People who knew and loved the late Beth Charczynski Wright of Addison – who was 28 when she died of breast cancer in August 2000 – are keeping her spirit alive through the Choose Life Foundation.

Two months before her death, Wright founded the organization to bring comfort, help and inspiration to others whose lives have been affected by the disease.

In her name, others are continuing that work, and the Choose Life Foundation is “doing very well,” reports her sister, Lynne Toppin of Addison.

A walk in Wright’s name last May “raised quite a bit of money,” Toppin said, “and right now we’re going through a real growing process. We’ve expanded our board to 17 members who are serving on several different committees.”

One of those is the outreach committee, which is sponsoring a potluck supper to benefit five families in the area who have been affected by cancer.

The supper begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, at the Community of Christ Church in Jonesport.

Admission is $5 per person.

“We are just trying to raise as much as we can for these five families who are in need,” Toppin said.

At the supper, Choose Life Foundation members will have raffle tickets for sale to help a 12-year-old boy who has a brain tumor, Toppin explained.

“The tickets are $1 each or six for $5,” Toppin said, “and the prize is $100 worth of groceries at the Shop ‘n Save in Machias.”

To help the youngster and his single mom, the Choose Life Foundation will match all monies raised by the raffle.

If anyone has any questions about the foundation, its work, or any of these fund-raisers, you are welcome to call Toppin at 483-6104.

During December, members of the public can view and purchase artwork by members of the Bangor Art Society and the University of Maine faculty.

“This is not something that the Bangor Public Library usually allows,” said Jean Oliver of the BAS.

But in view of the events of Sept. 11, library staff agreed to make an exception.

“The artists wanted to be able to display, and to sell, their paintings, with all the money going to the American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund,” Oliver said.

The work will be displayed through the end of the month in the Stairwell Gallery of the library at 145 Harlow St. in Bangor.

Artists participating in this fund-raiser include University of Maine professors Michael Lewis, James Linehan and Owen Smith.

Members of the BAS displaying and offering their works for charity are Helene Bosse, Mary Helen Georgitis, Sally Guraldo, Ed Healy, Jo Anne Houlsen, John LeBlanc, Dave Musselman, Becky Rivers, Patricia Vadas, Lindsay Mae Weirich, Helen Wolfhagen and Diana Young.

The traditional Bangor Mental Health Institute Christmas pageant begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, on the front lawn of BMHI, 656 State St. in Bangor.

The public will enjoy watching a re-enactment of the Christmas story by BMHI patients, seeing live animals from local farms, listening to the music of the New Renaissance Singers, singing favorite carols and enjoying food, fun and fellowship with other community members.

If you have a flashlight, you are asked to bring it so you can read the song sheets you will be provided.

And, don’t forget, if you contribute a minimum of $15 to one of several organizations, you will receive a copy of “The Soul of Hepatica Hill,” a 75-page collection of writings and original art by people who were patients at BMHI during the past century.

Organizations benefiting from the sale of this book include the Battered Women’s Project and Sister Mary O’Donnell Shelter in Aroostook County; Eastern Maine AIDS Network serving Aroostook and Penobscot counties; Down East AIDS Network serving Hancock and Washington counties; H.O.M.E. Inc. and The Next Step in Hancock County; Peaceful Choices in Washington County; Womancare in Piscataquis County; and Manna, Inc., Newport Food Bank, The Shaw House and Spruce Run Association in Penobscot County.

BMHI Centennial Book Project coordinator Fran Pratt said only a limited number of books are available, but you can obtain forms to order them at the pageant.

Karen Reilly of Eastern Maine Technical College wants you to know that The Friends of EMTC Library will be selling book pins and little people pins to raise funds to support the library and its early childhood education library resources.

The pins, which make unique holiday gifts, will be sold from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, at Rangeley Hall and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12, in the Maine Hall lobby, both on the EMTC campus at 354 Hogan Road in Bangor.

The net proceeds from the sale of the pins by Lucinda will be donated to various nonprofit organizations throughout Maine.

For information about the pins or the work of The Friends of EMTC Library, call Reilly at 941-4606 or e-mail her at kreilly@emtc.org.

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