Local architect battles 50 miles in support of MS - By Michelle Libby

Local business woman Emily Mottram is a little tired and understandably so after walking 50 miles to raise money at the 14^th annual Challenge Walk for Multiple Sclerosis this past weekend on Cape Cod. The event raised $762,412 so far and donations are still rolling in. 
 

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects over 2.3 million people worldwide. It is a disease that effects the fatty substance that covers and insulates the nerves, the myelin. The damage forms scar tissue (sclerosis). “When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted or interrupted, producing a wide variety of symptoms,” according to the National MS Society. The progression is usually slow and symptoms are often misdiagnosed or passed off as inconveniences, said Mottram. “The symptoms of MS are different, and for some devastating, for everyone - the only certainty is that it will affect yet another person every hour of every day.”

Mottram became involved in the event three years ago after her best friend from college, Steve O’Brien, was diagnosed with MS. He had blurry vision and went to the eye doctor thinking he needed glasses. What came next was a diagnosis of MS. At 33 years old, he walks the 50 miles with the team that bears his name – Steve Battles the Demyelination Robots. The minimum amount an individual can raise before walking is $1,500. The five member team raised over $10,000. 

The money raised goes toward research, the majority of which is done in Boston, and for people and families by helping to purchase wheelchairs, for doctors’ appointments and in-home care, Mottram said. 

The walking event began on the green in Hyannis, Mass. Following a railroad trail that is now a bike path, the teams walk 20 miles on Friday, 20 miles on Saturday and 10 miles on Sunday. The final half mile takes place back at the green in Hyannis and those with MS and the walkers all join together to finish at the same time. The event had 400 or more walkers and 200 volunteers.

Mottram did an 18-week training schedule, but said that the best work she did to prepare were squats and lifting weights. “I had less pain and soreness,” she said. “Marathon runners often say the weight training is more important than running five miles a day. Nothing you do makes miles 37 to 41 any easier. The last miles on Saturday after lunch are excruciating.” 

There were sponsored stops along the way about every two or three miles with first aid, snacks, drinks and porta-potties. 

Mottram and the team finished 20 miles including lunch in seven and a half hours. In the evenings there were speakers, dinner and activities. “After you walk 20 miles you’re brain dead,” she said. Focusing on the speakers was hard work. 

“It’s a lot of walking, but when you are out on the course, with all the other supporters of a cause that you feel so dedicated to, it’s a beautiful three days.  Even when your body hurts and you can't keep your eyes open for another moment, it's a happy smile that crosses your face,” Mottram said.

“People in wheelchairs thank you for walking. This is [Steve’s] reality in the future if they don’t come up with anything to help,” she said. She will continue to walk to help in the fight.

Donations can be made at: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Challenge/MAMChallengeWalkEvents?px=12186746&pg=personal&fr_id=24506

Vietnam 50th anniversary - Windham memorial monument to honor 52 from Cumberland County killed in action - By Walter Lunt

  "In memory of all Vietnam war brothers and sisters that have gone before us."

                                                   --------------

"Sadly you have gone away

But we remember every day

The sacrifice that each one gave

Those so willing and so brave

The stars and stripes shall never part

We keep you close within our hearts"

Vietnam Veteran Rod Voisine spoke with commitment and resolve about plans for a memorial stone dedicated to fallen servicemen of Cumberland County. Voisine, a retired US Marine, is chair of the 5-member Vietnam War 50^th Committee, whose goal is to bring a memorial stone to the Windham Veterans Center Memorial Garden. The granite stone will measure 30 inches high by 36 inches wide with a 6-inch depth and will bear a stirring inscription (see box quote) and the official seals of soldiers missing in action, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and the Vietnam Commemoration (service – valor – sacrifice). Also part of the monument will be 52 pavers identifying the fallen from 12 communities in Cumberland County, including Standish, Sebago and Gray. None were killed in action from Windham, Raymond or Gorham. 

Voisine, who served near Da Nang in 1969-70 and later aboard the USS Anchorage during the Saigon evacuation in 1975, said about half of the $4,500 cost of the project has been raised through donations, and a dinner and raffle. 

The committee hopes to attract interest from county residents for either donations or participation in fundraising, especially the families of those who were lost in battle. The committee, members of American Legion Field-Allen Post 148, hope to install the commemorative stone and pavers by Veterans Day when a special ceremony is planned. Part of the motivation for the project, said Voisine, is the need to affirm a sentiment toward the returning Vietnam Veteran and those KIA that states, “Welcome back home. They never got that,” he said.

The memorial stone project is part of a three year commemorative period to remember, thank and honor Vietnam War Veterans and their families, including the fallen, wounded and prisoners of war. The Windham post will host ceremonial events through 2017. One of the first occurred this past Memorial Day with a parade and open house at the Windham Veterans Center that featured a visit by Gov. Paul LePage.

There is a significant number of Vietnam-era Veterans in the Windham-Raymond area, according to the Field Allen Post, and the post extends an invitation to hear from them as it compiles a list of local vets to receive recognition, information about the 50^th anniversary activities, and to offer an opportunity to participate in upcoming commemorative events.

For more information on the Windham memorial stone or the three year 50^th anniversary commemoration, contact Rod Voisine at 207-400-6671 or email rod.voisine@yahoo.com; or call Chuck Whynot at 207-892-4720 or email chuckwhynot@yahoo.com .  Donations are accepted at:

American Legion Post 148

P.O. Box 1776

Windham, ME  04062

Windham Auto Show races into action this Sunday - By Michelle Libby

From old models that make one long for a time gone by to newer, tricked out models, they will all be at the Windham Auto Show on Sunday, September 13 behind Hannaford at the Windham Mall. There will be 29 categories of cars, trucks and special interest vehicles. 
 

