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| Contributed photo Marissa Lloyd was seven years old and a second-grader at Teague Park Elementary School when she suddenly passed away in 2008. Since then, the Marissa Lloyd Sunshine Fund has been providing second-graders with books that aim to help address the hard issues of both bullying and death. |
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Marissa Lloyd was a second-grader at Teague Park Elementary School at the time of her tragic death in 2008; since then, her spirit had been kept alive by family, friends and volunteer through the Marissa Lloyd Sunshine Fund, which distributes books on difficult topics like death and bullying as well as presenting deserving youths with the Sunshine Citizenship Award.
Nearly 115 books were distributed to second-graders this year through the fund, and five students received the Sunshine Citizenship Award.
“This is a special award voted on by the students themselves,” explained Connie Lloyd of the Sunshine Fund. “The students vote for their peers that they believe are an outstanding citizen, [meaning they] are helpful to others, listen to teachers and classmates, take care of property, are polite, courteous, respectful and don’t bully other classmates.”
Sunshine Citizenship Award recipients this year were Kerigan Guerrette, Marienna St. Peter, Hanna Doody, Mia Theriault and Cailyn Kouhoupt; each recipient received a T-shirt with the fund’s logo and a certificate of acknowledgement.
“Marissa held all of the qualities that the recipients of the ‘Sunshine Citizenship Award’ possess, and it is an honor to be able to provide these awards to the children at the age that we do,” said Marissa’s mother Kristen Lloyd, adding her hopes that each of the children would be able to spend 10 minutes with their parents or guardians reading the new book together.
As this was the fifth anniversary of the fund’s inception, officials expanded the schools they visited to now include Caribou, Woodland, New Sweden, Connor and this year Limestone and Caswell as well.
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| Contributed photo Second-graders at the Woodland School were among the 118 students who received books through the Marissa Lloyd Sunshine Fund. Students included, front row, from left: Tanner Prashaw, MacKenzie Blackstone, Ethan Philbrook, Anna Belanger, Mackenzie Tracy and Amanda Poulin. Back row at left, Olivia Blackstone and Chance Mills. Back row at right, Dominick Crouch, Mercy McCarthy, Whitley Green, Juliet Littleton, Daniel Arce, Gabrielle Sutherland and off-camera Ryan Cole. |
“This year we also donated a book and a Chester the Raccoon stuffed animal to each library at the six schools,” Connie Lloyd explained. “We thought it was important that the library have on hand books dealing with the topic of bullying and death.” The books selected by officials with the Marissa Lloyd Sunshine Fund to help students address these topics were “Chester and a Acorn Full of Memories” and “Chester and the Big Bad Bully.”
The books and awards were distributed on May 18, and fund members were informed six days later during the United Way of Aroostook’s “Denim & Diamonds” Gala that they were the recipient of a $1,700 grant organizers had applied for earlier in the year.
The grant will be used during the 2012-13 year to continue the Fund’s second-grade book program.
“It is an honor and a delight to be able to be a part of such a great cause,” said Kristen Lloyd, adding how grateful she is to have the support of dedicated board members Lynn Weatherhead Greenier, Allyson Masse, Terri Hallowell, Nancy Saucier, Connie Lloyd, Lisa Berkoski and dedicated family members John Lloyd, Kathy Dodd and Jessica Wishart. “Thank you to everyone involved, and also to those from The County who continue to support our cause.”
