RACE program offers House of Horror

    ISLAND FALLS — Brave hearts knows there is nothing scarier than the mind of a teenage boy; so contemplate harnessing that imagination to design and perform in a House of Horrors. If that doesn’t make your skin crawl, locate that House of Horrors in the scariest place in Aroostook County; the old, forbidding, and some say haunted, Milliken Memorial Hospital in Island Falls.
    Ten students from southern Aroostook County are participating in the RACE program; a weekly program to teach skills to plan and perform community service projects as well as prepare for adulthood.  The first project, a House of Horror fundraiser, will use the proceeds to fund future community service projects.  This House of Horrors will be one night only, Saturday, Oct. 31 from 7-10 p.m. at 66 Sherman St. in Island Falls and admission is $5 per body. RACE students encourage parents to use discretion as this event is labeled “High Terror”.
    The first lessons learned in October in preparation for the House of Horrors was event planning, creative arts, minor construction, and acting.  Men from the community came to provide their expertise in building props and materials and enjoy the frenetic energy of young men in full creative mode.
    “The great thing about this program is discovering the strengths of these young men and harnessing them to do phenomenal things.  We have young men with mechanical, musical, and creative talents, and when combined with what they have yet to learn and what we have yet to discover about them, it is limitless to what they can accomplish,” said Bob King, program administrator.  “I can’t wait for future projects so others in the community can be amazed at what these young men have to offer.”
    Primarily support for the RACE program comes from private funding, but in August, Brave Hearts received a $1,000 grant from the Maine Community Foundation’s, Aroostook County Fund.  The money was used to purchase two computers for the program.  
    “Already these computers have been put to use creating flyers for the House of Horrors,” Kingsaid. “We foresee them being used for all the projects to include website maintenance, presentation development, and journalism. Every little bit helps and we appreciate the Aroostook County Fund’s acknowledgement of the value of this program and particularly the young men who benefit from it,” King said.
    The RACE program is currently seeking suggestions for projects that will benefit the community.  In addition to local projects, these young men will serve or impact a national and international program as well.  
    To know more about the RACE program, suggest a community service project or share your expertise, please contact Brave Hearts at (207) 463-2126 or mking@braveheartsmaine.org.