LIVERMORE – With spring taking its time, those looking to jump start summer can sign up for Freezin’ my Paws for a Cause polar bear plunge.
The event was organized by Angela Longley with the support of other community members and will benefit the Bridging Communities Project of Franklin County. The project is the outcome of a grant provided by the Maine Health Access Foundation and is based on the Opportunity Community model created by Dr. Donna Beegle.
The Bridging Communities Project will focus on connecting community members with their neighbors who may be living in poverty and facing challenges. It will provide in depth training on understanding and connecting with those living in poverty, and give them the tools to help neighbors gain access to the resources available.
“We have to go backwards before we can go forwards,” Spruce Mountain Elementary School guidance counselor Jennifer Stone said, “We have to go back to bean suppers and barn raising, when people actually talked to each other. We’re so closed in most of the time.”
Stone works closely with Longley and her two daughters, who live in poverty themselves, and was a major support in organizing Freezin’ my Paws for a Cause. This is exactly the type of work the Bridging Communities Project hopes to accomplish, she points out: helping those who face serious set backs to accomplish their goals.
The plunge will take place April 15 from 10 a.m. to noon at Brettuns Pond Dock in Livermore.
“Brettuns Pond is where all of our special moments have happened,” Longley said, “The girls have taken swimming lessons there, and we do our homeschooling there in the summer.”
Longley got inspired to create the event when she began realizing the difficulties that everyone living in poverty faces. It’s also her 50th birthday.
“It’s not just for me though. It’s for my daughters. And for everyone. Everyone deserves this,” she said.
To sign up for the event you can download the flyer below and email it to Jenn Stone at jstone@rsu73.com
For more information you can call Jenn at 897-5719 ext. 400.
