Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Proceeds from Saturday’s charity social/auction – hosted by national radio celebrities Bob and Sheri, along with Lamar – will benefit the Central Aroostook United for Student Emergencies, or The CAUSE. “Supporters are teaming up for The CAUSE to raise funds to assist students within the communities of Ashland, Caribou, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Limestone, Mars Hill, Presque Isle and Washburn,” said Lisa Miles, market manager at Citadel Radio in Presque Isle. “Bob and Sheri will be a big draw and the celebrity social/auction will be a ‘must attend’ event.
“We all know there are many students who go to school in need of basic supplies, clothing, glasses, hygiene products, and other items that can be provided to help them successfully meet the daily challenges of learning,” she said. “While school budgets don’t accommodate these student needs, schools sometimes receive donations and/or have a fund targeted for the purpose of assisting students in need.”
The CAUSE will be held Saturday, Sept. 12 at the University of Maine at Presque Isle Campus Center. A social with hors d’oeuvres and beverages will begin at 7 p.m. with a silent and live auction to follow. Sheri Lynch from the Bob & Sheri Show will deliver the keynote address. Tickets are $30 each or $50 per couple. Seating is limited to 250 individuals.
“I can speak with certainty that the event will sell out,” said Jane Towle, chair of the fund-raising event. “I wouldn’t wait until the very last minute to buy your ticket.
“The community has really come forward for this event,” she said. “I’m so pleased. Bob and Sheri have been making mention of the event on the radio in the morning, so they’re excited to come. We are looking forward to it.”
Towle said there are many unique auction items that will be up for bid.
“We have some really neat items that we have not seen before at various auctions,” she said. “One of them is a package to see Metallica in concert in Quebec City valued at $1,000. It’s two tickets … great seats … to the concert, plus overnight accommodations and a motor coach ride to the event, which happens sometime this fall.
“Another unique item are dermabrasion peels from Dr. Ford’s office,” said Towle. “We also have a free home inspection from Aroostook Home Inspections, green fees at local golf courses and much more. We have a great variety of items and hopefully people will bid high and bid often. We will accept auction items right up until the event; there is no deadline because we can always use auction items and sponsorship dollars, too.”
When looking at what charity might benefit from the fund-raiser, Towle said organizers looked specifically at Bob and Sheri.
“Sheri was a young girl who benefited from student emergency funds. She came from a family that was needy and she tells how her family received Christmas baskets, aid from school and whatnot,” she said, “so we thought we’d like to target a charity that would speak to her directly since she’s going to be the keynote speaker. She was a girl who could have fallen through the cracks very easily if it weren’t for a very caring community, and we want to be one of those communities.
“We came up with the student emergency fund because there is such a great need in Aroostook County,” said Towle. “There are so many kids who don’t have the very basics to come to school with whether it be coats, hats, socks, hygiene products … you name it, and when they’re missing those very basic things, it interferes with their learning.”
Each of the identified schools will receive a portion of the Sept. 12 proceeds.
Sue Barrett, school nurse for the Easton School Department, said after being contacted by organizers, she got the school’s wellness team involved in the project.
“Our school has a student emergencies fund but those monies are minimal, so we thought that this was a good cause to support,” she said. “Our wellness team has been calling businesses in town for sponsorships and/or donations for the auction. People have been very supportive and we have quite a list of donors including McCain Foods, the Francis Malcolm Science Center, Mars Hill Country Club and some local farms that have donated potatoes for the auction. We’ve also been selling tickets for the event to our staff, and will have someone from our team help serve hors d’oeuvres Saturday night.”
Barrett knows firsthand how important funds can be for student emergencies.
“Clothing, eyeglasses, winter outerwear and even dental emergencies are some of the things I’ve seen students need,” she said. “We’ve been lucky to have local providers offer such services either free or reduced, so that’s been a help, but having money donated from The CAUSE will be a huge boost.”
Miles said she is excited about having Bob and Sheri host Saturday’s fund-raiser.
“It’s going to be a really fun, entertaining evening,” she said. “It’s going to raise money for students in need. The money will go directly to a child and it can make a significant impact on that child and allow that child to be available for learning, which can have a long-ranging impact on that child’s life and in the circle of influence on that child. It will have a ripple effect and I think that’s great.”
Anyone wishing to help sponsor the event can contact Sharon Campbell at 764-5124 or by e-mailing scampbell@mfx.net.
For anyone unable to attend the social/auction but wishing to meet Bob, Sheri and Lamar, the radio personalities will be in attendance at the annual Citadel Women’s Expo held earlier that day.
