Last month, Nicholas Wainer of Orrington applied for and was named a student ambassador with the People to People Program, established in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Wainer, 15, is a sophomore at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor.

“I was lucky enough to be chosen to be part of the Maine Delegation of 40 members that will be traveling to Australia this summer,” Wainer wrote.

“I am very proud and excited about the prospect of representing the U.S. abroad” and learning about another culture while “making new friendships.”

The cost of this experience, however, is $5,500 “to cover the tuition for the 21-day trip,” he wrote, and he is trying to raise as much of that money as he can.

Wainer is not only seeking business sponsorships, but he “also had a dessert auction before Christmas, with the help of my grandmothers, which was a nice success,” he wrote.

However, his efforts to cover the costs of this trip don’t stop there.

Wainer has two other fundraisers that you can help with.

The first, he said, is a fundraiser called Phone Raiser.

For this project, he is collecting used cell phones and inkjet cartridges and returning them to a business that will then recycle them.

“By doing this, I am helping to give old technology that people usually throw in a drawer new life and, at the same time, I am keeping them from polluting our landfills.”

Wainer wrote that “Pam Forbes, of Salon 241, located at 241 State Street in Bangor, has offered to be a drop-off point for people in the Bangor area to turn in their used cell phones and ink jet cartridges.”

Those used items can be dropped off during regular business hours Tuesday through Saturday at Salon 241.

You will also find Wainer’s recycling collection boxes at both branches of Brewer Federal Credit Union, at 177 N. Main St. and 229 Dirigo Drive, both in Brewer. Dr. Mark Hanks at Kindred Spirits Veterinary Clinic at 857 River Road in Orrington has a collection box as well.

“People can also contact me, directly, by e-mail at fraz07@aol.com,” Wainer wrote, adding that “if there are other businesses out there willing to collect phones and inkjet cartridges, they too can contact me and I will get them a collection box.”

Wainer’s other fundraiser “is through the magazine company QSP,” he wrote.

“This company sells many magazines at discount prices.

“People can order their favorite magazines or renew current subscriptions. We have set up a Web site, www.magfundraising.com/PtoP.

“If anyone purchases magazines, please put my name down on the order, and I will then get 40 percent of the profit to put towards my trip.”

Nick Wainer is going to have a marvelous educational experience this summer, and any financial assistance you can give him to help make this dream trip come true will be greatly appreciated.

Vendors are invited to participate, and the public is most welcome to attend at no cost, an indoor flea market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at Monroe Community Church on Route 139 in that community.

Church volunteer Alison Rector reports that “tables are available for rent for would-be vendors” on a first-come, first-served basis, and the rental fee is $10 per table.

Rector invites you to be a seller or a buyer at this event which will help raise money for the church through proceeds from the table rental fees.

“Tables of treasures and bargains will be on sale,” Rector wrote in urging you to “enjoy good company and good buys as an antidote for wintertime blues!”

For information about table rentals or the event, call Rector at 525-3104.

Hugh Dwelley of the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C., reminds Maine college students who were born in or are legal residents of our state, have completed one year at a Maine college or university, and have at least a 3.0 grade-point average, that you are eligible to apply for scholarships awarded by the society.

Applications must be postmarked no later than Sunday, April 1.

The scholarships are at least $1,000 each.

Applications may be obtained at financial aid offices at Maine colleges; by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Maine State Society Foundation, 3508 Wilson St., Fairfax, Va. 22030; or by downloading them at mainestatesociety.org.

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