HODGDON, Maine — Students in Hodgdon are in a hurry to sign up to be a part of the first-of-its-kind Heidi’s Hope Serve-a-Thon on Saturday, Oct. 18, which will not only help spruce up their town, but also raise money for scholarships for County kids who have dreams of attending college.
The teens will help clean up, spruce up and help preserve a variety of locations throughout the community.
Four projects are planned throughout the town and include a variety of projects sure to please everyone. The first project includes a busy and very physical day with great big Christmas trees. Pleasant View Tree Farm needs help with their more aged trees, controlling the boughs at the base of their beauty. The students can spend the whole day dreaming of Christmas.
The second project, also in the spirit of getting ready for the holidays, provides students with a unique opportunity to work with some of the most valued trees in our culture — Christmas trees. Students will be a part of a tree growth cycle as they transplant several trees for the next stage in their growing cycle.
The third project gives students the chance to clean up the streets. Starting at opposite ends of Main Street, teams of students will move down the main drag, up and down side streets, and clean up the trash. This is a great environmentally friendly project and will get students engaged in their communities!
Although not so obviously connected to the spirit of the season and of giving, Hodgdon students are concerned about the issues with food and hunger in The County. Because they are aware that many families are going without enough food to provide meals for everyone, the students created Feeding Frenzy, a project to bring their energy to this social issue. After setting up a project center station, students will work within the community for the day collecting nonperishable food to donate to the stressed food kitchens.
Executive Director April Flagg had nothing but glowing things to say about the small but mighty Hodgdon Hawks, “This town has a unique feel to it. It may be small, but the students dream big and I love that. They are so excited about this project, and their coordinator, Kara Wright is amazing, so energetic and committed!”
Hodgdon’s principal, Mary Harbison, loves the concept of service within the community, “I have always liked the quote from Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” I think that embodies the true spirit of living a purposeful life.”
The Heidi’s Hope Serve-a-Thon honors Heidi Graham, who was AAI Founder Ray Gauvin’s partner in Advantage Payroll Service for 26 years, and helped Gauvin build the business to be the number one payroll processor in Maine. In addition to her key role building Advantage Payroll alongside Ray Gauvin and her other full-time job as wife and mother, Heidi was always willing to help out in any way she could. She volunteered countless hours with schools, church, Girl Scouts, Aroostook Teen Leadership Camp, and other community programs. Graham lost a two-year battle to breastcancer in 2013. The Serve-a-thon honors Heidi’s spirit and determination and her commitment to community service and education.
AAI, which includes the Gauvin County Scholarship Fund, was publicly launched in April 2013 by local businessman Ray Gauvin and his wife, Sandra, a 25-year veteran of the education profession, along with project co-founder Jason Parent, a St. John Valley native and Caribou resident who spent 14 years working for local colleges.
The mission is to support the educational and career goals of the youth in Aroostook County, and to mobilize the future prosperity of The County. The initiative, which is governed by a 24-member board of directors comprised of community leaders County-wide, provides scholarships as well as guidance and professional development support for high school seniors in all 16 of the County’s school districts.
For additional information, or to make a donation, please visit www.gauvinfund.org and click on the pink Heidi’s Hope tab.
