Presumpscot Lodge No. 70, Windham’s local chapter of the Freemasons, raised $9,450 for its scholarship fund at a dinner Tuesday, April 21.

According to lodge member Gaige Hamilton, the funds will support two students at Windham High School, who will each receive a minimum of $1,000, with one scholarship going to a student pursuing a trades degree, the other to one pursuing a liberal arts degree. The scholarships, he said, were meant to award students who actively work toward benefiting their community, and the lodge will prioritize students who may not receive as much support as students who typically earn scholarships of this type.

This is the first full-scale dinner the lodge has held in support of this specific scholarship. Historically, the lodge has made significant contributions to the Windham community in the form of charity work, scholarships, oil donations, and shoveling and sanding the driveways of elderly residents.

Lodge member Derrick DiPaolo praised Hamilton, along with fellow organizer Bogdan Voinea, for putting the event together.

“It’s doing great. Good to see some people I haven’t seen in a long time. Being with my brothers from the lodge is always a good time,” said DiPaolo.

More than 100 residents turned out in support of the scholarship. Don Hall, a lifelong Windham resident, said his wife had told him about the event and the scholarship it was supporting, and he “just (wanted to) help (the masons) out.”

Entertainment was provided by the country band 43 Degrees North, as well as several comedians from Great Falls Comedy Club, including Nick Gordon, Mark Turcott, and comedy club President Leonard Kimble. According to Kimble, Great Falls Comedy Club has a long history with the Masons, with Kimble doing two previous shows with them in recent years.

Early in the event, Voinea went on stage to thank the people who came out tonight. Voinea said the cause was important for him, and praised Hamilton for helping to organize the event. Hamilton said every dollar raised at the event would go toward the community, and thanked the entertainment acts and sponsors that made the event possible. There was also a video message from former Red Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon, who had a signed baseball up for auction at the fundraiser’s silent auction.

Overall, the dinner brought in $9,450 through sponsorships, private checks of up to $500, and the sale of signed memorabilia from legendary athletes such as Papelbon, Ted Williams and Hank Aaron, with a signed poster of the latter selling for $350. There was also a 50/50 raffle, which saw a small construction company pool money to buy as many tickets as possible.

Hamilton said the dinner was the culmination of almost a year’s worth of planning, and that the lodge plans to host another fundraiser in the future. The scholarship fund, he said, will be able to go on for years because of the money raised this year.