Windham third grader’s fundraiser makes big difference for community

By Matt Pascarella

Windham third-grader Eva Doughty really likes helping people. When the Windham Clothes Closet and Food Pantry visited her class, she became inspired. She wanted to help those in need have food and clothes during the cold winter. She decided to organize a fundraiser and created her own Polar Dip event at Sebago Lake on Tuesday, Jan. 24 where about 25 people attended.

Eva Doughty, left, Harper Maxfield and Troy Doughty hold
up the check from Eva's Polar Dip fundraiser from which 
she was able to donate more than $2,200 to the Windham
Food Pantry and the Windham Clothes Closet during the
Windham Town Council meeting on Tuesday, March 21.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

At that event, Doughty and several other students from her neighborhood took the plunge into the icy lake waters.

Through determination and persistence, Doughty was able to raise more than $2,200 for the Windham Clothes Closet and Food Pantry at her Polar Dip.

On Tuesday, March 21 during a Windham Town Council meeting, she presented a check to Collette Gagnon, Windham Social Services Administrative Assistant and operator of the Windham Clothes Closet, and Windham’s General Assistance Manager Rene Daniel.

“I decided to do the Polar Dip because I was always curious what it would feel like to jump into the ice-cold water in the winter,” said Doughty. “I thought it was crazy enough that people would donate to me for doing it.”

In creating the event, she distributed flyers around her neighborhood and Doughty and her family also created a flier that was posted to Facebook from which she received additional donations from her friends and family.

When the donations first started coming in, Doughty said that she felt grateful that people were helping and recalled how was happy she was raising money for a good cause.

Eva’s parents, Chris and Sara Doughty, said it was really great to know that their community was so willing to help other families and support the efforts of their daughter to help those experiencing tough times.

Her parents say that they are very proud of Eva and that she took the initiative to come up with the concept and idea for the Polar Dip and followed through to make an impact in the community. They say she is a thoughtful and generous person with a very kind heart.

All the money she raised was donated directly to the Windham Clothes Closet and Food Pantry and will benefit Windham residents in need.

Gagnon said she gets a lot of requests for items such as milk and eggs and the money raised through the Polar Dip fundraiser will make it easier for the Windham Clothes Closet and Food Pantry to provide these necessities as needed.

“I am totally amazed by the generosity of Eva Doughty wanting to organize this fundraiser,” she said. “She’s a wonderful citizen and a great leader. For a third grader to think of and execute a fundraiser like this makes her ahead of her years.”

Windham Town Councilor Jarrod Maxfield agrees.

“It important to recognize Eva and the other kids because they deserve it for stepping up and doing a fairly difficult thing for such a great cause,” Maxfield said. “A third grader inspired a small group to do a big thing which is an example to all of us in town of how to step up and help your community because that’s what it’s all about.”

Eva Doughty said she’s pleased that people donated to her fundraiser and helped it to become a success.

“I felt really happy that my Polar Dip could help less fortunate families have meals and clothes for the winter that they might not have had otherwise,” she said. “I want to help people the same way every year and I want to get the event bigger and bigger so I can help even more people.” <

WHS’ Kindness Crew strives to break down stigma

By Jolene Bailey

Extracurricular and afterschool clubs hold numerous involvement opportunities for students to put their best foot forward and engage in subjects in which they take interest.

Members of Windham High School's Mental
Health Advocacy Club gather at the school.
Commonly known as the 'Kindness Crew,'
the club's mission is to spread kindness 
among students while creating a safe and
welcoming environment for everyone.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
 

Windham High School’s Mental Health Advocacy Club is commonly known as the Kindness Crew. Their mission is to spread kindness among peers while creating a safe, welcoming environment for anyone to attend. Students acquire strategies to support mental health while breaking down stigmas associated with it.

Meetings take place on Thursday mornings during a PRIDE block in school, from 7:35 to 8:05 a.m. It is an open space for anyone to interact and start conversations with people in the club that they may never have met. Peers spend this time being introduced to new plans or ideas that the club could address.

Kindness Crew advisor Melissa Dubois, who has been working at Windham High School for 24 years, regularly provides students with an agenda, with an activity or a surprise. The point behind this strategy is to keep students engaged and to spread kindness.

“We have had guest speakers and have attended summits with Be The Influence. Some seniors have taken on a leadership role, such as Delana Perkins and Gwen Kim, with organizing events and PRIDE activities,” said Dubois.

Dubois has been running the Kindness Crew for two years. This school year there are about 30 to 40 members who are all active participants while learning about stigma.

