MILO – Residents are working hard to raise $25,000 which will be matched by an anonymous donor for after-school activities.

To date, $4,352 has been raised toward that goal.

“We’re really hoping to meet that $25,000 goal,” SAD 41 Superintendent Shirley Wright said Tuesday.

The donation came after a group of residents announced they wanted to offer a variety of after-school activities to local children headed by an all-volunteer staff.

Wright said the donor has agreed to match up to $25,000 and the community has until June 30, 2008, to raise the funds.

Donations raised as the local match, as well as the generous gift, will be placed in the care of the Maine Community Foundation.

The district will get to use the interest on the combined funds to purchase snacks, supplies and for field trips for after-school programs, according to Wright.

The activities must be outside the scope of those offered by the school, and none of the funds may be used for salaries, Wright said. The focus of the funds is on nonathletic programs, she noted.

Anyone who wants to contribute to the local share should mail a contribution to Wright at 37 W. Main St., Milo, 04463. The contribution should be marked for the after-school programs.