Local woman creates comforting therapy tools for kids - By Michelle Libby

Sarah Allen has been sewing since she was four years old. When she was laid off from her corporate job, she turned to sewing to fill her days in Raymond. In January, one of her friends from the Auburn Nile Club, a sewing group that is part of the Daughters of the Nile Club, the women’s organization associated with the Kora Temple in Lewiston, bet Allen that she couldn’t sew 100 surgery dolls before she had to go back to work. 
 

“It was a challenge. I took her on,” said Allen. She has been sewing ever since, reaching her goal of creating 100 dolls and she hasn’t stopped there. 

The “babies” are given to children in the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Boston, Mass. where they treat children up to 21 years of age for orthopedic issues, burn care, and cleft lip and palate. The children and their families do not pay for the services. The dolls are decorated by the children, which is why they have no faces, or hair. The dolls represent all different skin tones and the hospital recently had a need for “brown babies” which Allen was able to pack up and ship from her stash in order to fill the need. Each one is unique and can be drawn on by the medical team to show where scars will be and how they will be bandaged, according to Allen. 

It is also used by the children to point out where they hurt. “It’s such a teaching experience for children,” Allen said. “It’s a wealth of information for the doctors and the child to use. It’s interactive with the child, doctor and nursing staff,” Allen said.

Each doll has a johnny to wear and sometimes Allen makes pajamas to match the johnnies.

Each doll takes on average an hour and a half to complete, though she now has a system where she works on many dolls at a time. Then she will sit for one evening and whip stitch the legs, she said. “They all become special to me,” she said. She has also made dolls for a specific child she knows would be heading to Boston. “That one was especially special.”

The Nile Club doesn’t just make the dolls, but they also make pillowcases, pajamas, johnnies and more, all made with cotton fabric which doesn’t stick to burns as easily. The fabric comes from donations or the Auburn Nile Club purchases the fabric with money from fundraisers they participate in like craft fairs, where they sell items they knitted and crocheted. 

“We work our tails off,” Allen said with a laugh. She has also made over 100 chemotherapy hats. At Christmas time she and the other Auburn Nile Club knit over 100 pairs of mittens. Allen knits a pair for each of the children on the Raymond Village Community Church tree at Christmas time. 

Allen has a family connection to the Shriners Hospitals because her uncle was a patient there. Her father and both of her grandfathers were Shriners.  “It’s something I’ve been fascinated with. It’s always been in my family. I was natural to follow into the service,” she said.  Allen buys fabric for her dolls and johnnies, but it can be expensive for the fabric that doesn’t get paid for by the organization. She is willing to take any fabric people have that they are not using.  

She can be reached at catnip83@yahoo.com. She is looking for a part time job, but said this is her real work. 

The dolls will be delivered within the next few months by the Daughters of the Nile, Arok Temple #94 in Auburn. Allen hopes to go if she can. 

Anyone with a connection to the Masons, Shriners, Rainbow Girls, Eastern Star or DeMolay or has been a patient of the Shriners Hospital can become a member of the Arok Temple.

Tough Mudder participants do it for fun and the challenge - By Michelle Libby

The weather was perfect this past weekend when over 6,000 people gathered at Sunset Ridge Golf Links for The Tough Mudder Great Northeast obstacle course and 10-mile run. People from all over the area and around New England gathered to swing, climb, swim and run through the challenging course that was more about bragging rights then about time. 
 

Photos by Jennifer Wescott and The Tough Mudder

“It was more challenging than I thought. I will do more upper body work for next year,” said Jennifer Dyar, who was on a team with five other women. Dyar lifted weights and ran at the Windham Fire Department, where she works part time as an EMT/firefighter. She is also a personal trainer.

“I did it for fun and the accomplishment of getting it done,” she said. 

The course is very physically demanding and once it’s finished the participants are elated with what they have completed. The Mudder is a staggered start, where groups of 100 people are let loose on the course to complete the obstacles at their own pace. 

Dyar described the event as more of a teamwork competition than an individual one. Some of the obstacles can’t be completed alone. After the National Anthem plays, which happens every 15 minutes, the group lines up, then the announcer tells them that these 100 people are your new team.

“They become your team,” Dyar said. “It’s a nice relief to know there are 100 other people along the way to help.”

Dyar and Windham resident David Collins agreed that their favorite obstacle was the King of the Swingers, which was described as jumping out to a bar and swinging to try to ring a bell before falling 20 feet into 46 degree water. 

Collins reason for running the race was to raise money and awareness for Boston’s Children’s Hospital where his daughter spent a lot of time being treated. The Miles for Miracles program that partners with the Boston Marathon set up a fundraising page that filters the money donated right to the hospital trust. He raised about $200 toward his goal of $750. 