Stigma prevents people from speaking up and getting support for issues they are dealing with. Statistics show, just in the farming industry, men represent 95.9 percent of suicide deaths, with a mean age of 57 at the time of death.

“The club was the idea of a former graduate, Hannah McFarland, who wanted to draw attention to mental health issues. I feel it has been successful as the club has doubled in size, not to mention the strategies shared and the opportunities to grow,” said Dubois.

Along with discussing mental health topics openly, students also engage in community service. This school year, Kindness Crew students have planned activities, while taking leadership in others. Some activities they worked on earlier in the school year include the annual Trunk or Treat, youth summits, and participating in last month’s Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce Polar Dip.

Delana Perkins is a Windham High School senior who has been a member of the Kindness Crew since her junior year. She joined instead of spending time with her friends in the morning to help others in the community.

“My favorite part about this club is the bond we have, between fellow high schoolers and the community. The club brings awareness about mental health, where everyone finds many people have their own struggles, making people realize they are not alone,” said Perkins.

Spring is a busy season for the Kindness Crew members. Upcoming events for the students include the Smashing Stigma Campaign, the Yellow Tulip Project and a variety of Windham Parks and Recreation experiences.

The hope for students participating in these events is to help people of all kinds to feel more comfortable and willing to talk openly about mental health, while spreading awareness and being kind.

The Kindness Crew is all about promoting resilience and mental stamina to help enhance communication within, Dubois said.

Those are one of many ways shown they can interact with the community to spread positivity, she said.

Mental health can have a large impact on a person’s daily life. Whether it’s giving someone a thank you letter or listening to a person who wants to be heard, kindness can go a long way. <

RSU 14 students attempt to 'eat their way through alphabet'

By Masha Yurkevich

From a young age, children can remember being told to eat their vegetables, and RSU 14 wants to introduce children to fruits, vegetables and healthy grains that may be new to them during March Madness nutrition month.

RSU 14 is celebrating March Madness by introducing
children and their families to a wide variety of fruits and
vegetables and giving them the opportunity to try new
flavors and recipes and promote healthy eating.
COURTESY PHOTO 

Jeanne Reilly is the Director of School Nutrition at RSU14 and is responsible for the of all aspects of the district’s school nutrition program including developing a budget, writing monthly menus within the USDA Federal School Nutrition Guidelines, staffing the six school kitchens and training the teams, procurement and purchasing, and maintaining operations within all of the federal school nutrition program regulations.

She has been working in school nutrition for 25 years, first as the director of school nutrition for Westbrook School Department, then as the director of school nutrition for both Westbrook and Windham, and finally just for RSU 14.

“March is National Nutrition Month, and we have a tradition of celebrating all month long by eating our way through the alphabet,” says Reilly. “We started on March 1, featuring fruits and vegetables that start with the letter A, and will end on March 31 with vegetables ending with Z. We primarily focus on fruits and veggies, but we occasionally add in a healthy grain, such as quinoa on our Q Day, and we just served freekeh on our F Day.”

Reilly said students have done this every year since she’s worked for Windham and Raymond schools.

“The purpose is to introduce children and their families to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and to give them the opportunity to try new flavors and recipes. We want healthy eating to be exciting and fun,” she said.

Reilly has been working in the food and nutrition industry for 40 years, from hospitals to the Women Infants and Children program (WIC), to working as the director of food service for long term care facilities.

“Finally, as I was seeking out a better work life balance, I really found my lifelong passion in school nutrition,” said Reilly. “I truly believe that school nutrition programs, feeding school children breakfast and lunch, have the unique opportunity to influence the eating habits of children. We are building up the next generation of eaters, fueling them for the future and one of our goals is to inspire children to be more adventurous eaters and to develop a love for fruits and vegetables and healthy food.”

According to Reilly, during the "eat your way through the alphabet" program, RSU 14 likes to provide nutrition information, cooking tips and recipes for the fruits and veggies that they are featuring.

“Each day, our social media content (Facebook and Instagram) is filled with posts about what we are doing and providing recipes that families can try at home,” she said.

On a regular day for Reilly, you may find her working at a register during meal service because they always seem to be perpetually short staffed, or planning menus, managing food orders, or checking in with each of their six kitchens to make sure everyone has everything they need to prepare breakfast and lunch as needed. That’s in addition to emails, budgeting, marketing, planning equipment purchases and all of these things are part of a typical workday for Reilly.

