Children’s books still needed to hand out
at Holiday Light Parade
PRESQUE ISLE — Northern Maine Community College students and employees are once again working to brighten and enrich the lives of area children through what has become a signature community service activity during the holiday season. This marks the ninth year the college will be distributing books to children during Presque Isle’s annual Holiday Light Parade.
This initiative, led by NMCC instructor Colleen Harmon, evolved both as an idea to give away something that had a connection to the nature of the college and what it offers the community, as well as providing area children with something from which they would benefit.
During last year’s parade, more than 6,500 books were collected and distributed to youth lined along both sides of Main Street. NMCC is once again collecting books to help put a smile on the face of children attending the holiday tradition, which takes place this year Saturday, December 1.
College volunteers have already been hard at work cleaning donated books and sorting them by age categories. Thanks to a generous donation from the Patrick Theriault School in Sinclair after it closed, as well as some community donations earlier this fall, volunteers have several thousand to work with, but are short of the 6,500 mark that were distributed last year.
Local organizations and individuals who would like to contribute to the cause are invited to drop off books at the college, located at 33 Edgemont Drive in Presque Isle. Books should be brought to the information window in the Christie lobby. To arrange to have larger quantity of books picked up, contact the college relations office at 768-2809.
