Sometimes I feel I’m really out of the loop, and no more so than when I had to admit to Sandi Macomber of Care Development in Bangor that I knew absolutely nothing about the hobby of “scrapbooking.”

Now, I do keep scrapbooks, and always have.

They’re not perfect, but they are a repository for many memories.

I also have boxes and boxes of items that should be put into scrapbooks but haven’t been. Obviously, I’m not a true “scrapbooker.”

So I was very intrigued when Macomber told me about “Care to Crop,” a fund-raiser for Care Development, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday, March 2, in the ballroom at University College on Texas Avenue in Bangor.

The event features Debbie Belanger of Creative Scrapbooking in Glenburn.

Admission for a half-day is $15, and that includes lunch or dinner plus snacks.

You can also choose to attend hourly sessions for $2 an hour.

“Care to Crop” is a fund-raiser for Care Development, a nonprofit adoptive and foster care agency in Bangor.

“We have what we call a Care Fund that is available to all the children in the agency,” Macomber explained.

“When a child wants to go to summer camp and can’t afford it, he or she can apply to this fund.

“Lots of employees donate money to the fund, and it’s being continuously built, but when summer comes it depletes, and it doesn’t take much to do that” when one considers the cost of sending a child to camp.

This is “the fourth of fifth year” for this fund-raiser, which, Macomber said, “really just included staff members” and people familiar with “scrapbooking.”

Believe it or not, last year’s event raised $1,500 for the Care Fund.

This year, by opening it to the public, organizers hope to do even better.

“Scrapbooking has gotten to be a really big thing,” Macomber explained.

And she’s apparently right.

I went on line and couldn’t believe the information available. You can even attend a “Scrapbooking Retreat” if you’re so inclined.

Macomber said that everyone “takes pictures and puts them in albums,” but that “scrapbooking” teaches you how to do it beautifully and in a way that will properly preserve those priceless photos and mementos.

Beginners are invited to attend, Macomber said, “and everything they need will be available for purchase, if they don’t have their own. Debbie has all the stuff you need to get started.

“All you have to do is bring in your pictures. She has stickers, scrapbooks, all the acid-free gluing and paper. Everything.”

The event features door prizes and giveaways in addition to the food, “and it’s just a whole lot of fun,” Macomber said.

Not only does Belanger “go around and help people,” Macomber said, “but those who have been doing it a long time help newcombers, too. It’s great. I just love it. I have four kids, and this day is a really special treat for me.”

University College staff provided the site at a reduced cost, “and they just go above and beyond in helping us set up and take down,” Macomber said.

Additionally, Belanger donates 10 percent of her sales to the Care Fund, “which is a considerable amount,” Macomber added.

Reservations can be made by calling Care Development at (888) 236-2273 and asking to speak with event coordinator Martha Ward.

I extend a hearty “well done” to all you chocolate lovers who attended the Chocolate Feast and Silent Auction to benefit The Next Step Domestic Violence Project of Hancock County.

Held earlier this month at the White Birches Restaurant in Ellsworth, Next Step Executive Director Laurie Fogelman wrote to me that “this was our best year ever, both in terms of the number of people who came, and the amount of money that we raised,” which was more than $6,000.

Fogelman added that “since every dime will help us to exist, and these difficult financial times are a challenge, this money is more important than ever.”

To all of you, on behalf of The Next Step and those it serves, thank you for your support!

Four letters arrived at the NEWS recently, all containing the same message; An expression of appreciation to the owners of Dunbar’s Store in Sullivan Harbor for providing the Bangor Daily NEWS to sixth-graders at Mountain View School in Sullivan.

Melissa Havey wrote that she “really enjoyed using them in our social studies class,” and that reading the NEWS “helped us learn a lot about the world, too.”

Kassandre Carey loves “to do the Mini Page,” and wrote that she and her classmates “all look forward to the newspaper coming every Tuesday. Our teacher, Miss Beal, always thinks up fun stuff to do with the paper.”

Krista Clement is “very thankful for having these newspapers available to us,” she wrote.

“They provide us with important information on what is going on in the world around us.”

She described the NEWS as “a useful tool for expanding our education,” and wrote that, “one time, we even acted out the story in the newspaper.”

And one student, who apparently chose to remain anonymous, wants to “thank Dunbar’s store, again, for providing us with the papers,” which the writer believes gives these students “a lot of information about life, and things that we should know.”

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8228.