Anyone who has been affected by sexual violence, at any time, is invited to participate in a new program sponsored by Rape Response Services in Bangor.

Sue Currie reports that the organization is offering “something new and different” in the form of a drop-in support group for people affected by sexual violence.

The group will meet from 6 to 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month, beginning Jan. 2, in the Leonard Room of Acadia Hospital on Stillwater Avenue in Bangor.

“This is a time for sharing and supporting each other,” Currie wrote.

“We will provide educational groups and guest speakers for topics you would like to know more about.”

For information about this new program, or to RSVP, you call Currie at 941-2980 or e-mail her at rrscsc@rrsonline.org.

Paul McKeige of Dixmont wrote recently that we read “so much about bad things happening” that, for him, it gets “to the point, some days, I don’t even read the paper or listen to the news.”

“But one thing changed a month ago,” he said.

“A farmhouse burned, and the family living there lost everything.”

McKeige was referring to the October fire that destroyed the home of Todd and Margaret Allen of Dixmont.

“The Town of Dixmont responded to their needs,” McKeige wrote with obvious pride, pointing out that community members provided necessities to help the family “get started again.”

McKeige noted that the women “in the town office handled all the details,” and that “the town also put on a spaghetti dinner to help raise some money for the family.”

McKeige wrote that “the principal of the Etna-Dixmont School opened the school and all its facilities for the dinner, a truck driver for Hannaford Stores helped get the dinner organized and Hannaford Stores donated the spaghetti, sauce and other things needed for the dinner” while other people donated “salads, cakes and pies.”

McKeige reported the fundraiser went well.

“There was a great turnout on a cold, rainy night,” he wrote. “It was good to see so many people give of their time and generosity for the Todd Allen Family.

“This is life as it should be.”

Have you ever wondered what hypnosis is all about?

If so, local hypnotist Evelyn Conrad is offering the public an opportunity to participate in a free two-hour workshop from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at Absolute Hypnotherapy, 60 Washington St. in Bangor.

“This event will explain what hypnosis is; how it works; and how it is used,” she wrote in a recent e-mail.

“Participants will have the opportunity to experience hypnosis in a safe and relaxing environment.”

The workshop is also in recognition of the fourth annual World Hypnotism Day, which is Jan 4.

Conrad explained that “hypnosis is safe, effective and natural, and is used for a variety of motivational, self-improvement and goal-setting reasons.

“It is free of side effects and, when performed by a competent, certified practitioner, the results are long-lasting and, often, permanent.”

Conrad noted increased, positive media coverage is helping hypnosis become “more respected.”

For more information, call Conrad at 945-9804 or e-mail evelyn@absolutehypnotherapy.com.

Ann Meyer, who lives at Dirigo Pines in Orono, had a difficult experience when the 85-year-old found herself spending a night alone in the woods near her home.

Meyer and her family wrote the Bangor Daily News “to thank the following people for their efforts” in locating her when “I got lost in the woods” the last day of August, she wrote.

“The efforts of all the staff and residents at Dirigo Pines, the Orono Police Department, the Maine Warden Service, the Maine Search and Rescue dogs and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department are very much appreciated,” Meyer wrote.

“The cooperation of these groups was very efficient and, fortunately, successful.”

Meyer extended “a special thanks” to Sgt. Scott LaJoie and Sgt. Scott Scripture of the Orono Police Department, and to “Pat Devlin and Dave Georgia of the Maine Warden Service.”

She added “a very special thanks to Irene Morey of Stonington and her German shepherd, Eiko.

“After spending the night alone in the woods, it truly was a pleasure to see Irene and Eiko Friday morning,” Meyer explained.

“Thanks again to all who helped in finding me,” she concluded.

“We are truly fortunate to live in a community which is served by such professional and effective organizations and individuals.”

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