Thumbs up to Roberta Wentworth, and the massage therapists with whom she works, for offering an alternative therapy program for clients of CSI, Inc. Learning to be comfortable with being touched after a traumatic experience or finding comfort in the therapy can lead to peace of mind, which is among the agency’s main goals.

Thumbs up to all of those who donated food, money and time to help out their neighbors in need this Thanksgiving. The community efforts throughout York County, to feed the hungry and provide a social gathering for the holiday, are heartwarming and represent the holiday spirit at its best: The spirit of giving.

Thumbs up to Man Ho, a University of New England senior who organized a week of hunger awareness events at the university a couple of weeks ago. Ho’s efforts ”“ which included having students spend a night outside, huddle around a barrel fire ”“ helped to open his fellow students’ eyes to the realities of life without a home or enough food to eat. As he said: “We can’t change the world overnight, but we can change one person at a time.”

Thumbs up to the Go Greene and Community Bicycle Center youth who have joined with the Masons and Knights of Columbus to maintain and renovate the West Brook Skating Rink in Biddeford. The rink is a project that has a season full of rewards and is a great way to give youth a sense of what it really means to be an active, contributing citizen of a community.

Thumbs down to the state’s continued habit of cutting school aid mid-year, which puts educators and administrators on edge as they try to figure out how to reconfigure their budget on the fly. Education suffers when school leaders are forced to repeatedly focus on the bottom line instead of the students.

Thumbs up to the City of Biddeford and the CH2M HILL OMI firm for a smooth transition in operations of the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The company helped get the city out of a period of federal violations and now is handing operations back, albeit with a few experienced employees. The situation will hopefully be the best for both taxpayers and the environment.

Thumbs up to the efforts in Saco to form a mobile home cooperative of affordable housing. This plan would add 82 more units of living space within five years, giving low income residents a chance to own their own home and take pride in the upkeep of their community via a cooperative system.

Thumbs up to the students, parents and staff of the New School in Kennebunk, who organized and are participating in weatherization projects for those in need throughout the area. The service learning project is a chance for students to connect with their neighbors and understand how they can make a difference to the community at large.

Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via e-mail at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.