Brassy Inspiration

Jordan Small Middle School students were treated to a special performance by The Quartessential Brass, a bass quartet made up of University of Southern Maine music graduates and students. The leader of the quartet, Patrick Nyren, is a talented musician known by many of the students. Nyren, who is leaving for Texas this week to attend graduate school, taught private guitar and drum set lessons for years in Raymond.

The quartet included two trumpets, one French horn and one Euphonium. The group began with an hour-long session for the seventh- and eighth-grade band students that included a mix of playing and instructing the students on several fun warm-ups and breathing exercises. They ended with an interactive question and answer period and played both classical and modern music.

The second presentation was given to the entire fifth- and sixth-grades, and the quartet performed a variety of music including the “William Tell Overature,” jazz and more. Under the leadership of music teacher Morgan Riley, the middle school band enjoyed and will highly benefit from this program. In a continued demonstration of their efforts to provide enrichment programs in our schools, this presentation was sponsored by the Raymond Parent Teacher Organization.

Community Assistance Fund Created

Because of the high price of heating oil, the town office has received more calls for heating assistance than usual. In the fiscal year 2007-2008 budget, $2,000 was allotted to General Assistance which in years past has been enough.

General Assistance funding is for emergency help to people who cannot heat their homes, pay utilities, feed their families, or provide other basic necessities. In addition, People’s Regional Opportunity Program has had adequate funds to assist Raymond citizens in need of fuel assistance. This year, however, they have run out of funds for heat assistance. Legislation is being sought to extend this program but has not yet been passed.

In this light, the Raymond Board of Selectmen have asked that a special ongoing charitable account be formed to accept tax-deductible donations to support and enhance the money available through the property tax funded general assistance account.

Applications for these funds will be made using the general assistance forms, but all final decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis taking emergency situations first, until donated funds are exhausted.

In a remarkable display of community support, $7,500 has already been donated to this fund. If you wish to contribute to the fund, please forward your tax deductible donations to Nancy Yates, Finance Director, Town of Raymond, 401 Webbs Mills Rd., Raymond, Maine 04071

The Raymond Community Assistance Fund seeks to help those that are working hard but are having difficulty making ends meet. If you know of a Raymond resident that may be struggling to survive, please contact General Assistance Manager Dona Lovely at 655-4742, ext. 22 or Town Manager Don Willard at ext. 31. All referrals will be kept in strict confidence.

Dippers Raise Cash

On the first day of the year, in temperatures hovering in the 20s and minutes before a snowstorm that dumped more than a foot of snow on us began, five teachers from the Jordan Small Middle School took the plunge for the Maine Special Olympics by jumping into the Atlantic Ocean.

Participating in the 20th Annual Lobster Dip on New Year’s Day to support the Maine Special Olympics were Greg Carter, John Dionne, Jack Fitch, John Keller and Mary Thornton. They all dove completely under in the icy water to raise money for this incredible program.

The Maine Special Olympics provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics believes that through sports training and competition, people with intellectual disabilities benefit physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually; families are strengthened, and the community at large, both through participation and observation, is united in understanding people with mental retardation in an environment of equality, respect, and acceptance.

Members of the team spoke excitedly about their adventure and claimed it was not as cold as they thought it would be. However, they also added that they could not feel a thing because they were frozen. When asked if they would do it again, they said yes because the team, charity and atmosphere were such a positive experience. Please join me in congratulating this fine group of individuals who made a very impressive start to the new year.

10 Years Gone

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Ice Storm of 98, a storm that caused massive damage to trees and electrical infrastructure all over the area, leading to widespread longterm power outages. Millions of people in northern New England and Canada were left in the dark for periods varying from days to weeks, leading to more than 30 fatalities, a shut down of activities and an unprecedented effort in reconstruction of the power grid.

Experiencing a storm so unexpected and devastating was easier done due to living in Raymond. The people in Raymond joined together, shared their homes, food and hot showers with those still left in the dark

For me, the storm arrived four days after I had given birth to my second child. Having a 2-year-old son at home and a newborn baby presented challenges within itself, being without power and driven out of our home compounded the overwhelming task. Living on a private road with only a few houses, ours was not a high priority area for power restoration, and we were in the dark for 12 days.