Year after year, the Windham Raymond Athletic Boosters Club holds the show to raise money to support sports teams in the RSU. 

This year cars will register between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. with a donation of $5 per car. Judging begins at 11 a.m. and will be coordinated by Windham resident and mechanic Frank Jiminio, who has been judging since the beginning of the car show.  Awards will be presented around 1:30 p.m. Spectators are invited between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 per adult, $3 for students and seniors and children 5 and under are free. The event will take place rain or shine. 

“It’s nostalgic to see the old cars and see new cars, the souped up cars and trucks, and there will be some motorcycles,” said coordinator Dan McGowan, who will be running the show for the last time this year. People love to come see the unique cars and grab a bite to eat, said McGowan. Last year Don Rich brought over his antique oil truck and there was a Shelby, he said.  

This fundraiser in the past has helped to provide each team at the high school and middle schools with a $500 stipend for equipment or things like referees, coaches and training. The money has to be approved through the athletic director Rich Drummond. Booster money has also helped with purchasing wrestling mats, sheds for the golf team and ski trips for the ski team. The boosters also provide four scholarships to senior athletes. 

“The money pays for things that are not covered in the budget,” said McGowan. 

At some schools each sport has its own booster organization, but in Windham Raymond, the boosters support all teams. Money earned at booster events go into a general fund, said McGowan. “It’s all for one, and one for all,” he added. 

Last year the auto show raised $8,000. McGowan would love to see at least that much, if not more. The event is a labor of love with high school fall teams helping out to set up and tear down the event especially moving the entire concession stand to the mall from the high school and then moving it back before the home soccer game on Tuesday.  

McGowan would like to see the event expanded with more adult volunteers to help organize it for next year. The planning starts in January.

Backpack program helps reduce hunger in RSU14 - By Elizabeth Richards

A dedicated group of volunteers works with the School Nutrition and Wellness Coordinator, Samantha Cowens-Gasbarro, to be sure that elementary school children in RSU14 who may be experiencing food insecurity don’t go hungry when school is not in session.
 

The backpack program sends food home each weekend and before school vacation with children who have been identified by school staff as potentially needing assistance. The process is confidential from start to finish, with teachers placing the bags inside backpacks while students are out of the room. Families must give their approval to receive bags of food in the backpacks.

Although the program is run through the school, Marge Govoni, who coordinates the program, said it’s not a school endeavor. “It’s not funded by the school budget,” she said. 

When the backpack program began in 2011, it was a joint effort between Hannaford and school personnel, and was funded in part by Hannaford. Hannaford had been sponsoring several backpack programs, and a few years ago consolidated these and turned over the operations to Good Shepherd Food Bank. RSU14 received funding from Good Shepherd for a year, but lost that funding because the free/reduced lunch percentage is not quite high enough in the district.

The free/reduced percentage rate of approximately 37 percent in RSU14 means that funding is harder to come by, said Cowens-Gasbarro. Though the district doesn’t qualify for help from the government or many grant guidelines, there are still hungry kids, she said. “It’s the kids who just don’t make the cut off, it’s the families who just make enough money to get by but are still really struggling, that this program is so beneficial for,” she added.

When the program began, they served 50 children. Now, said Cowens-Gasbarro, they have a budget to provide 150 bags. The program runs on volunteer labor, from the coordinator to those who pack the food. The cost of sponsoring a child for a full school year is approximately $200.

The program receives funding from community donations, including their major donor, Windham Weaponry, who offers an employee donation program. Other organizations have found creative ways to help, like Birchwood Day Nursery who had children run a “marathon” and raise money for the program. 

“There are so many different ways that you can help, different ways to fundraise rather than money out of your own pocket if you don’t have it,” said Cowens-Gasbarro.

The program also recently received a generous grant of $15,000 from the John T. Gorman Foundation. The hope is that with those funds and community donations, the program will continue to build and become more sustainable.

The backpack program can only accept monetary donations, not donations of food. Govoni said there are a few reasons for this, including the need to provide the same items in each bag, the weight of the bag, and the ease of packing for volunteers.

A survey is sent home at least once a year to solicit feedback from the families served. “It’s really great insight for us, and it helps because we like to give feedback to our major contributors,” said Govoni. 

Cowens-Gasbarro added, “We get some really great feedback from parents about how it’s helping their family. It’s very touching. Sometimes when you are in it you lose sight of that so it’s really nice to hear from the parents.”  

Though the backpack program serves all three elementary schools in the district, the need doesn’t stop there. A snack program, also community funded, provides snacks to children who don’t have them. 

The middle and high schools both have a “Village Fund” intended to help kids purchase lunch if they need it. At the middle school, this has been fully funded by Windham Weaponry. For the high school fund, donations are also needed. These programs are important because giving backpacks to kids that age just doesn’t work, said Cowens-Gasbarro.

Govoni said she can’t stress enough how important the backpack program is in the district. “It’s a very worthwhile program, and it’s a 100 percent totally appreciated program,” she said.

Cowens-Gasbarro said the program helps kids stay focused and learn better. “In some cases they rely on school meals. That’s what they eat. They don’t have any food at home.” This is why programs like the backpack program and summer meal sites are crucial. “We work on all that, trying to feed kids every which way we can,” she said. 

Individuals or organizations who want to donate to the backpack program, the snack program or the Village Fund can contact Samantha Cowens-Gasbarro at scowens-gasbarro@rsu14.org.