Reilly said that in Maine, school meals continue to be available to all school children at no cost and this is a great benefit to families during these trying times, when inflation continues to significantly impact household budgets.

Families can save money on their grocery budgets by having their children eat breakfast and lunch at school, Reilly said.

Studies show that the healthiest meals that children eat are the meals they eat at school, so healthy school meals at no cost is a win/win for families.

Nutrition information, cooking tips, and recipes for the fruits and vegetables that are being featured this month can be found on the Windham Raymond School Nutrition Program’s Facebook page and on Instagram at lunch4kids_rsu14. <

Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing gears up for spring and summer housing repairs

By Lorraine Glowczak

The Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing is getting ready for spring. With its mission to repair homes for older adults and veterans in the Sebago Lakes region who want to age safely in-place, fundraising efforts are in full swing to make those efforts happen successfully. The National Fuller Center refers to this time of year as March Madness.

Sebago Lakes region Fuller Center for Housing volunteers
Ron Koster, left, and Allen Sample work on a project for
a senior citizen in Windham last year. The organization
is seeking volunteers and monetary donations for
upcoming projects in the community this spring.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

“Last year, we helped over 18 families with projects ranging from repairing steps and ramps, replacing flooring and sills,” Fuller Center President, Diane Dunton Bruni said. “Our largest project was building a farmer’s porch for Linda and John Gregoire of Windham.”

John was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) 15 years ago and he is confined to a mobile chair and makes his living room his year-round living space with no safe exit out of their home in case of an emergency.

“We built a farmer’s porch with the help of local volunteers and cyclists who came to our community in July,” Bruni said. “John and Linda can enjoy more space and see the beautiful outdoors.”

As a recipient of the Fuller Housing projects Linda Gregoire expressed her gratitude for the work completed at her and her husband’s property.

“I don’t just speak for John and myself, but I hope I speak for everyone you helped,” she said. “I want to start with a quote that epitomizes the spirit of volunteerism by a woman who dedicated her life to helping the unseen. In the words of Mother Teresa, ‘You have not truly lived until you have done something for someone who can do nothing to repay you.’”

Gregoire said that serving the unseen, the elderly, the disabled, and veterans (who are often both), is a worthy calling.

“We should remember the unseen weren’t always unseen,” she said. “They were productive members of our community. So, to have a group of caring people come into your life to fix or build and repair something you used to be able to do but can no longer do is an unbelievable experience and blessing.”

This year, the local Fuller Center has many more projects coming up.

“We need continued funds to ensure we can continue our efforts,” Bruni said. “Labor is free unless we need specialized services and materials are bought at the lowest cost possible.”

One of the ways the organization does fundraising is by cycling. William Turner, a local cyclist, and Bruni are raising money through their cycling efforts. You can find them at Fuller Center Bike Adventure at https://www.fullercenterbikeadventure.org

“We certainly could not fulfill our mission of providing adequate shelter and a safe living space for our older adults, like the Gregoires, without the help of area volunteers and businesses,” Bruni said. “Your donations help us help others. Won’t you consider donating to make others stay safely at home?”

To donate go to www.sebagofullerhousing.org, the Fuller Center Bike Adventure or contact them at [email protected].<

Windham's David Field to serve as umpire for Eastern Regional Softball Tournament

By Matt Pascarella

Umpire and Windham resident David Field is about to enter his 24th year as a Little League volunteer and first got involved as a coach when his children were in T-ball. Through the years, he moved through the coaching progressions in Little League Majors softball and on Feb. 23, Field was chosen from over 250 applicants to umpire at the Eastern Region Little League Softball Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut from July 23rd to 28th. The game will be televised on ESPN+.

David Field of Windham was recently selected to umpire at
the Eastern Regional Little League Softball Tournament in
Bristol, Connecticut from July 23 to July 28. The games
will also be televised on ESPN+.
PHOTO BY CLIFF KNIGHT

“[Umpiring] is a fun and rewarding experience,” said Field. “Since I began as a coach, I can easily put myself in the coaches’ position. When I make a call, I will sometimes take the extra moment to explain my call to the player and/or coach. The whole experience is to teach kids and coaches and to make it a fun time. Kids beat themselves up enough when they miss a play. I try and take that moment to let them know how to fix the mistake.”

According to Field, there is no better feeling than walking onto a field and have players start whispering “It’s Mr. Field, he is my favorite umpire.”

Field had the privilege to umpire in the District 6 baseball and softball tournaments last year. He’s volunteered for the 11-12-year-old State of Maine Little League Baseball Tournament in Waldoboro and the 9-10-year-old Little League Softball Tournament in Westbrook.

