Easton needs votes
By Joseph Cyr
Sports Editor
EASTON — Efforts to illuminate a soccer field at Easton High School have hit the World Wide Web as part of the Pepsi Refresh Project.
According to Ellen Trask, varsity club advisor for Easton, the project began back in September when the Varsity Club decided to apply to the Pepsi Refresh Project. The group’s goal is to raise $50,000 to light the school’s soccer field. Of this amount, $45,000 is estimated to go to the purchase of lights, while $4,000 will be for electrical work and $1,000 will be dedicated for groundwork on the field.
The Pepsi Refresh Project is open to any group or individual with ideas that will have a positive impact on their community. A total of 1,000 new ideas are accepted each month, with $1.3 million awarded each month for projects.
“We have been trying to raise money to buy lights for our soccer field,” Trask said. “Because of the daylight, we have to play our games right after school, with both the boys and girls playing at the same time, which makes it hard for those parents who are working. We never dreamed we would be among the projects near the top of the list.”
As of Monday afternoon, Easton was ranked 22nd in the $50,000 division, but only the top 10 projects will receive funding.
“The winners are chosen by online voting and texting,” Trask said. “So we really need a boost from those in our community and the County to help us move up that list.”
As the season advances, it becomes increasingly difficult to hold practices, particularly during the Harvest recess as many athletes are busy working in potato fields until late in the evening.
Easton is one of the few schools that does not have lights on its soccer field in Aroostook. To accommodate the Bears, University of Maine at Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College and Central Aroostook have allowed Easton to practice on their fields from time to time.
If the group is not successful in receiving funding, Trask said she hopes a local business will step in and provide some assistance for the project.
“Right now, we are focusing on just getting enough votes to get into the top 10,” Trask said. “We need everyone to vote every day. It’s really pretty simple.”
Voting for the Pepsi Refresh Project ends Jan. 31. To find out more details, or to vote for Easton’s project, visit: www.refresheverything.com.