Exhausted from the sleepless nights that are typical with the arrival of a new baby, I packed some things and left our cold, dark home. As we bounced around staying in hotels and with family and friends, I quickly learned how fortunate we are and how much we take our daily lifestyles for granted.

While I longed for the familiarity of my home and the comfort of my own bed, I remembered that our sacrifices and losses were small and we would be back home shortly. Unlike those who suffer tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and more, my home was still in tact and all my possessions were safely stored within. More importantly, the people I love were safe and unharmed.

We made delayed New Year’s resolutions to make improvements to our home. We vowed to immediately install an alternative heat source because having the ability to throw a log on the fire would have changed our experience tremendously.

It is astonishing to realize that 10 years have passed and like so many other resolutions, we never followed through with our wood stove. Of course, we have not lost power for more than an hour or two either, so thankfully Central Maine Power stuck with their resolutions.

In a meager attempt at an excuse, I suppose our time has been spent marveling at the wonders of having two boys, shortly thereafter followed by the birth of our daughter. While we were busy enjoying and nurturing them, we chose to spend our money on soccer balls, tricycles and ballerina slippers.

Woodstoves took a back seat to living in the moment and trusting the once in a lifetime theory that a two week power outage would not occur again. As I look into the face of my 10-year-old “Ice Storm baby” and reflect upon a decade ago, I mostly remember the beauty of the ice crystallized trees that adorned Raymond’s streets and the blessing of having healthy children. You can find pictures of the storm damage on the town website by going to the following link, www.raymondmaine.org/local_interest/ice_storm_98/default.htm.

The devastation is obvious but so is the wonder and mystery of how something so damaging, can be so beautiful. I encourage you to look at all these photographs and remember how the town united and worked together to restore our land. Beyond the icy fallen trees, Raymond’s beauty is always prevalent and clearly, if you are to experience such a storm, there is no better place to be than Raymond.

Inside Raymond

Brassy Inspiration

Jordan Small Middle School students were treated to a special performance by The Quartessential Brass, a bass quartet made up of University of Southern Maine music graduates and students. The leader of the quartet, Patrick Nyren, is a talented musician known by many of the students. Nyren, who is leaving for Texas this week to attend graduate school, taught private guitar and drum set lessons for years in Raymond.

The quartet included two trumpets, one French horn and one Euphonium. The group began with an hour-long session for the seventh- and eighth-grade band students that included a mix of playing and instructing the students on several fun warm-ups and breathing exercises. They ended with an interactive question and answer period and played both classical and modern music.

The second presentation was given to the entire fifth- and sixth-grades, and the quartet performed a variety of music including the “William Tell Overature,” jazz and more. Under the leadership of music teacher Morgan Riley, the middle school band enjoyed and will highly benefit from this program. In a continued demonstration of their efforts to provide enrichment programs in our schools, this presentation was sponsored by the Raymond Parent Teacher Organization.

Community Assistance Fund Created

Because of the high price of heating oil, the town office has received more calls for heating assistance than usual. In the fiscal year 2007-2008 budget, $2,000 was allotted to General Assistance which in years past has been enough.

General Assistance funding is for emergency help to people who cannot heat their homes, pay utilities, feed their families, or provide other basic necessities. In addition, People’s Regional Opportunity Program has had adequate funds to assist Raymond citizens in need of fuel assistance. This year, however, they have run out of funds for heat assistance. Legislation is being sought to extend this program but has not yet been passed.

In this light, the Raymond Board of Selectmen have asked that a special ongoing charitable account be formed to accept tax-deductible donations to support and enhance the money available through the property tax funded general assistance account.

Applications for these funds will be made using the general assistance forms, but all final decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis taking emergency situations first, until donated funds are exhausted.

