Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – The snow may be gone but the fund-raising efforts of the Andy Santerre Sno-Run, held in February to benefit AMHC’s sexual assault awareness program, continued recently with a $100 donation by the Presque Isle Snowmobile Club.
This year’s ride brought snowmobilers from Caribou to Presque Isle, where participants enjoyed lunch at the local club’s facility at Aroostook State Park. No fee was charged for the meal but donations were accepted. The club’s recent contribution to AMHC was the result of money raised that day.
“Once we deducted our expenses, we had $100 left from the money collected from participants. We decided the best use of the money would be to donate it to AMHC, as a way to continue the fund-raising efforts of the annual ride,” said John Graves, PISC president.
For Lorraine Chamberlain, an LCSW and director of outpatient operations and emergency services with AMHC and an organizer of the annual fund-raiser, the donation is much appreciated.
“Our efforts at AMHC are ongoing. Sexual assault is an issue that touches everyone in some fashion, be it an individual who’s suffered through such an ordeal, a family member or friend of someone who has, an employer or so on. Without the support of the communities we serve and organizations like this club, we would have a difficult time providing these much-needed services to those in need,” said Lorraine.
She defined sexual assault as “any kind of sexual activity that is unwanted, enacted by one person on another without consent and may include the use of physical force, although many sexual assaults don’t, and it involves some combination of coercion, threats and intimidation.”
The contribution came in just as AMHC marked a special occasion.
“April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We’ve had a variety of activities to improve awareness and education about sexual assault and the nature of this crime,” said Lorraine.
Plans are already under way for next year’s event, said Lorraine’s husband, Joe Chamberlain, who also devotes many hours to organizing the annual ride, dinner and auction.
“We’re looking at our options – we try not to do the same ride route two years in a row. I’ve spoken to Andy and he’s already planning for next year and who he’ll bring with him. His first year he brought four people from the racing world, the next eight, then 12. Each year the number grows. Who knows how many he’ll have with him next year,” said Joe.
He credited the generosity of community members for making this the best year to date.
“We had some great donations from area businesses, as well as individuals. Participation for all the events, from the ride to the dinner and auction, were outstanding. The only problem we see for future events is that if it keeps growing like it has been, we might have to find a bigger site to host it,” Joe said, noting that the Caribou Inn and Convention Center has so far proven to be an ideal location, close to the snowmobile trail, with facilities for the autograph session, dinner and auction, as well as rooms for participants who’ve traveled to take part in the event.
Graves said the club enjoyed being a part of this year’s festivities.
“It was a great day and we had a great turnout for lunch. Given the opportunity, the club would like to be a part of future Sno-Run plans,” said Graves. “We met some great people and had a lot of fun – all while helping AMHC.”
For more information about the PISC, call Graves at 762-9251. For information on AMHC, call 498-6431 or the helpline at 888-568-1112.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
WELCOMED DONATION – The Presque Isle Snowmobile Club teamed up with the Andy Santerre Sno-Run, an annual ride to benefit AMHC’s sexual assault awareness program, with the club hosting lunch for participants at their Presque Isle clubhouse. Donations were accepted in lieu of charging for the meal; once expenses were covered, $100 remained and it was presented to AMHC to help continue provided services to those in need. Pictured for the presentation were, from left: Joe Chamberlain, organizer of the annual fund-raiser; Lorraine Chamberlain, LCSW and director of outpatient operations and emergency services with AMHC; John Graves, PISC president; and Ted Roberts, club vice president.
