Desserts and auction

BANGOR – Pathfinders: Support for Grieving Children and Hospice of Eastern Maine will hold their second annual Celebrity Dessert and Auction on Friday, Oct. 26, at United Technologies Center.

The event will be hosted and items auctioned by local celebrities Amy Erickson and Todd Simcox of WABI-TV 5.

Scrumptious desserts will be provided by restaurants and chefs from Dirigo Pines Inn, Frank’s Bakery, Loony Lady’s Take Out and Eat In, Lucerne Inn, Muddy Rudder, Sea Dog and United Technologies Center students. Desserts will be available for auction, as well.

Community volunteers have been working hard creating a variety of theme packages for the auction. Packages include children’s books; coastal and inland getaways; Maine-made jewelry; landscaping; bedroom; quilting items and supplies from around the state; a University of Maine package complete with tickets to UMaine hockey and Bill Cosby’s performance on Nov. 2; and more.

There will be something for everyone – just in time for the holidays. Packages are listed at www.pathfindersmaine.org.

“We’re looking forward to our event again this year,” said Deb Jacques, director of community relations. “Todd and Amy are a lot of fun; the desserts are incredible and the volunteers are putting together fantastic items for auction. We know attendees are in for a great evening. Tickets are limited to 130 and they’re already selling quickly.”

Doors open at 5:45 p.m. for dessert, and the program and auction will begin at 6:30 p.m. The evening should wrap up by 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased by calling Deb Jacques at 973-8269 or e-mail djacques@emh.org.

Benefit dinner, auction

A benefit dinner, live and silent auction and dance will be held with a social hour at 4 p.m., dinner at 5 p.m., auction at 6 p.m. and dance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, at Bangor Banquet and Conference Center, Hogan Road.

Proceeds will help purchase a handicapped-accessible van for 8-year-old Logan Severance, son of Stan and Terri Severance of Brewer, who has a motor neuron disease, spinal muscular atrophy.

The Rev. Robert Carlson will be the auctioneer, and Mike Dow will provide music for the dance.

Tickets are $10, $25 families. Get tickets from Kim Severance, 989-6357, 944-3929, or visit www.logansfreedomride.com

Auction items include heating oil, a Guide 147 canoe and jewelry.

Memory Walk

BANGOR – The Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk will be held at 14 locations in Maine on Saturday, Oct. 6.

Walkers will register at 8 a.m. Saturday, then begin the three-mile walk at 9 a.m. at Bangor Raceway, Bass Park, off Main Street.

More than 1,500 people are expected to take part statewide according to Mary Brant, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association, Maine Chapter.

“The funds raised by participants allow us to continue to provide a broad range of programs and services for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and for their families and caregivers,” Brant said.

For information, call 772-0115, Ext. 22, or visit www.alz.org/maine.

Birth Night at EMMC

BANGOR – Eastern Maine Medical Center’s labor and delivery department will hold Birth Night 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, in Mason Auditorium. The program will provide free information and education for new and expectant mothers and their partners.

Moms-to-be will have the opportunity to learn about the services offered at EMMC. Representatives will be on hand from childbirth education classes; baby massage classes; lactation services; maternal fetal medicine; Parents Are Teachers Too; and many other programs.

Expectant mothers can ask questions, learn about programs, and meet EMMC nurses and staff as well as other pregnant women and new mothers.

The second part of the evening will be a workshop on Kindermusik led by Kindermusik instructors Danielle Stuber and Jessica Ward. Kindermusik helps babies learn language, social and physical skills through music and movement.

Birth Night is a free event. Refreshments will be served, and door prizes awarded.

For information, call 973-6132 or 944-8028.

Area flu shot clinics

BANGOR – The Bangor Region Influenza Coalition, a program of the Northeastern Maine Regional Resource Center, announced the following public seasonal flu and pneumonia shot clinics:

. 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, Bangor Civic Center.

. 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, Bangor Civic Center.

Shots are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost of a seasonal flu or pneumonia shot will range from $25 to $40 each. Cash, check and Medicare part B are accepted. Reimbursement receipts will be provided.