In a remarkable display of community support, $7,500 has already been donated to this fund. If you wish to contribute to the fund, please forward your tax deductible donations to Nancy Yates, Finance Director, Town of Raymond, 401 Webbs Mills Rd., Raymond, Maine 04071

The Raymond Community Assistance Fund seeks to help those that are working hard but are having difficulty making ends meet. If you know of a Raymond resident that may be struggling to survive, please contact General Assistance Manager Dona Lovely at 655-4742, ext. 22 or Town Manager Don Willard at ext. 31. All referrals will be kept in strict confidence.

Dippers Raise Cash

On the first day of the year, in temperatures hovering in the 20s and minutes before a snowstorm that dumped more than a foot of snow on us began, five teachers from the Jordan Small Middle School took the plunge for the Maine Special Olympics by jumping into the Atlantic Ocean.

Participating in the 20th Annual Lobster Dip on New Year’s Day to support the Maine Special Olympics were Greg Carter, John Dionne, Jack Fitch, John Keller and Mary Thornton. They all dove completely under in the icy water to raise money for this incredible program.

The Maine Special Olympics provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics believes that through sports training and competition, people with intellectual disabilities benefit physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually; families are strengthened, and the community at large, both through participation and observation, is united in understanding people with mental retardation in an environment of equality, respect, and acceptance.

Members of the team spoke excitedly about their adventure and claimed it was not as cold as they thought it would be. However, they also added that they could not feel a thing because they were frozen. When asked if they would do it again, they said yes because the team, charity and atmosphere were such a positive experience. Please join me in congratulating this fine group of individuals who made a very impressive start to the new year.

10 Years Gone

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Ice Storm of 98, a storm that caused massive damage to trees and electrical infrastructure all over the area, leading to widespread longterm power outages. Millions of people in northern New England and Canada were left in the dark for periods varying from days to weeks, leading to more than 30 fatalities, a shut down of activities and an unprecedented effort in reconstruction of the power grid.

Experiencing a storm so unexpected and devastating was easier done due to living in Raymond. The people in Raymond joined together, shared their homes, food and hot showers with those still left in the dark

For me, the storm arrived four days after I had given birth to my second child. Having a 2-year-old son at home and a newborn baby presented challenges within itself, being without power and driven out of our home compounded the overwhelming task. Living on a private road with only a few houses, ours was not a high priority area for power restoration, and we were in the dark for 12 days.

Exhausted from the sleepless nights that are typical with the arrival of a new baby, I packed some things and left our cold, dark home. As we bounced around staying in hotels and with family and friends, I quickly learned how fortunate we are and how much we take our daily lifestyles for granted.

While I longed for the familiarity of my home and the comfort of my own bed, I remembered that our sacrifices and losses were small and we would be back home shortly. Unlike those who suffer tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and more, my home was still in tact and all my possessions were safely stored within. More importantly, the people I love were safe and unharmed.

We made delayed New Year’s resolutions to make improvements to our home. We vowed to immediately install an alternative heat source because having the ability to throw a log on the fire would have changed our experience tremendously.

It is astonishing to realize that 10 years have passed and like so many other resolutions, we never followed through with our wood stove. Of course, we have not lost power for more than an hour or two either, so thankfully Central Maine Power stuck with their resolutions.

In a meager attempt at an excuse, I suppose our time has been spent marveling at the wonders of having two boys, shortly thereafter followed by the birth of our daughter. While we were busy enjoying and nurturing them, we chose to spend our money on soccer balls, tricycles and ballerina slippers.

Woodstoves took a back seat to living in the moment and trusting the once in a lifetime theory that a two week power outage would not occur again. As I look into the face of my 10-year-old “Ice Storm baby” and reflect upon a decade ago, I mostly remember the beauty of the ice crystallized trees that adorned Raymond’s streets and the blessing of having healthy children. You can find pictures of the storm damage on the town website by going to the following link, www.raymondmaine.org/local_interest/ice_storm_98/default.htm.

The devastation is obvious but so is the wonder and mystery of how something so damaging, can be so beautiful. I encourage you to look at all these photographs and remember how the town united and worked together to restore our land. Beyond the icy fallen trees, Raymond’s beauty is always prevalent and clearly, if you are to experience such a storm, there is no better place to be than Raymond.

Inside Raymond