By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
HOULTON — Five junior auxiliary members of American Legion Post 47 donated activity bags they made for children who will be waiting for a doctor in the emergency department at Houlton Regional Hospital. Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
GOODIE BAGS — It was all smiles last Thursday when junior auxiliary members of American Legion Post 47 donated activity bags they made for children who end up waiting in Houlton Regional Hospital’s emergency department. From left, are: Cary Suitter, junior auxiliary member; Peggy Sue Rusk, president of the ladies auxiliary; Tammy Acott, junior auxiliary leader who supervised the project; junior auxiliary members Danica Welton, Danielle Welton, Alex Maker and Taylor Sheldon; and Trish Murray, nurse manager of the emergency department.
“It’s great to be able to provide children with something that would distract them while they are waiting. So, having anything to help distract young children helps Moms and Dads. And, we are very grateful for the donation,” said Trish Murray, nurse manager of the emergency department when she accepted the bags last Thursday.
Taylor Sheldon, 14, said she has been in the junior auxiliary for just a few months. “It’s my first project and I feel good to help the little kids. It was fun. We were working together in a group at Tammy’s house.”
The project called for the junior auxiliary to develop 50 kits for children. Tammy Acott, often seen in the American Legion’s color guard, is leader for the junior auxiliary. She supervised the project that took a couple of months from the initial fund-raising until the actual donation last week.
“We are “very, very fortunate for donations from Betty Acott, Mary Suitter, Walmart, Bridgestone Tires and the money the junior auxiliary donated from their own account,” said Acott.
Each of the activity bags contains a coloring and activity book, crayons, a stuffed animal, a notebook and a get-well card. Carey Suitter, 11, has been involved for about one year in junior auxiliary. She said “Tammy came out with the bags and a box of coloring books and crayons and notebooks and we took off all the tags and stuffed everything in the bags.”
According to Alex Maker, 9, it was not a tough assignment. “What I liked most was bringing the bags here to the emergency room and donating them.”
Twin sisters Danica and Danielle Welton, 16, have been involved in junior auxiliary for about four years. During that time, they have worked on several projects including Thanksgiving dinners for senior citizens, red crepe paper poppy distributions and penny shopping days.
Danica said, “it was fun knowing that we could help little kids so that they would not be bored while they were waiting to be checked out.” Danielle agreed saying she enjoys helping others.
Although she was not directly involved in the project, Peggy Sue Rusk, president of the ladies auxiliary showed up to support the effort of the juniors. “They did an awesome job. Tammy leads them in the right direction. You don’t have to ask them twice to do anything.”
According to Acott, in the short time that the junior program has been running in Houlton, it is one of the most active in the state.