Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 32 : Spring 2017 | Page 30

Live United Aroostook Auto Rally

by Athena Hallowell , United Way of Aroostook
The United Way is a many faceted 501 ( 3 )( c ) organization working in every Aroostook County community to offer solutions to the problems its citizens face on a day to day basis . Most folks know the United Way of Aroostook partners with health and human service agencies to meet the health , education , income , and basic needs of the people in Aroostook County . Currently the United Way helps to fund sixteen agencies such as ACAP Child and Family Services , Adopt-A-Block of Aroostook , Central Aroostook ARC , Aroostook Council for Healthy Families , Meals on Wheels , and the Hope and Justice Project .
What some people may not know is that when the United Way sees a gap in services to the communities it serves , it creates programs to help fill those gaps . One of those programs is Summer Slide . Summer Slide 2016 was a pilot program , providing three , free books to Pine Street Elementary School ’ s first grade students just before summer vacation started . The program was developed to help support early literacy efforts made by another United Way program : Dolly Parton ’ s Imagination Library . Children were given a backpack with the three books , some activities to go with the books , and some writing and coloring supplies . Children who had read the books , completed the activities , and returned their paperwork to the United Way were entered into a drawing for fun prizes , including games , puzzles , and even a scooter . All children in Aroostook County were then invited to a Summer Reading Celebration , Summer Slide participant or not . The Summer Reading Celebration party took place August 26 , 2016 at the Aroostook Centre Mall with over 200 children and their families attending . Bess the Book Bus was there , all the way from Florida ! All children were able to enter the bookstore like bus to select a book of their choice . Guest readers located throughout the mall read stories to the children . Giving Tree Music , also from Florida , was there teaching children and adults alike the art and enjoyment of drumming . Dr . Johnson from St . Apollonia Dental Clinic was there with the tooth fairy , giving children dental health items and information about good dental care . Children and their families could join a fun game of bingo or choose to have their faces painted by Wintergreen Arts Center volunteers or to paint their own “ pet rock .” It was truly a celebration of children , summer , and literacy . The United Way is proud to support such a worthwhile program that helps to meet the gap in early childhood literacy and school readiness . The 2016 Summer Slide Pilot program was such a success that United Way has committed to offering this program to all first graders countywide , meaning providing three ability-leveled books , a backpack , and supplies to nearly 700 children . United Way is excited to be partnering with Katahdin Trust Company to make this year ’ s Summer Slide program possible .
Summer Slide and the other programs United Way develops require capital . One way the United Way generates capital is by hosting fundraisers . The Live United Aroostook Auto Rally is one of those fundraisers . Last year ’ s first annual auto rally drew
28 SPRING 2017