you dine. Download a coupon at bangorsymphony.com or pick up one at Oriental Jade. Use the coupon at the Oriental Jade from Sunday through Friday, Sept. 25-30, and 20 percent of the meal bill will be donated to0 the BSO.

Kiss 94.5 will broadcast live at the Oriental Jade during the BSO fundraising event.

The event is open to the

public. More information is available at www.bangorsymphony.com.

The Bangor Symphony Orchestra opens its 110th season at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2, with works by Dvorak, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. The concert, “Essence of Romanticism,” will feature pianist James Giles.

Xiao-Lu Li, music director and conductor, begins his fourth season on the podium.

Tickets and season subscriptions may be purchased online at www.bangorsymphony.com, or by calling the box office at 942-5555, or (800) 639-3221.

Newcomers group

The second meeting of the Newcomers Group of Greater Bangor will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27. Participants will enjoy dessert and coffee, great conversation and make new friends. To learn the location of the meeting, call Earl at 947-3187, or Kathy at 945-3952.

Hospice training

Hospice of Eastern Maine, a program of the Bangor Area Visiting Nurses, will offer a volunteer training course for those who feel called to share time and friendship with patients and families living with terminal illness. The agency’s service area encompasses communities within a 25-mile radius of Bangor.

The 24-hour training course will be held 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 11-Nov. 15, at the Eastern Maine Healthcare Mall, 885 Union St., Suite 220, Bangor. The course will prepare volunteers to provide emotional support, respite care, bereavement support and other comfort services to hospice patients and their families residing at home, in nursing facilities or at Eastern Maine Medical Center’s palliative care unit.

The application and interview for the course must be completed by Oct. 7.

For more information, call Wayne Melanson, director of volunteer services at 973-8269, or (800) 350-8269.

Gospel and blues concert

Roosevelt Andre Credit is returning to Bangor to present a concert with his good friend John Haskell and the choirs of the First United Methodist Church at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at the church, 703 Essex St.

Credit, Haskell and the choirs will present a selection of uplifting, soul-moving gospel and blues favorites in addition to many of Credit’s own composition. The concert is free, but a freewill offering will be received.

The concert will follow a Healthy Heart salad and bean supper from 5 to 6:30 p.m., which will benefit missions of United Methodist World Service. Tickets for the supper will be available at the door. The cost is $6 for adults, $3 children under 12 years.

Credit is a multitalented bass-baritone artist, conductor and composer. He was a member of the award-winning Broadway revival cast of “Show Boat” and has just returned from Auburn, N.Y., where he was cast as Joe in the production of “Show Boat” at the Merry-Go-Round Theater.

Adoption information

The Bangor office of the Department of Health and Human Services will hold a public informational meeting about adoption and foster parenting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, in Bangor. To learn the location of the meeting, call A Family For ME at (877) 505-0545.

Tour of Thomas Hill House

The Penobscot County Genealogical Society will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, for a guided tour of the Thomas Hill House. The brick home, also known as the GAR building and the Bangor Historical Society, is located at the corner of Union and High streets in Bangor.

Benefit yard sale, craft fair

The Bangor Lodge of Elks will sponsor a yard sale and craft fair 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, at the Elks Lodge, 108 Odlin Road. The sale will benefit the Maine Children’s Cancer Program.

The general public may purchase sale table space for $25. Donations of sellable goods may be dropped at the Bangor Elks Lodge or pick up can be arranged.

The Maine Children’s Cancer Program, one of the Maine Elks major projects, is the only comprehensive cancer treatment program for children in Maine. The funds raised will stay in Maine to support the program.

The program is based in Portland through the Maine Medical Center, but serves infants, children and adolescents from across the state. Medical treatment for childhood cancer may include chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy or a combination. The Maine Children’s Cancer Program also sponsors school re-entry and consultation programs, educational materials, counseling services and support groups for patients and families. The program also provides research based care, charity care, advocacy and new program initiatives not covered by insurance and patient fees.

With a nearly 70 percent cancer cure rate for children, the program has helped hundreds of families, but needs continued public support in order to help families receive treatment without leaving the state.

The Maine Elks adopted the program as its project in 1985 and last year raised $222,222 to aid the program.

For more information, to rent table space or to make donations, call Steven Grant or Greg Hall at the Bangor Elks Lodge, 942-6977.

Gold Star Mothers

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe co-sponsored a Senate Joint Resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Gold Star Mothers Day. The membership of Gold Star Mothers Inc. is composed of mothers who lost a son or daughter while in service to America. This year, Gold Star Mothers Day falls on Sunday, Sept. 25.

The American Gold Star Mothers is a federally chartered organization and a member of the National Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service Advisory Committee. The 150 chapters of Gold Star Mothers throughout the United States give many hours of work and personal service in hospitals for veterans and their families.

Literacy Volunteers

Literacy Volunteers of Bangor offer Basic Literacy Tutor Training for volunteers interested in helping adults learn or improve their reading skills 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 11, 18, 25 and Nov. 1, at United Technologies Center, Hogan Road, Bangor. Those interested must call Literacy Volunteers of Bangor, 947-8451, by Wednesday, Oct. 5, to register. The cost of course materials is $20. Scholarships are available for those who can’t afford the fee.

LV-Bangor links volunteer tutors with adults who want to improve literacy skills. Last year, LV-Bangor experienced a 92 percent increase in its volunteer base. Tutors are needed for the Bangor, Newport, Dexter and Lincoln areas

Orrington resident and LV-Bangor board member John Wedin contributed more than 500 hours of service as a volunteer and tutor. In total, more than 11,300 hours of service were provided to area adults needing literacy tutoring.

