Teena Buckingham has been an advocate of animal welfare issues for some time. She has volunteered at the Central Aroostook Humane Society for the past four years and also created a fund-raising program in 2006 called, Share If You Care.
Set up in Web site format, Share If You Care benefits the Central Aroostook Humane Society and other area animal shelters by providing useful information about what items are needed for pet care at the facilities, links for monetary donations, animals available for adoption, and the Spay Me! (Maine) program to name a few.
Buckingham wants everyone to be able to experience the companionship and joy that animals can bring, but she wants people to be responsible and have their pets spayed or neutered. By doing this, owners are not only controlling the pet population, they are helping to maintain the overall health of their pet(s). Buckingham also promotes the Spay Me! program on her Web site because it provides help for lower income individuals/families to have their pet(s) altered at a reduced cost. Certain criteria must be met to qualify for the Spay Me! program and can be found on the Share If You Care Web site at www.freewebs.com/shareifyoucare or www.spayme.org.
But it doesn’t end there. Still wanting to do more to increase awareness about the importance of having pets spayed or neutered, Teena decided to write a book.
Released in 2009, Bodee’s Big Day is a children’s story about a 5 month old, male cat that is ready to go to the veterinarian and become a big kitty. Geared toward children ages 4 to 8, Bodee’s Big Day covers the topic of pet alteration. At one point in the book, Buckingham gives us the cat’s perspective about his impending visit to the doctor, making it easy for the reader to relate to Bodee’s feelings of apprehension and anxiousness.
Bodee’s Big Day is an entertaining and informative read for children who have or may be thinking about adopting a pet. The book can be purchased online at www.monkeypublishing.com or at the Monkey Publishing kiosk at the Aroostook Centre Mall. Information about the children’s book is also on Buckingham’s Share If You Care Web site listed earlier in this article. Bodee’s Big Day will be available at the TAMC gift shop and the Central Aroostook Humane Society in the near future.
Rotary welcomes new members
Recently the Ashland Rotary Club inducted two new members, Harry Hafford of Masardis and Gloria Curtis of Ashland. Hafford is well known for his fund-raising work and involvement with the Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery in Caribou. Curtis ran a successful hunting lodge in Portage for many years and now works as an administrative assistant.
The Ashland Rotary Club is both pleased and proud of their new members and look forward to their working relationship. Congratulations Harry and Gloria.
Valentine’s Day food sale
The VFW ladies auxiliary will be selling homemade goodies at the Ashland Food Mart Saturday, Feb. 14 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Stop by and get some treats for your sweetie!
Portage Centennial news and updates
Participants are needed for the Centennial variety show to be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21 at the Portage Lake Town Hall. People of all ages and from all communities are invited to participate. Those interested can sign up on posters around town, or call/e-mail Corrine Routhier at 435-6854 or arouthier@roadrunner.com. Be sure to include your name or group name, phone number and the talent you are to perform. Come on, we know there’s a lot of talent out there, so go and sign up. It will be lots of fun!
There are 2009 Centennial calendars for sale at Ashland’s Diner, Dean’s, Coffin’s, Ashland One Stop, and the Portage Lake Town Hall. Centennial cookbooks can still be purchased at Dean’s and the Town Hall, as well.
The schedule for the 2009 Portage Lake Centennial is available online at www.connectmaine/portage. Check out all the fun activities that the committee has been hard at work organizing. If you have any questions about these or any other Centennial items/topics, please contact Corrine Routhier at 435-6854 or e-mail arouthier@roadrunner.com.
Ongoing Events
The Ashland Area Senior Citizens group meets every Thursday at noon at the Ashland Recreational Center. Any senior citizens wishing to participate in the potluck lunches and meetings are always welcome.
The Portage Lake Seniors’ Lunch is held on the last Tuesday of every month at 11:30 a.m. at the Town Hall. All individuals 50 and over are invited to attend and can bring a potluck dish to share. For more information, contact Wilza Robertson at 435-6211 or Grace Nason at 435-6373.
The Red Hat Loonies of Portage Lake meet the second Thursday of every month at Dean’s Motor Lodge. Membership dues are $2. Come and have a great meal and a great time, too! For more information, contact Rachel Stevens at 435-6358.
If you can help plan for Portage Lake’s 2009 Centennial Celebration, please contact Corrine Routhier at 435-6854. Your help is both needed and appreciated.
There is an aerobics/exercise group meeting Monday and Thursday nights at the Portage Lake Municipal Building at 6:30 p.m. There is no cost for participants. Please contact Kim Holmes at 435-6043 for more information.
(Julie Graham-Berry is the correspondent for Ashland, Portage Lake, Oxbow, Masardis, Garfield, Nashville Plantation and surrounding townships. She can be reached at 435-7137).
Photo courtesy of Julie Graham-Berry
WRITTEN BY TEENA BUCKINGHAM of Garfield, Bodee’s Big Day is a children’s book that discusses the important topic of pet alteration. Buckingham illustrated the book and included a glossary of terms for younger readers. Bodee’s Big Day can be purchased by clicking on the children’s book tab at www.freewebs.com/shareifyoucare or by going to www.monkeypublishing.com.
Photo courtesy of Julie Graham-Berry
CURRENT ASHLAND ROTARY CLUB President Sarah Brooks, left, welcomes the two newest members, Harry Hafford and Gloria Curtis, into the Rotary Club family.