The clinics are sponsored by the city of Bangor and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. For information, call 973-5551 or 992-4550. For information about influenza, visit www.cdc.gov.

Mental Illness Awareness Walk

BREWER – The ninth annual Mental Illness Awareness Walk will step off on Sunday, Oct. 7, in Brewer. Registration is at 11 a.m., and the 3.5-mile walk begins at noon.

The walk route begins at Twin City Plaza in Brewer, follows down State Street to the Penobscot Bridge, down Washington Street, down Central Street through downtown Bangor, up Main Street to the Chamberlain Bridge to Brewer, up Wilson Street and across to Twin City Plaza.

Walkers must register either by phone before the walk or on the day of the walk. Preregistration is recommended by calling 989-4007, Ext. 236.

Collecting pledges is not mandatory – all are welcome to walk. However, those who are collecting pledges for the walk are asked to collect them before the day of the walk and to turn them in at the registration desk that day.

Checks should be made payable to OHI for Mental Illness Awareness Week. All donations will go toward mental illness awareness activities.

Those who work for a company that matches donations need to fill out the form to double the pledge.

Children age 12 or younger must register with an adult.

The first 200 registrants will receive a free Mental Illness Awareness T-shirt.

Stay after the walk and enjoy a free barbecue and lively conversation. The walk will take place rain or shine. Participants are asked to dress accordingly.

To obtain information or a pledge sheet, visit www.mentalillnessawareness-me.org.

Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome

BANGOR – Reflections of Angels Down Syndrome Support, in conjunction with UCP of Maine, will host the 11th annual Buddy Walk 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, at Cascade Park.

Q 106.5 radio’s Cindy Campbell will lead the walk. The event will include a barbecue in the park, a bounce house, games, cartoon characters and more.

The Buddy Walk is an advocacy walk developed by the National Down Syndrome Society in 1995 to celebrate October, National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

The Buddy Walk has three primary goals:

. To promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.

. To raise funds locally and nationally for education, research and advocacy programs.

. To enhance the position of the Down syndrome community and positively influence local and national policy and practice.

In the past 10 years, the Buddy Walk has grown from 17 walks to more than 200 around the world. More than 200,000 people are expected to participate in Buddy Walks this year.

Last year, the Buddy Walk raised more than $2.5 million to benefit national education, research and advocacy initiatives, as well as local programs and services. Every dollar donated to the Buddy Walk supports local and national programs.

“I have been pleasantly surprised by the way my daughter has been treated in the world, lovingly, kindly,” said organizer Michelle Harmon. “The Buddy Walk has become, for us, another way of saying ‘thank you’ to those who have made it a point to be her friend and walk with her through life.”

This year’s Buddy Walk is made possible through sponsorships from Bangor Hydro Electric Co., Hughes Physical Therapy and Maine Equipment & Party Rental.

To preregister for the walk or to volunteer, contact Michelle Harmon at 478-1274. Or, register the day of the walk. Registration is free, but donations are welcome.

Homeless respite program

BANGOR – Penobscot Community Health Care has received a $45,000 grant from the Maine Community Foundation to support the creation of a homeless respite program for Greater Bangor.

Most people at some point in their lives will need hospitalization for an illness, surgery or childbirth. Most have the luxury of leaving the hospital to return home for a period of rest and recuperation before returning to life as usual.

Not so for the homeless. Local shelters provide beds if available; otherwise, the homeless seek haven under a bridge or in a dumpster. Even more shocking was the recent report of a homeless individual, discharged from a hospital in Los Angeles, who was given an ambulance ride to Skid Row and dumped, wearing nothing but a hospital gown.

The Oasis Project will provide a safe and healthy alternative to those who are homeless and are in need of extended care. This respite project will provide post-hospitalization care for those in need of nursing services, medication administration, dressing changes, rest and good nutrition. The project will provide care to those not sick enough for admission to a hospital, but too ill to take care of themselves in a shelter or on the streets.

Physical disabilities support

BANGOR – The Physical Disabilities Support Group will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, at Alpha One, 1048 Union St. All are welcome.