November 07, 2024
Column

Friends rally to help family of hospitalized baby

Four-month-old Camden Brown, the son of Andy and Tonya Brown of Veazie, was born seven weeks early, on Sept. 18.

Since that time, Camden and his family have been at Boston Children’s Hospital, where he has undergone surgery and treatment for a bowel blockage that had to be removed, according to information kindly forwarded me by Allan Smallwood, a dispatcher with the University of Maine Department of Public Safety in Orono, where he works with Camden’s dad.

Smallwood wants readers to know that friends and former co-workers of Andy Brown, at Northeast EMS in Bangor, will hold a benefit spaghetti supper for Camden Brown with two seatings, one at 5:30 p.m. and the other 7 p.m., Friday, Jan 11, at Rangeley Hall at Eastern Maine Community College on Sylvan Road in Bangor.

The admission donation is $7 for adults, $4 for children under 8, $25 for a family, and reservations can be made by calling Northeast EMS at 974-4880.

According to the Northeast EMS release about the benefit, while Camden is hospitalized, his family is housed in a temporary apartment lent them by the hospital.

While Camden’s father continues to work and travels to Boston to be with his family, Camden’s mother has taken a leave of absence from work to be with her son.

The good news, according to the release, is that “Camden is growing and making progress since his last surgery.”

If you cannot attend the benefit but would like to help Camden’s family with these unexpected medical and living-related expenses, donations can be made payable to either Andy Brown or Tonya Brown and mailed to Northeast EMS, Attn: Camden, 354 Hogan Road, Bangor 04401.

If you have questions, call Northeast EMS at the number above between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Geneva Frost invites anyone who is interested in any aspect of helping build a home for the family of Nicholas Hovey to attend a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Otis Baptist Church.

Front wrote that “Habitat for Humanity has agreed to oversee the construction” of a home for the family of this 9-year-old who has cystic fibrosis, “a disease which affects his lungs, his other internal organs and his quality of life as a whole.”

She explained that the goal of the Habitat project is to be ready to begin construction of the home by early spring.

“To meet this goal,” Frost wrote, “we need volunteers to work on the project and on the site; gifts of money and materials; and in-kind gifts such as services and equipment.”

For those readers who are unfamiliar with Habitat for Humanity, its Web site explains that “through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families.”

“Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, and financed with affordable loans. The homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses.”

On behalf of Maine Handicapped Skiing, Kathy White invites you to enjoy a free day of skiing or riding at Sunday River in Newry by becoming a team captain for its annual Ski-A-Thon fundraiser planned for March 29 at Sunday River.

Individuals offering to be team captains are invited to join MHS for its team captains meeting, featuring a light breakfast and pep talk, at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan 12, at the Grand Summit Hotel at Sunday River. Team captains attending the meeting will receive a free lift ticket for that day.

To participate, you are asked to RSVP by Thursday, Jan. 10, by calling MHS at 800-639-7770.

White reminds readers that last year, MHS raised more than $348,000 in pledges at this one-day event, and that it is fundraisers such as this that “help keep MHS free of charge to the 250 students involved in the program.”

Begun in the winter of 1982, with one staff member and eight students, today’s MHS program is year-round, “welcoming individuals with physical disabilities to enjoy Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, cycling, golf and paddling,” White wrote.

“Even with the growth in numbers and programs,” she added, MHS “remains the largest free, adaptive recreation program in the East,” thanks to your participation in its fundraisers.

For more information about registering for this event, call MHS at the number above or visit www.skimhs.org.

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


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