YORK

Stonewall Kitchen donates $10,000 to Camp Sunshine

Local specialty food manufacturer and retailer Stonewall Kitchen has donated $10,000 to Camp Sunshine in Casco.

Located along Sebago Lake, Camp Sunshine offers children with life-threatening illnesses and their families a place to relax together for a week and take a break from the extraordinary demands placed upon them.

The year-round program is free and staffed almost entirely by volunteers.

It is the only program in the nation whose mission is to address the impact of a life-threatening illness on every member of the immediate family.

Since its inception in 1984, the camp has provided a haven for more than 32,000 individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.

In addition to providing 24-hour on-site medical and psycho-social support, the camp offers a variety of daily activities, including swimming, boating, archery and soccer, and special events such as bonfires and cookouts.

Stonewall Kitchen Donation Committee members recently spent the day at Camp Sunshine, where they received a tour.

The committee also provided jars of jam and mustard to families staying at the camp.

For more information, please visit www.campsunshine.org.

LIVERMORE

Living history center taking reservations for overnight

Washburn-Norlands Living History Center is accepting reservations for its next 24-hour Live-In History Experience, set for Sept. 27 and 28.

The event features an overnight introduction to the food, activities and living conditions of the 19th century and a unique and fun way of learning about rural Maine farm life after the Civil War.

Participants will live without modern technology, such as cellular phones and MP3 players, for 24 hours; will assume the character of someone who actually lived near the Norlands in the 19th century and become a part of a farm family; learn appropriate behavior and customs, speech and colloquialisms of the time; use 19th century farm implements and discover the challenges of cooking on a wood stove; learn the realities of 19th century farm life by participating in indoor and outdoor chores, playing period games and listening to stories in the evening; take classes in the District 7 one-room schoolhouse; stay in an authentic reproduction of an 1870s farmer’s cottage with old-fashioned beds; and eat three authentic farm meals, an evening snack, one night’s lodging, and instructional materials.

 Fees are $125 per adult and $95 for ages 12 and younger. Sign-up and payment due by Sept. 13. 

Space is limited to a maximum of 15 participants. 

For more information or to register, call 897-4366 or e-mail Programs@Norlands.org. 

BRUNSWICK

Applications for Miss Maine Day now being accepted

The Miss Maine Scholarship Program announced that applications for its annual Miss Maine Day are now being accepted. 

Miss Maine Day competitions will be held at the Topsham Grange Hall on Pleasant Street in Topsham on Oct. 12. 

The Miss Maine Day competition is a fundraiser for its scholarship program and awards titles in four age groups while providing opportunities for growth and achievement.

For more information, go to www.missmaine.org, Pageants/Programs and click on Miss Maine Day, or contact Leigh-Anne Deschenes Bordas by emailing leighannedeschenes@gmail.com.

SOUTHERN MAINE

Local Boys & Girls Clubs chosen for pilot program

Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine was chosen among 75 clubs nationwide to pilot a new program this summer by Boys & Girls Clubs of America called Brain Gain, a program to help prevent the summer learning loss that puts club kids at risk.

Summer is a critical component of our Great Futures program and provides a great opportunity for the clubs to have an impact on kids.

While kids gear up for school to begin, as many as 50 club members from Lewiston/Auburn, Portland and South Portland have been participating in this eight-week program, ending this week.

Brain Gain was created by BGCSM, with goals to eliminate summer learning loss for members, build effective partnerships with schools, assure our members transition through middle school to high school on track to graduate and assure club staff have the skills and resources to implement expanded learning programs.

BGCSM hired its chief operating officer Karen MacDonald two years ago. MacDonald formerly served as vice president of program and youth development services with BGCA for more than 10 years. She helped develop many of the programs on the national level that local clubs are now able to implement for kids and teens in our communities.

Locally, MacDonald spearheaded the Brain Gain pilot program last spring for program staff to bring creative and fun programs for members participating in Brain Gain in Lewiston/Auburn and Greater Portland.

PORTLAND

Mercy offers screenings for those at risk of lung cancer

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended screenings for those at high risk for lung cancer, the nation’s leading cause of cancer deaths.

Mercy, in collaboration with Mercy Portland Thoracic Surgery and Mercy Radiology, offers Maine’s only comprehensive lung cancer screening program for people at high risk for lung cancer. 