LV-Bangor also is accepting applications from adults who want to learn to read better. They may contact LV-Bangor at 947-8451 for more information.

Recycling for hurricane aid

Big Red Redemption Center has joined the nationwide effort to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. The container recycling center has established a special account. Those who wish may credit returnable cans and bottles to the hurricane relief effort.

Big Red is located at 17 Barker St., just behind the Central Fire Station off Main Street. For more information on the Big Red Hurricane Katrina relief fund account, visit the redemption center or call 990-2267.

Big Red is part of Community Health and Counseling Services, which has a long history of helping people in need. The Hurricane Katrina relief fund is just one of many such efforts with which Big Red has been involved. Big Red established a similar fund after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on New York City and the Pentagon.

Maine Arts Commission

Jeffrey Hope, formerly of Bangor, has been selected as the new community relations and public information associate for the Maine Arts Commission in Augusta. As a journalist, Hope has 15 years experience in the television news business, with more than 12 years at WABI-TV in Bangor covering a wide range of issues across the state. He has just returned from three years of news reporting at the No. 1-rated KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska.

Since 1987, Hope has received numerous awards for excellence in news writing, reporting, photography and most recently for reporting on the arts. In the 1980s Hope was a professional musician playing drums in jazz and rock groups in Maine and New Hampshire while earning an associate of science degree in jazz and contemporary music from the University of Maine at Augusta. At that time, Hope also was considering a career in professional storytelling and was a performer at the Down East Storytellers Festival.

In 1990, Hope earned a bachelor of science degree in journalism and mass communications at Emerson College in Boston, which began his career in the news business.

“Many of my favorite days in the news business were spent interviewing artists or covering educational arts programs in central Maine,” Hope said. “I’m thrilled to be working for an agency that works full time to promote the arts.”

Brewer

Hurricane relief fund

Brewer firefighters want to help the people in the Gulf Coast region in the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. While many firefighters want to travel to the area to assist in relief efforts, the fact is that plenty of personnel nationwide have become available in the assistance effort. If Brewer personnel were to leave Maine to help, they would not be available to continue work in their home communities. Therefore, the firefighters are organizing a relief effort by raising money.

The firefighters asked Brewer city employees to assist by donating to the fund. The fund will be open for donations from Brewer residents and businesses, as well as firefighters, public employees and residents of area cities and business owners.

To make a donation, send or bring money to the Brewer fire station, 122 South Main St., or send or take a donation to the City of Brewer Finance Department in City Hall, 80 North Main St. The finance department will hold and account for all funds.

The fundraising effort will be open during September. In early October the city will forward the funds to the American Red Cross.

“We’re already sending some of our people to help out with the disaster. Now we can help by sending money,” said Brewer Mayor Joe Ferris.

Corinth

Veteran’s benefits

A veteran’s services officer from the U.S. Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management will be at the Corinth Municipal Building by appointment. The service officer will assist veterans, widows and dependent children in filing for state and federal benefits. To make an appointment, call 941-3005.

Eddington

Historical society meeting

The Eddington Historical Society will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, at the East Eddington Community Church. After the business meeting, the film “In Their Own Words,” a historical documentary of the economic development, population flow, resources and personal memories of Old Town, will be shown. The public is welcome to attend.

Indian Island

Jump for Kids

The board members of the Penobscot Nation Boy and Girls Club will hold its first annual Jump for Kids Friday, Sept. 16. Board members will take to the air and parachute as a symbolic gesture to bring attention to the risks today’s youth face. The club wants to show youth that there are healthful alternatives to high-risk behaviors.

Board members will travel to Pittsfield to participate in a tandem jump from 10,000 feet. A free-fall of approximately 6,000 feet, lasting 30 seconds, will provide the jumpers with an unforgettable adrenaline rush. The jumpers will share their experiences with youth through a video recording of the event.

To learn more about volunteering or donating to the Penobscot Nation Boys and Girls Club, call Carla Fearon at 817-7355, e-mail cfearon@penobscotnation.org, or stop by the club, 12 Wabanaki Way.

Orono

Book discussion group

The Orono Public Library’s reading and discussion group, The Friday Morning Reflective Readers, will meet at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at the library. Participants will discuss “Bel Canto” by Ann Patchett, and “The Moon is Down” by John Steinbeck. Both stories explore the relationships that develop between hostages and their captors. Copies of the book are available for loan at the library. To obtain more information, call the library at 866-5060.

Long-term care honor

Dirigo Pines Retirement Community announced that Certified Nurse Assistant Carol Lane was nominated for Maine Health Care Association’s Excellence in Long Term Care Award as an outstanding direct care worker.

She has been an employee of Dirigo Pines since 2004, providing care for memory loss residents on The Arbor at Dirigo Pines. Her co-workers describe her as a compassionate, genuine, hardworking CNA who develops a special relationship with residents and their families.

Dirigo Pines Executive Director Barbara Steller said that Lane “keeps everybody’s heart, soul and body warm. Caring comes from the heart, it cannot be taught, and Carol is a great role model for all to follow.”

Nursing Director Jeri Campbell said she was proud to nominate Lane for the prestigious award, as she is an outstanding CNA. “She makes a great impression with new residents and staff and shows genuine warmth and caring each and every day,” Campbell said.

Let’s Blog

Let’s Blog, a free computer class sponsored by the Orono Public Library, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, in the Media Room at Dirigo Pines.

Instructor Gretchen Gfeller will conduct a big-screen presentation of useful and fun computer activities such as e-mailing, Internet searching, editing and printing digital photographs. The program will be helpful for beginners who wish to understand computer terminology. For more information, call the library at 866-5060.