Pet Rescue among grant recipients

    The Aroostook County Committee of the Maine Community Foundation recently awarded $23,000 in grants to 12 Aroostook County nonprofits. Among the funded programs is Helping Hands for Children and Families in Presque Isle. The grant will be used to support the Central Aroostook Mentoring Program, which facilitates safe mentoring relationships between children aged 7 to 18 and responsible adults or high school students in the community.     Other county grant awards went to:
• Aroostook Youth Football, Presque Isle, to support the addition of a middle school component to its program;
• Caribou Pet Rescue, to spay and neuter shelter pets prior to adoption, teach responsible pet ownership to area children and provide vaccinations for shelter pets and feral cats;
• Legal Services for the Elderly, Augusta, for the Elder Access to Justice project, serving low-income elderly residents of Aroostook County;
• SAD 27, Fort Kent, to bring the Children’s Stage Adventures Theatre Program to the district elementary schools;
• SAD 42, Mars Hill, to provide recreational opportunities for children who are at risk for obesity and other high-risk behaviors;
• Nordic Heritage Ski Club, Presque Isle, to purchase mountain bikes for youth;
• The Northern Lighthouse, Mars Hill, to purchase educational programs promoting healthy lifestyles for youth;
• Presque Isle Historical & Genealogical Society, to support its new geo-caching program; and
• Town of Wallagrass, to revitalize the Soldier Pond Village and assist a local Boy Scout in erecting a veterans’ monument.
    The Aroostook County Fund is built through donations from the community.  If you wish to donate to the fund, please contact Pam Scheppele at 540-6494 or pscheppele@mainecf.org.