The District 6 administrator, Bill Finley had encouraged Field to put in for the Eastern Region Tournaments in Bristol, Connecticut.

Finley said Field is outstanding as an umpire and is someone who goes above and beyond, working four to five nights a week. Field makes Finley’s job easy. Field helps Finley organize the tournaments on the computer and will umpire just about anywhere he is asked to go. Field is very deliberate with a great strike zone and calm demeanor.

Another aspect that has kept Field coming back year after year are the individuals with whom he works. Field said being an umpire is part of a brotherhood. Communication is key and you need to have each other’s backs on the field. Little League umpires are not paid but get a fair share of hot dogs and hamburgers.

“David is a very experienced umpire of many years,” said fellow umpire Stephen Schwartz. “He knows the rules well and he has a great ability to think on his feet. Dave will not only bring his considerable experience and expertise to the umpires at the tournament, but he is also very personable and really a delightful umpire to have as a partner in a game.”

According to Field, one of the toughest challenges is during the regular season where umpires might do a lot of games by themselves. When it comes to tournament work, umpires may not be used to three or four individuals and the mechanics that entails on the field. The process of working with other umpires can be a big adjustment.

Standish’s Shawn Falkner will also umpire during the Eastern Region Little League Softball Tournament. Field said it will be fun to work with him as well as having exposure to other umpires from the northeast. Depending on how this goes, Field would even consider a Little League World Series Tournament.

“As a coach, I have worked eleven years with Dave Field on both the baseball and softball sides of Windham Little League,” said former Windham Little League coach Stephen Napolitano. “Dave understands age-appropriate situations, and he has never wavered teaching youth players the proper rules and guidelines of the game. Dave brings integrity and incredible experience to represent our Windham community so well in Bristol, Connecticut.”

Field has also worked on the Windham Little League Board of Directors and knows what it takes to run a Little League organization. He said it isn’t easy and anyone who steps forth isn’t given enough credit.

“Hats off to Windham Little League for the work you have done and will continue to do. It is fun, tiring, but totally rewarding,” said Field.

Finley said Field will make the state and district very proud during the Eastern Regional Tournament. <

Newspaper reaches 10-year milestone in region

On March 1, The Windham Eagle newspaper surpassed a decade of publishing success, reaching its 10-year anniversary of serving the Windham and Raymond communities.

Owned by Kelly and Niels Mank, The Windham Eagle published its first edition on March 1, 2013 and remains focused on providing positive and solutions-based news to the Sebago Lakes Region of Maine. The newspaper is headquartered in Windham and recently moved into new offices at 585 Roosevelt Trail.

The first edition of The Windham Eagle newspaper was
published on March 1, 2013. As of this issue, the newspaper
has now published 518 editions since its inception.
FILE PHOTO 

Kelly Mank said that she never had any aspirations of owning a newspaper before launching The Windham Eagle.

“When presented with the idea, my initial response was ‘I know nothing about the newspaper industry or journalism.’ I remember sitting in the booth at Bucks Naked BBQ with Michelle Libby, my husband Niels, my father Bob and Dave Debree saying, ‘if we are going to do it, it is going to be different.’ I had no idea what that meant. We thought about it for one week. That next week we met again at Bucks Naked BBQ and said, if we are going to do this, it is going to be something everyone can read… from ages 2 to 102. It will be focused on the positive of our community. We would spotlight the youth and their accomplishments as they are the future, we would highlight the veterans and their history for their dedication to our community and we would partner with local businesses to help create a thriving local economy.”

She said a lot of people told her the paper wouldn’t make it, that newspapers are dying and that positive news isn’t real news and can’t work.

“With a lot of dedication and the commitment we made to ourselves and the community, we have survived,” Mank said. “The newspaper’s success did not come easy or without debt and sacrifice, however, it has proven to be a positive tool and resource for our towns, schools, families, non-profits, organizations and businesses.”

Advertising Director Melissa Carter joined The Windham Eagle in October 2013 and said that the greatest misconception people may have about the paper is that it operates with much more of a crew than it actually does.

“Unlike most other publications, we are basically a two-man army. We don’t have a big team and still manage to put out more pages on a weekly basis than any other newspaper in Maine,” Carter said. “Ed Pierce writes and oversees the stories done by our writers, while I do 95 percent of the ad and page designs and 100 percent of the sales. We do have a couple behind-the-scenes people taking care of billing and administrative duties.”