The screenings, which began in March, are performed at Mercy’s Fore River Hospital.

The task force, an independent panel of non-federal experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine, conducts scientific evidence reviews of a broad range of clinical preventive health care services (such as screening, counseling, and preventive medications) and develops recommendations for primary care clinicians and health systems.

Maine has a significantly higher incidence of lung cancer and mortality than the national average. Smoking causes 80 to 90 percent of cases of lung cancer, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Individuals ages 55 to 79 who have a 30 pack-year history (average number of packs smoked daily multiplied by the number of years of active smoking) of smoking and are current smokers or stopped smoking fewer than 15 years ago are considered at high risk for lung cancer.

Those who fall into this risk category are encouraged to talk with their doctor about being tested at Mercy. 

The non-invasive, low-dose CT scan requires no preparation and takes no more than 30 minutes. 

A Mercy radiologist provides immediate interpretation and can recommend smoking cessation counseling, if appropriate.

The procedure is covered by an increasing number of commercial insurers.

For self-pay patients, Mercy has agreed to offer the service for a maximum out-of-pocket expense of $275.

To help determine if you are a candidate for lung cancer screening, call your primary care provider. 

Physician offices may call Mercy at 879-3737 to schedule a screening.

KENNEBUNK

Two members of Scout troop become Eagle Scouts

Boy Scout Troop 304 of Kennebunk recently honored the advancement of two of its Scouts to the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank of the Boy Scouts of America.

Bryan Ebbrecht and Matthew Upham are among the approximately three to four percent of boys who enter Boy Scouts who achieve this rank.

Each candidate who achieves this honor must earn at least 21 badges, advance through the ranks of the BSA and demonstrate leadership and community service by fully planning, organizing and carrying out an Eagle Scout project.

Ebbrecht’ project was to identify unknown graves and perform restoration work for the Washburn Cemetery in Kennebunkport.

A home-schooled high school graduate, he plans to attend Evangel University in Missouri this fall to study broadcasting and biblical studies.

Ebbrecht is the son of Christian and Danielle Ebbrecht of Kennebunk.

For Upham’s project, he designed, raised funds for and constructed a garden shed for the Kennebunk High School garden.

A graduate of Kennebunk High School, Upham plans to attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts this fall to study engineering.

Upham is the son of Drs. Paul and Susan Upham of Kennebunk.

SCARBOROUGH

Kiwanis Club members recognized as Zeller Fellows

Two members of the Scarborough Kiwanis Club were recognized as Zeller Fellows at a recent club meeting.

Members Ian Engelman and Jim Damicis were each presented the Walter Zeller Fellowship award, which honors individuals for their outstanding work in the community and in their Kiwanis Club.

The Zeller Award is made possible due to a contribution of $1,250 to support The Eliminate Project, Kiwanis’ global campaign to save the lives of babies and their mothers by eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus.

Each Zeller contribution protects or saves 690 mothers and their future babies from death due to tetanus.

To date, The Eliminate Project has raised more than $38 million in cash and pledges.

Damicis and Engelman, both Kiwanis sponsors for the Wentworth School Builders Club, assist the students with many fundraisers and community projects throughout the school year.

CAMDEN

Alumni association honors three for community service      

The Board of Directors of the Camden High School Alumni Association recently honored alumni members Gianina Ames, Frank Rankin and Parker Laite with special recognition awards honoring their outstanding service to Camden and the surrounding communities over the years. 

Vicki Fletcher also accepted a plaque in honor of her father, Paul Putnam.

SOUTH BERWICK

Eliot Rotary donates $2,000 to library for renovations

The Eliot Rotary presented a $2,000 check to the South Berwick Library recently from proceeds gained through the sale of lobster rolls at the recent South Berwick Strawberry Festival.

The money will be used for renovations on the main entrance to the new library.

This donation, along with proceeds from a recent townwide solicitation, brings the South Berwick Library Capital Campaign fundraising total to more than $870,000, leaving approximately $230,000 to be raised to complete the new library. Current summer fundraising events include a coin drive and a gift card raffle, with plans under way for a special event in November targeted to raise $20,000 to renovate the building’s balcony.

For more details, go to www.friendsofsouthberwicklibrary.org.

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Correction: Because of incorrect information supplied by a source, a previous version of this column misidentified Karen MacDonald. She is chief operating officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine.