Plans are under way by friends, neighbors and community members to host a Wrestling Benefit for Cyndy Bellows, who has taken early retirement from her position as a state employee with the CareerCenters in Calais and Machias after being diagnosed with cancer.

The Wrestling Benefit is 7 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at the gymnasium on the campus of the University of Maine in Machias.

Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for those 5-12, and free for children under 4.

Tickets are available at the door, or can be obtained by calling Ryan Colson, 255-8618, or Dodie Emerson at either 255-1900 or 460-2201.

Bellows is a much-loved area resident who has, through her work and her volunteer commitments, helped countless people in the Washington County area with everything from obtaining employment to completing their education.

She has also earned a reputation as being an outstanding coordinator when it comes to lining up entertainment for Washington County functions.

Now, people who know and love her are asking for your support in helping Bellows and her family through this very difficult period.

In addition to the wrestling benefit, organizers are also seeking sponsors, either individuals or business owners, to help with the initial costs of the event. You can help by placing an advertisement in a booklet that will be distributed to all who attend the benefit.

An advertisement the size of a business card is available for just $10. You can purchase a quarter-page ad for $25, a half-page ad for $50 or a full-page ad for $100, for which you will receive a free video of the event.

For more information or to place an ad, call Colson or Emerson at their numbers above, or mail your donation and-or advertising materials to The Cyndy Fund, c/o Dodie Emerson, 1141 Indian River Road, Addison 04606.

Everyone involved with this event thanks you in advance for your support, and they hope to see you at the Cyndy Bellows Benefit.

On behalf of Penquis Community Action Program, in cooperation with Penquis Development Inc., the town of Corinna and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Penquis CAP director of housing services Stephen Mooers invites you to an Open House from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at Corundel Commons Senior Housing, 14 Hill St. in Corinna.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony and partner recognition program is at noon, and light refreshments will be available.

This new facility offers 20 units of senior housing with views of Corundel Pond, a community center and three-season porch.

Bill Rae of Manna Ministries, who thanks you for your generosity over the holidays, reminds you that people are just as needy now as they were in December.

Each day, Manna still needs “to assist the disadvantaged in our community who are hungry, cold and desperate,” he wrote. “We still need to look into the eyes of those who have lost all hope of ever having a better life. And we still need to offer the opportunity of a transformed life through our recovery programs,” he wrote.

Any contribution to Manna would help the organization “start the year off in a strong position, with funds we need to continue offering hot meals, child care, fuel assistance, spiritual counsel and recovery programs,” Rae wrote.

Donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 2763, Bangor 04402.

You are invited to hear Capt. Laurence Wade, master of the Maine Maritime Academy Training Ship, State of Maine, discuss the experiences of the Castine-berthed vessel that responded to disaster relief efforts on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.

Wade will be the guest speaker during a Brown Bag Lunch Lecture at noon Wednesday, March 1, at Page Farm and Home Museum on the campus of the University of Maine in Orono.

The event is free, and you are encouraged to bring your own lunch.

Parking permits are available the day of the lecture at the museum or can be obtained through the Visitor’s Center at Buchanan Alumni House on College Avenue.

According to information provided by the university, T.S. State of Maine was deployed Sept. 3 to New Orleans, where it served nearly 35,000 meals and provided 7,800 berth nights for relief workers during its 60 days in the Gulf.

The ship returned to Castine Nov. 22.

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