Recognizing all who labor to help those in need

Labor Day, for many U.S. citizens, is a day off work, but for others it is a workday, so in truth, it is a day that recognizes the contributions made by everyone who labors at any endeavor.

For example, thanks to the outstanding labors of Bangor authors Stephen and Tabitha King, many people are being helped in a variety of ways on Labor Day and every other day.

Bangor Area Homeless Shelter executive director Dennis Marble e-mailed me earlier this month, stating that he was “still walking on air,” after opening the mail one day and discovering “a letter from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation,” to which BAHS had submitted a grant application “that I had, honestly, forgotten about,” Marble admitted.

“And this was the reply,” to that application, Marble wrote: “$50,000!”

Marble pointed out that “with demand up, and operating costs way up, this support will go a long, long way towards keeping us solvent and able to keep doing what we do.”

Unfortunately, Marble noted, BAHS “set a new record, last year, with 400 individuals who were homeless, staying a collective total of 10,800 nights’ worth of shelter.”

The King grant will enable BAHS to explore several options, including “converting from fuel oil to natural gas,” Marble said.

Marble wrote, “We are extremely grateful for this kind and generous donation,” as the BAHS is for all contributions made by members of the local community, which he believes “is carrying more than its share of fiscal responsibility” for those “who come to the doors of this shelter.”

Customers kick in when needed to help those providing the services they use.

Rocco and Fortunata Agrusa of Tesoro’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Bangor wrote to “express our thanks for the love, encouragement and support” they received “during Rocco’s illness.”

They also extend thanks for your “prayers and sympathy for the passing of Fortunata’s mom. Your expressions of support have been overwhelming during this most difficult and profound time in our lives,” they wrote of their customers, who are “really our family.”

Members of local service clubs also work throughout the year to raise funds to help other area organizations providing needed services.

Susan Jonason of the Rotary Club of Bangor reported that in May, the Rotary awarded grants totaling “nearly $19,000 to four organizations, within our region, that each serve the needs of area teenagers.”

The recipients of those Rotarian efforts were the 4-H youth development program, Spruce Run’s Kool Kids program, Maine Robotics, and the Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross babysitter’s training program.

Jonason credits the success of the spring fundraiser, “Music Off Broadway,” for helping raise the funds to make these grants possible, and thanks “the entire cast, directors and crew” of that production for their participation.

Employees of local businesses also take time from their busy schedules to work for the betterment of others, as did the folks of Merrill Bank on Main Street in Bangor who “adopted” The Good Samaritan Agency this year “as their nonprofit to work with in celebration of their 15-year anniversary,” explained director of marketing Darlene Hawkes.

During a yard sale last May, employees exceeded their $2,500 goal by raising $3,000 to benefit Good Sam, a Bangor agency founded in 1902 that provides services for single, pregnant women in need.

Volunteers exert great effort in helping those who find themselves in situations of crisis or difficulty.

Joy Walters of Spruce Run Association in Bangor wrote us to publicly express that organization’s gratitude for the contributions made to Spruce Run, the domestic violence agency serving Penobscot County, after the second annual Anthony Tucker Walk held last May in Newport.

“The Walk was organized to celebrate Anthony’s life and honor his memory,” Walters wrote of the 13-year-old victim of a tragic 2006 domestic violence incident.

That fundraiser “served as a means of continued healing for the community that lost him,” Walker wrote.

“It also was a way of demonstrating support for ending abuse in families, and creating safer communities.”

Walters thanks the area high school and middle school students, teachers and staff, the Newport Women’s Group, “and all the other community members who walked, pledged, organized and cared.”

“We, at Spruce Run, thank you for your support and for inviting us to participate. This event touched our hearts and gives us hope.”

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