BIDDEFORD — Friends Sydney Proctor, a junior at Thornton Academy, Chelsea Fournier, a sophomore at Thornton and Sam Kimball, an eighth grade student at Biddeford Middle School, could have been spending their Saturday at the mall or relaxing and having fun.

Instead they woke up early, put on some old clothes, and went to the Westbrook Skating Rink where they met up with other young people and several adults who were spending the day hard at work preparing the Westbrook Skating Rink for the winter ahead.

Although the girls were hard at work painting, they said they were still having fun. During previous weekends they had helped dam the dike at the rink, using 40 lb. sand bags, to prevent water from escaping once the rink is flooded so the ice can form.

The girls are members of Go Greene, a group for young people which was formed after two Biddeford brothers, Derek Greene, 21, and Gage Greene, 19, were shot to death on South Street in Biddeford in June.

Go Greene’s goal is to help young people by providing them with opportunities to help the community, said Laura Kimball.

Kimball and Tammy Cole, mother of the deceased brothers, founded the organization shortly after the shootings.

Members from Go Greene and the Community Bicycle Center are among the group of young people who have been helping out at the skating rink.

Adult participants on Saturday included Harvey Beaulieu, and Rick LaChance of the Dunlop Lodge of the Freemasons.

The city purchased the rink from the Knights of Columbus earlier this year. However, its volunteers from the Masons and the Knights of Columbus who will operate the rink this winter.

In addition, volunteers from these two groups, along with volunteers from youth organizations, have been doing the work this fall so that the rink will be ready to open once ice forms.

 Some of the work already done includes clearing brush from the rink, which is about the size of 3 1/2 football fields, said LaChance; damming the dike with sandbags; rebuilding steps downhill to the warming center and rink; and fortifying the outside deck.

On Saturday, LaChance and Beaulieu were almost up to their knees in mud as they worked on building a ramp to the portable toilets.

There’s still a lot more to do, said LaChance, before the rink will be in condition to open.

“It seems impossible,” he said. “It takes a lot of effort but it’s well worth it when you see the kids’ faces.”

As for the youth volunteers, “They’re good workers,” said LaChance. “This has been a great therapy for them, to help out.”

“I like to help volunteer and support the community,” said Devin Ouellette, a freshman at Biddeford High School and a member of the Community Bicycle Center.

The young people who help out will earn a season’s pass at the skating rink, said LaChance. Ouellette, who is a member of the BHS hockey team, is looking forward to that.

“I can come here and enjoy it with my friends,” he said.

Kimball said volunteering at the skating rink fits in perfectly with the goals of Go Greene. She said the group’s main goal is to offer better opportunities to youth through helping the community.

She said the project at the skating rink has been especially worthwhile because it will help other youth by providing them with a fun activity during the winter.

It also offers the members of Go Greene the opportunity to meet other youth they wouldn’t otherwise know, said Kimball.

“It’s nice for our kids to witness their dedication,” said Kimball.

A new member of Go Greene is Josh Copeland, 20. His brother Elijah Copeland, 22, was already a member and was close friends with the Greene brothers.

Josh Copeland had left Maine and relocated first to Cleveland where he was trained in military security, and then Edinburgh, Ind. After recently being a victim of a violent crime, he decided to return home.

While both brothers said they used to be troublemakers, they said they’re changing their ways so they can be better examples to their two younger brothers.

Involvement in Go Greene has helped him do that, said Elijah Copeland. Josh Copeland said while he waits to find employment he also plans to help the community with the group’s volunteer projects.

Kimball said she is looking for new community projects for the group. One plan is to help the city provide weatherization assistance for qualifying homes.

In addition, she said, the group will help serve Thanksgiving dinner at the Most Holy Trinity Church in Saco this week.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.