“It’s fun. It’s definitely a challenge. There are very obstacles you can do by yourself,” Collins said. He joined in with a group from RI, since “no one else I knew was a glutton for punishment,” he said.

When teams are finished there is beer, music playing and many vendors showing their wares. The Tough Mudder raises money for the Wounded Warrior Project and the event is very patriotic, according to Collins. Individuals pay around $220 to participate.  

Jennifer Wescott volunteered for the second year at the Tough Mudder. “It was a blast,” she said. “I absolutely love giving back and helping others and there’s no way I’m doing the Tough Mudder.”

People love it, Wescott said. Some teams go through two or three times. They come by Wescott’s water station where she was handing out MedRX gummies, cold, wet and muddy and thanked her. “Everyone is positive and energetic. “I’ve never seen so many people who love gummies,” she added. They are so happy to see her. She got hugs from friends and hugs from strangers. She also was able to see her friends go through many of the obstacles and take pictures. 

 

“Some do it timed or just to say ‘I conquered it.’” People are all shapes and sizes and some just want to cross Tough Mudder off their bucket list, Wescott said. She saw groups from Massachusetts and one from Canada. The New Hampshire Maloney Mudders had 167 on its team in memory of a police chief who was killed in the line of duty. They carried a flag over the course. 

Sunset Ridge Golf Links held the Tough Mudder for the second year in a row. They have a five year contract, but are never sure if the committee will want to come back. 

 

“It was a lot easier this year. We knew what to expect and it was a little more laid back,” said Mike Smith, the property manager for the course. 

The Tough Mudder helps to fulfill the vision of the owners – to be a part of the community, Smith said. 

To say thank you to volunteers and participants, Sunset Ridge is opening up the foot golf course on Saturday, October 3 for free rounds. There will also be an open house from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. with food as a “Post Mudder Party.” 

Smith has never run in the Mudder, but said that “If they come back next year, I’d run it.”

By the end of the week, the crews will have finished putting everything back to how it was, said Smith. In the meantime, Sunset Ridge is working with the Westbrook cross country team and other races and challenges. 

For those who think maybe next year…“Never think you can’t do it. It’s not a race. It’s not a competition. It’s working with everyone in your departure time, racing together, no matter how long it takes,” said Dyar.  

Windham's Don Rogers is 90 - by Walter Lunt

Windham resident and community icon Don Rogers maintained his familiar congenial smile for over two hours last Sunday as a capacity crowd joined him and his family to offer congratulations and birthday wishes during an open-invitation celebration held at the Windham Veterans Center.

Rogers, who turned 90 years young on September 21, shook hands and traded stories and jibes throughout the occasion. 

“I didn’t know I knew so many people,” he later commented.

Don was formally introduced by Norma, his wife of 61 years, and by sons Scott and Dale. A roast soon began when Dale, who works for Grondin Construction, quipped that he had just been to the quarry digging dirt that was as old as his father. And, “I can’t believe you lived this long having me as your kid.”

Fellow parishioner and friend Ron Wain said he checked Genesis in the Holy Bible to be sure “the first man was named Adam, not Don.”

One speaker said he researched the major events that happened during Roger’s birth year, 1925, but found that “nothing happened.” He attended one room schoolhouses, including Windham’s old Town House (now headquarters for the Windham Historical Society). He joined the Army Air Corp during his senior year of high school and served through the end of World War II, completing high school in the service. Following the military, Rogers worked in his father’s excavation business, M.L. Rogers Inc., until the 1980s. He is a member of American Legion Field-Allen Post 148 in Windham, the Windham Alumni Association and the Masons.

Many recognize Rogers for his prominent spot in the annual Windham Memorial Day parade, riding in a vintage Mustang open convertible. Gary Plummer noted that Rogers has been “part of the framework of this town for my entire life, and it’s an honor to be his “chauffeur” during the parade. Plummer recalled that one year Rogers asked him, “When you’re done with this car, can I have it?”

Applause broke out several times during the get-together in reference to Roger’s military service. 

 

Representative Patrick Corey observed that Rogers “still fits into his military uniform from more than 60 years ago.” Senator Bill Diamond thanked Rogers for his service to country and the town, adding “It is a privilege to be your friend.”

Rep. Mark Bryant, speaking for the legislative delegation, presented Rogers with a formal legislative sentiment (see insert).

