BIDDEFORD

Students give gifts to kids at Southern Maine Health Care

Additional Images

The Biddeford Regional Center of Technology’s Student Leadership Council and Biddeford High School’s Interact Club donated toys for children at Southern Maine Health Care during Christmas. Karen Chasse, second from left, Southern Maine Health Care’s development manager, accepts toys from Jordan Stickles, left, and Madison Lawlor, co-presidents of the council and and Sami Pinard, right, vice president. Photo courtesy Leslie Roberts

Berwick Academy students set a record by raising $2,400 to fulfill Toys for Tots requests in 2014. This marks the 20th year that students have participated in the program of helping to fulfill the Christmas wishes of needy residents by adopting star gift requests from the town's Christmas tree. Photo courtesy Tracey Boucher

Thanks to the generosity of donors and the volunteer efforts of Biddeford Regional Center of Technology’s Student Leadership Council and Biddeford High School’s Interact Club, children at Southern Maine Health Care each received a new toy during the holidays.

“It means so much to the children to have a gift to open,” said Jan Roberts, RN, manager of obstetrics and pediatrics at SMHC. “We are very grateful to the Center of Technology and BHS students for helping to make the holidays bright for these ill children.”

“We are extremely proud of these students,” added Tim Stebbins, assistant director at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology. “They voted on where they would like to contribute the gifts to make a difference and were able to collect gifts throughout the school to help others in need this holiday season.”

Madison Lawlor and Jordan Stickles, BRCOT Student Leadership Council co-presidents and Sami Pinard, vice president, helped Stebbins make the delivery to SMHC.

AUGUSTA

State Library staff to help new e-reader, tablet owners

The Maine State Library staff will be available to offer technical support to set up or use e-readers and tablets every Tuesday through the month of January at 64 State House Station

Three classes also will be held to show patrons how to use their new devices to download free e-book and audiobook content. Each session is tailored to address one of the three major operating platforms used by tablet and e-reader devices. Those classes will meet from 2 to 4 p.m. on the following schedule: iPad / iOS session, Tuesday; Kindle session, Jan. 13; and Android/Nook session, Jan. 20.

Each class is free and open to the public, but preregistration is required. For more information, call 287-5600. The Maine InfoNet Library can be found online at: download.maineinfonet.org.

CUMBERLAND

Maine Prep offering classes for SAT, ACT at new office

Maine Prep, an SAT and ACT prep company, has opened a new office at 299 Main St., to meet the testing needs of students in the Falmouth, Yarmouth, Windham and Cumberland area..

The next SAT eight-session class begins Jan. 13, and meets from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays through March 10.

The ACT group class begins, Feb. 23 and prepares for the April 18 ACT.

For more information about all Cumberland classes, as well as private tutoring for the SAT, ACT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, and SSAT, call 798-5690, email maineprep@gmail.com or visit www.maineprep.com.

SANFORD

Volunteers sought to help with tax preparation services

York County CA$H (Creating Assets, Savings & Hope) at York County Community Action is seeking volunteers to provide free income tax preparation services for the 2015 tax season.

YC CA$H has helped more than 2,500 eligible York County residents collect nearly $5 million in federal and state tax refunds at IRS-sponsored volunteer income tax assistance sites throughout York County.

YC CA$H is one of nine members of CA$H Maine, a statewide coalition that provides opportunities for Mainers to build assets and get ahead.

Volunteers receive training on tax law and do not need any tax experience to participate.

Training for opportunity guides will be held at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 14, and volunteer tax preparer training begins Jan. 19. Both will be held at 6 Spruce St.

Volunteers completing the tax preparer training receive IRS certification.

To sign up or for more information, call 459-2903 or email Meaghan.arzberger@yccac.org.

Animal House gives $3,000 in products to animal shelter

The Animal House of Damariscotta and Westbrook donated more than $3,000 in products on behalf of their customers to the Lincoln County Animal Shelter and Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland as part of their “12 Woofs of Christmas” campaign.

Customers selected a shelter dog or cat to sponsor. The Animal House customized bags specific to their needs at wholesale cost. All packages were delivered on Christmas Eve.

SANFORD

Santa, elves visit children at Fraser-Ford Development

Preschool children at the Fraser-Ford Child Development Center welcomed a visit from Santa Claus recently, escorted by his helpers from the Wells and Ogunquit Chambers of Commerce, who arrived via a festive green trolley.

The children each received a wrapped gift provided by the center as well as a stuffed animal, brought to the center by the members of the chambers.

SOUTH BERWICK

Berwick Academy students raise Toys for Tots funds

Berwick Academy students set a record this year raising $2,400 for the Toys for Tots program.

Led by Upper School history teacher Brad Fletcher, students raised money, shopped for toys, wrapped them in class and delivered them to the town office to be distributed to families in need.

They fulfilled eight of the 24 requests from the stars on the tree in downtown South Berwick.

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