Thumbs up to the Biddeford Donut Club and Eileen Foley, the York County community development director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine, for organizing the “Biddeford Cares” effort that will see volunteers from local non-profits decorating vacant storefronts in Biddeford’s downtown.

This project will not only create holiday cheer as the days grow shorter, but will also give the non-profit agencies an opportunity to get the word out about what their organizations do and the needs they have, using the storefront windows.

Thumbs up and a deep thank-you go out to all veterans of the United States military who, on countless occasions in many conflicts throughout the years, put their lives on hold and stepped into harm’s way to defend the freedoms that we hold so dear. Kudos also go to those who took the time and effort to organize Veterans Day parades and ceremonies throughout York County to recognize these men and women. The six veterans who took the time Wednesday to share their experiences with Biddeford High School students should be particularly commended. It can’t be easy to relive terrifying moments of war, but these men were willing to tell their stories to young people so that they might better understand the sacrifices that our armed forces have made to preserve our freedoms. For teens, no parade or ceremony can hit home as well as hearing what it’s like to be welcomed as a liberator, as one veteran recounted.

Thumbs up to Scott Marcoux, a Biddeford resident who has coordinated a new museum of mill artifacts at the WestPoint buildings, now owned by Doug Sanford. With the last of the city’s textile industry shut down in 2009, now is the perfect time to set up a place for people to reflect on the impact it had on the community. Sanford should be commended for donating the space as well. It’s been about 200 years since Biddeford was built on the backs of the mills. Local youth will need this museum to learn about their ancestors’ way of life, and those who worked in these buildings not too long ago should have a place to commemorate their contributions to the area’s prosperity.

Thumbs up to the progress that has been made so far on the new cable access television station for the City of Biddeford. The new location at the former Knights of Columbus hall on Pool Street will afford much more space for filming of programs that air on the popular station, when it opens this spring. The current location at the J. Richard Martin Community Center is run down and very cramped, which isn’t conducive to helping residents have their voices heard on their television station.

Thumbs up to the progress made at the Arthur B. Huot Veteran Housing facility in Saco, which will provide a home and rehabilitation program for veterans who have no place to stay. As the speakers at the dedication said last Wednesday, it is a shame and an embarrassment that U.S. veterans should be homeless. This effort, along with the home in Biddeford, will give those who have served our country a second chance at a normal life. The facility is still in need of about $210,000 and hopefully locals will find it to be a worthy cause so it can open soon and work can begin on helping veterans.

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.