Efforts by friends, family and concerned community members are ongoing to help purchase an accessible van for the family of 14-year-old Tommy Mousseau of Brewer, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a degenerative disease that affects every muscle in the body and for which there is no cure.

A new, full-size van costs between $50,000 and $55,000.

The next event to help Mike and Lori Mousseau make this necessary purchase for their family of six is a Benefit Poker Run for Tommy Mousseau from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, beginning and ending at the Corinth Snowmobile Club, 805 Main St., Route 15, in Corinth.

The rain date is Saturday, Oct. 21.

The fee is $5 per hand with no limit on the number of hands that can be played, and a $100 prize is offered for the winning hand.

The fundraiser also features a 50/50 raffle, door prizes and a barbecue after the ride.

To register, call Christien Dearborn, 990-7382 or 478-6081, or e-mail christien.dearborn@mebngr.ang.af.mil; or call Jason Edwards, 990-7541 or e-mail jason.edwards@mebngr.ang.af.mil.

If you cannot attend but would like to help the family, visit www.tommyneedsavan.com for information about making a donation.

Tax-deductible business donations can be made by writing a check to the Community Church of the Open Door in Hampden, with Deacons Fund on the memo line.

Leslie Lizotte of Eastern Agency on Aging will offer outreach services for seniors at 11:30 a.m. on four dates at four sites in Piscataquis County.

The EAA community service consultant will meet with seniors Thursday, Oct. 5, at St. Ann’s Parish in Dexter; Tuesday, Oct. 10, at Dean Park Apartments in Greenville; Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the American Legion Hall in Dover-Foxcroft and Thursday, Oct. 19, at Milo town hall.

For more information, call Lizotte at 564-7376.

Gail Damon and Bess Gray invite you to make donations to and-or attend an All-You-Can-Eat Benefit Spaghetti Supper at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Ellsworth Elks Lodge.

Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children under 12.

Live music will be provided by Sea Smoke and Jay Clough, and the benefit includes a cash bar, a 50/50 raffle, a homemade baked goods table, a raffle of donated items and much more.

The fundraiser benefits Chesapeake Safe Harbor in Bremen and the Southwest Animal Shelter, the former SPCA of Hancock County, they explained.

For more information or to donate items for the fundraiser, call Damon at 288-2362 or Gray at 244-3749.

The Vicky E. Morgan Foundation is hosting an Auction & Bean Supper beginning with the supper from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and the auction at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Island Falls Municipal Building.

Admission for the supper is $4 for adults and $2 for children under 12. The auctioneer is James Pratt.

Proceeds benefit the Morgan Foundation, which is “dedicated to helping others and serving those in need.”

For more information about the work of the nonprofit Morgan Foundation, call Robin Dow at 342-3259.

For many years, until her recent retirement from Hampden Academy, Lynn Carlisle conducted a very successful Child Development nursery school program for high school students who could learn how to plan and use developmentally appropriate activities for preschool youngsters.

Diane Batty said last week she is “very honored to take over and continue the program,” which runs for one to two hours, three days a week, starting Tuesday, Oct. 10, through the beginning of January.

The program includes Learning-Discovery centers, creative art projects, nutritious snacks and circle time.

Youngsters who are enrolled in the program will have the opportunity to play and interact with others in a safe and well-supervised learning environment.

For more information, or to register your child, call Batty, as soon as possible, at Hampden Academy, 862-3791.

Pink tulips will be popping up all over next spring as part of the Pink Tulip Project to benefit the Maine Cancer Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Fund.

Gibson Realty Inc. of Portland donated 15,000 tulip bulbs to be planted in the Bangor-Orono, Portland and Lewiston-Auburn areas.

Keep Bangor Beautiful is asking people to sponsor the planting of 10 to 1,000 tulips in honor of a loved one for $1 per tulip.

For more information about the project, call Katherine Guerin at KBB, 990-1201, e-mail pinktulips@mainecancer.org or visit www.mainecancer.org and click on the merchandise link.

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