Thumbs up to all the participants, organizers and supporters of the Kennebunk Free Library’s Sweet 16th Edition Road Race, which took place on Friday, July 12. Despite the heat, the throngs showed up in support to make the 5K trek through downtown Kennebunk. In addition to being a major fundraiser, the road race has turned into a real summer event, with music, food, raffles and more. It’s also an opportunity for community members to come together, whether they’ve never met or are old friends. This year, Sasha Kean took advantage of the opportunity to get to know the town and its residents and said she’ll soon be serving as an optometrist at Associated Eye Care in town. These kinds of community activities are what make southern Maine special and a great place to be in the summer.
Thumbs up to City of Sanford on its new status as a city and finally hosting a proper celebration to mark the occasion. Last Thursday, residents and officials spent the day celebrating the new city with a special luncheon, an evening barbecue, a ceremony and a baseball game. The ceremony included the unveiling of a new City Hall sign, and the handing over of the old town hall sign to the Sanford Springvale Historical Society. The day was capped off with a barbecue and Sanford Mainers game at Goodall Park to mark the special occasion. We’re pleased Sanford is celebrating its new status and taking step to ensure its prosperity and resurgence in the future.
Thumbs down to the parent who reportedly left his children unattended in a hot car with the windows rolled up last week in New Hampshire. Police in Franklin said they found four children in the car who were all transported to an area hospital to be treated for “serious heat-related symptoms,” police said. This is a perfect reminder that any time in a car in extreme heat is too much time. Whether it’s a pet, child or disabled person, no one should be left in a hot car, no matter the length of time, in extreme heat. It’s dangerous, and could kill someone if they get to the point of heat stroke. Leave pets at home in air conditioning, and take your children into the store if you cannot find child care and need to do errands.
Thumbs up to the Southern Maine Re-entry Center and its reported success. Last week, officials said the center is thriving and women there are gaining valuable experience and skills that will help them transition back into society when their prison sentences are completed. In the year that the center has been open, not one of the 46 women who are volunteering or working has landed back in prison after completing their sentences, custody officials said. As well, 68 women are living at the center and working in programs to learn how to function at a job, as well as how to budget the money they will earn once they leave the center and find employment. According to Amanda Woolford, who directs women’s programming for the Maine Department of Corrections, women who are on supervised community conferment programs are paying room and board, taxes, fines, child support and will be able to leave with some seed money to get their lives back on track once they’re released.
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