From Heather Hathorn we learn that Blackbear United Football Club is a nonprofit youth soccer organization for youngsters 5-18.

This Adidas Premier Club offers coaching for nine teams in addition to a youth academy, serving youngsters from 48 towns who live within a 50-mile radius of Orono.

Last December, the club received a most welcome donation of 32.5 acres, and is currently in the midst of a Spring Fundraising Campaign to help support the goals of the organization and work on its field.

Blackbear United is conducting a raffle with the goal of selling 2,000 tickets for a tax-deductible donation of $25 each.

Drawings will be 4-7 p.m. Sunday, March 26, and winners will be contacted and the names posted on the club’s Web site, blackbearunited.com.

The prizes include five $100 cash awards, signed soccer jerseys, Adidas items, gift certificates, ski packages and more.

To purchase tickets, or become a club sponsor, e-mail info@blackbearunited.com, call the Blackbear hot line at 862-4154, ext. 2, where you can leave your name, number and address, or visit the above Web site.

Hathorn thanks you for support of this organization and the many children it serves.

A free blood pressure clinic is being offered from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 14, at the Belfast Public Health Nursing Association office, 119 Northport Ave. in Belfast.

Walk-ins are welcome, and no appointment is needed.

For more information, or if you have questions, call Diane Whitten, Belfast Public Health, at 338-3368.

Bette Hoxie, director of Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine in Old Town, has announced that organization is hosting its annual training conference, “Passionate for Permanency: A Family for Every Child,” Friday, April 7, and Saturday, April 8, at Verillo’s in Portland.

The program is geared for adoptive, foster and kinship parents; caseworkers, adoption workers, protective workers, adoption agency staff and management, judges, lawyers, doctors, child welfare advocates, teachers and anyone interested in child welfare and Maine children and their families.

The conference is presented with support of the state Department of Health and Human Services, and the registration deadline is Wednesday, March 29.

If you wish more information, or to register, call Hoxie at 827-2331 or (800) 833-9786.

Maria Hautala of Bangor informs us the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor is initiating a free, Third Wednesday Film Series at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, in the church vestry, 120 Park St., Bangor.

The public is invited to view “Torch Song Trilogy,” which, according to information provided by Hautala, has been described as the first gay-themed motion picture to cross into mainstream.

Released in 1988, the film is based on the play that in 1983 won Tony Awards for Best Actor and Best Play.

The series is sponsored by the Welcoming Congregation Committee, which is conducting a Unitarian Universalist Association program to assure that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people are fully welcome.

The ready smile, the twinkle in the eye, the encouraging hug, the little fist pump with the accompanying “Good for you!” are among the many things I will miss about Joanne Van Namee, chairman of the board of Bangor Publishing Co., who died last week at 82.

It was my good fortune to have known Joanne for more than three decades, and to have shared many of her interests, from her volunteer work in the community to her dedication to this very special, family-owned business.

I always considered it something of a miracle that I was offered a position at the Bangor Daily News during a period of my life that, unknown to anyone, would prove to be critical to the well-being of my children and me. Knowing Joanne, and her family, made that possible.

Joanne was a woman with choices, and I deeply admired the choices she made.

Instead of choosing to be a bystander in life, she chose to be a participant.

She chose not only to preserve the past, but also to lead us into the future with an enthusiasm and vibrant spirit that was as contagious as her good humor.

Joanne not only cared about the people who worked for the Bangor Daily News, she cared about her community and state, and worked to improve all our lives, especially those who needed special services and opportunities.

Now it is my turn to smile, give a little fist pump and say, “Good for you, Joanne!

“Good for you!”

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