By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — While Mother Nature has consistently made certain that all our Christmases have been white in Aroostook County, masonry students of the Loring Job Corps Center have helped to ensure that disadvantaged children’s holidays are merry and bright.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Jeffrey Santiago, masonry student of the Loring Job Corps center, carefully stains the top piece of a birdbath.
After implementing their newly-honed skills to create beautifully colored birdbaths and benches, the masonry students parted with their work for donations of $30 and $40, respectively, raising about $1,500 this year to purchase toys for boys and girls of Aroostook County who are in need this holiday season.
On Dec. 13, about a dozen masonry students were each given a $90 spending limit and assigned a child to purchase gifts for; they were given a list with details regarding the youth they were purchasing gifts for — age, gender, and specific items they need.
Masonry student Jacob Beckwith, for example, had a pretty easy time shopping for his assigned 7-year-old child — Beckwith has a daughter and young nieces, so he had a pretty good idea of what he was looking for.
Albert Martinez, his classmate, had a less easy time discerning what a 3-year-old girl would want to find under the tree Christmas morning, but with a little guidance from a sales representative regarding toddler sizes, he was all set.
This was the first time that Martinez or Beckwith had participated in a gift-giving program like this, and the experience was something they’re eager to do again.
“It felt good doing something for someone else,” Martinez said, his words echoed not only by Beckwith, but the entire masonry class.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Masonry student of the Loring Job Corps Center Albert Martinez carefully cleans the top piece of one of the classes famed concrete benches. The acid stained and sealed garden benches are obtained from LJC staff and faculty for a $40 donation as part of a fundraiser through which the students purchase holiday gifts for local disadvantaged youths and families.
No stranger to volunteerism, Masonry Instructor David Tardie has been overseeing this good-natured program for nearly ten years. Over that time, Tardie and his students have raised over $15,000 to purchase gifts for children, working with local agencies like the Hope and Justice Project, Catholic Charities and areaschools and churches.
The first year Tardie implemented this program, they raised $1,400 for needy children and families. Word of mouth spread quickly about the program around the LJC campus — not only could faculty and staff donate money for a good cause, the masonry students do an amazing job creating unique, highly aesthetic birdbaths and benches.
“This started with wanting [my students] to understand the importance of giving back,” Tardie said.
Some students that have participated in the gift-giving fundraiser can recall a time they were on the receiving end of generous communal holiday gift-giving, and that’s just one reason why regardless of the age and sex of the person the masonry students buy gifts for, they search the store for hours making sure they’re buying the right gifts.
Through the project, Tardie’s students also find out just how much of a difference they can make by helping others.