She said consumers don’t really realize that 100 percent of the newspaper’s revenue comes from supporting advertisers which is why she encourages all readers to support the local businesses they see in the paper.

“I love my job. I like meeting new people and love working with local businesses to help market and brand them so they can grow,” Carter said. “Being able to get creative and come up with ideas to contribute to their overall success is challenging and rewarding. I am not your average ‘salesperson,’ in fact I went to school for graphic design and its where my passion lies.”

Through the years, The Windham Eagle has had three different editors, Michelle Libby, Lorraine Glowczak and currently, Ed Pierce.

Libby said there were some amazing things that happened at the beginning, like a woman who called the paper and told her there's no way there's that much positive stuff going on in Windham.

“She wanted us to stop delivering the paper to her house. I think we've proved her wrong over the years,” Libby said. “The other great thing that happened was after we wrote a story about a woman with a brain tumor. A few weeks after it was published, we received a call from a man in California. He wanted to get in touch with the young woman with the tumor. His family member sent him a birthday present wrapped in The Windham Eagle. It was the edition with the story. He was a brain doctor and had contact with someone who worked with people with her exact type of tumor. We did get them in touch with one another.” 

 

Libby said she attributes several factors for the newspaper’s success.

“I think one of the reasons the Eagle has been so successful is the team's willingness to keep it positive. We never got involved in drama or created the drama. We provided hyper-local news that people wanted to read about,” she said. “We worked with veterans, the schools, businesses and so many community members who were doing great things. Another thing that makes the Eagle successful is Melissa Carter and her ability to work fast and get great advertising results. Those business partners have been great at letting the paper know when things are happening. Melissa's consistency has been helpful in making the paper look great and keeping the ads and layout fresh.”

Glowczak said there are so many reasons why she loves writing and working for the newspaper.

“I would say that writing for a positive and solution- based newspaper that focuses on all the wonderful aspects the Raymond and Windham communities have to offer gives our readers ‘a breath of fresh air’ in the midst of divisive news reporting. I love being a part of that ‘fresh air.’ If given another number one reason why I love writing for the Eagle is the fact that the publisher and other Eagle staff believed in and supported me while I was learning the ropes of journalism.”

Pierce has served as The Windham Eagle’s Managing Editor since May 2020 and says he finds working with the newspaper’s freelance writers one of the more gratifying aspects of his job.

“After almost 48 years in journalism, I enjoy helping some of these young writers create interesting articles for our readers,” Pierce said. “I appreciate their enthusiasm and their willingness to go above and beyond to keep our publication filled with great positive stories about this community.”

Carter pointed out that The Windham Eagle is the only publication in the area that is direct mailed to every home and business in Windham and Raymond.

“We saturate the market more efficiently than any other advertising source. I believe in our paper so much and wouldn’t be able to sell it to businesses if I didn’t. Because we go to everyone, there is no question as to who your ad will reach. We focus on the good going on in the community. We bring stories to the readers that they will not find anywhere else. When people see their neighbors, friends, family and students in the paper, it creates a personal connection and is what makes us so unique and highly read. And our customers make us successful. Without them we would not be able to pay the high cost of mailing and printing so many copies. We have a loyal base that support us week after week.”

Along the way, the newspaper created the annual Eagle Choice Awards, where readers cast votes for their favorite and most trusted businesses in the Lakes Region. Through the years it has grown to become one of the most popular activities in the area, culminating with a gathering of award recipients hosted by The Windham Eagle. The newspaper also sponsors regular advertising initiatives specifically intended to raise funds for local nonprofits and various charitable activities. These special initiatives directly benefit organizations from throughout the community such as the Special Olympics, the Windham Veterans Association, the Windham High School Boosters Club and other activities helping residents locally.

Mank said that she’s learned a lot about the community in the 10 years of publishing The Windham Eagle.

“One of my biggest eye openers about our community is how many civic, non-profit and community organizations are in and attached to the Windham and Raymond areas,” she said. “There are times that we feel not everyone agrees with or understands the ‘why’ behind our positive and solutions-based mission however, the community support, involvement, and success continues to remind us of the importance of being different and supporting the community that thrives on positivity.

“I have learned that people will challenge and listen, people will question and learn, and people will speak and regret yet at the end of the day we have to understand that acceptance of opinions and views can be respected even when they may not align with personal views,” Mank said. “For me, it is hard not to make everyone happy, and harder not to take things personally however the last 10 years have taught me that we have a choice in how we want to view ideas and challenges and that our mindset is a decision we make every day.” <