There were also serious and sentimental moments. Nieces Bonnie Gouzie and Dorothy Petrie shared special experiences they had with their uncle. Gouzie says she’ll never forget the snowy night when, as a young girl, Uncle Don invited her along while he plowed town roads. She said they rode in the big rig through the blizzard talking and telling jokes. And regarding his influence in her life proclaimed, “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for making me feel so special. You are my anchor.”

 

Petrie echoed a similar relationship with her uncle, saying “He is one of the hardest working guys I know – you love me for who I am and I love you very much.”

Following the greetings of over 100 well-wishers, the solemn stories and good-natured roasts, and the official sentiment from the Maine Legislature, Rogers was asked to comment. He paused and said, “Well, I’m not talkin’ today. Can’t think of a thing (to say). Thanks.”

New look for Windham Police - By Michelle Libby

Police officers in Windham are finding some relief from their 25 pound duty belts though the new cross over carrier vests that provide space for all of their gear and their bullet resistant vest plates.

A lot of officers were having back problems, said Officer Matt Cyr. There was discussion about the heavy belts officers were wearing over their 10 to 12 hour shifts, which included getting in and out of their cruisers multiple times. 

There is a national trend moving toward this more ergonomic way to carry necessary gear. Traditional officers wear a bullet proof vest under their dress shirts, this new look puts the vest and the gear on the chest and back of an officer. If they want to take the vest off while writing reports in the station, they can do that easier with the new vests. It’s a way for them to cool down on hot days as well.

When former Chief Rick Lewsen started as a police officer, he carried a gun, handcuffs and a radio, said Cyr. Now, gear consists of a flashlight or two, gun, Taser, portable radio, two sets of handcuffs, rubber gloves, pepper spray, asp (an expandable baton), flashlight, two magazines, portable radio, tourniquet, Leatherman, audio recorder for video recorder in the cars, and K-9 officers carry an automatic door opener. Imagine fitting all of that on an officer with a small waist, Cyr said. All except the firearm and the maybe the radio moved on to the vest. 

“This is an extreme effort to make the job healthier for police. (Officers) are still approachable and have a friendly a look as possible,” said Cyr. “We carry all these items to have these options to keep from seriously hurting someone.”

There are a few different models of the cross over external vests. One has a zipper down the front another skips the zipper and uses Velcro. They have many pockets and straps for hooking gear onto.

“It was amazing the difference,” said Cyr about transitioning to the vest. The hardest part for Cyr was remembering where his flashlight was. After 20 years of muscle memory, he had to retrain himself, he said. “It takes all that weight off the back and waist and uses different muscle groups. It’s a lot more comfortable.”  

“I like them and what the purpose is,” said Windham’s Police Chief Kevin Schofield. “We’re not trying to say that we’re becoming a militaristic organization.” 

The Federal Government did a study and asked for solutions to the issue of carrying the duty belt on the hips which pulls on officers’ backs. It was found that “External vests may be better for an officers’ health and their backs,” said Cyr. 

Windham’s human resources director Phyllis Moss looked at the health of the officers. Part of her job is to keep the worker’s comprehensive plan claims to a minimum. She applied for a Maine Municipal Association grant to cover the costs of the vests. It was approved and now, each year, the department receives a few more vests for officers who need them. The vests are replaced every five years. 

“My back doesn’t hurt anymore. They are also awesome in the car. There’s a lot more room and we’re not ripping the car seat,” said officer Tricia Buck, who was the first to get an external vest last fall. 

The vests are optional at this time, but Cyr anticipates that most officers will be wearing them in the near future. “The majority do want these external vests.”

Sgt. Bill Andrew received his external vest in July. “As far as the admin aspect, it’s easier to back up an officer. I just zipped it and went,” he said. 

Nine officers have the external vests now and five more will get them through the next grant.

“The biggest message is that the health piece is the biggest reason for having them. It’s a different look, but we’re carrying all the same equipment, just in a different way,” said Cyr. 

When Windham’s school resource officer Jeff Smith first starting wearing his external vest, he sent an email out to the entire high school staff to explain why his uniform was different. “The staff was not concerned. When we explain why we are wearing them it’s different,” said Cyr.   

The community was also asked on the department’s Facebook page a year and a half ago about transitioning to an external carrier and the support was overwhelming, said Cyr. 

“We expect that some will be intimidated by this. We will ask them how they feel about it and explain why (we have them). People got used to police wearing tools around their belt because it was the only option they had, it was accepted. 

“Society is expecting the street cop to do more over the years – and rightfully so. They want us to go in immediately with what we have to stop a person from hurting someone,” Cyr said. 

The vests make it so the officers will have what they need to do their job and keep them healthy enough to do their job to the best of their abilities.