Eagles Club deliversThanksgiving boxes

The Eagles Club of Biddeford delivered boxes of Thanksgiving food to a dozen families.

President Betty Winn said the club collected donations to pay for food for 12 families in Biddeford. This was at least the 20^th year the club has given away food at Thanksgiving, she said. The club found the families in need of food through Head Start and arranged for them to pick up overflowing boxes of food Monday morning.

Winn said food boxes for each family included the fixings for a Thanksgiving meal, as well as extras such as cereal, peanut butter, fresh fruit, vegetables, biscuits and cinnamon rolls. Bernier’s Egg Farm in Sanford donated eggs for each family.

Saco woman wins pageant honors

Shannon Rae Folsom of Saco was crowned Miss Maine Collegiate during a pageant Nov. 7 at Garland Auditorium at Thornton Academy.

Folsom, daughter of Ed and Lauren Folsom, is studying kinesiology and pre-med at the University of Maine in Orono. She will spend the next year promoting healthy lifestyles during appearances at schools and organizations across the state.

Five other girls also were crowned during the Miss Maine Academic Pageant, a fundraiser for the nonprofit Crossroads Youth Center. Madison Paige Wight of Baldwin was crowned Miss Maine Preshool; Brianna Jacks of Baileyville was crowned Miss Maine Primary; Natalia Prefenno of Saco was crowned Miss Maine Elementary; Courtney Christoforo of Saco was crowned Miss Maine Junior High; and Alexis McKwain of Portland was crowned Miss Maine Teen.

The event was hosted by Miss Maine High School Samantha Clark of Lewiston; Miss Connecticut Collegiate Lindsay Le; and Mrs. Maine 2010 Dr. Christine Blake of Saco.

Clinic will offer access to dental care

A Tooth Protectors affordable dental clinic will be held Monday at the Biddeford Adult Education Learning Center on Alfred Street in Biddeford.

Sue DeCesare, community adult education leader for Biddeford Adult Education, said the clinic will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 189 Alfred St. DeCesare said she wanted to bring affordable dental care to Biddeford after hearing an adult education student talk about the difficulty of finding a job because she did not have dental care to fix her teeth.

DeCesare said many adults in the area do not have access to affordable dental care.

 “A lot of our students are between a rock and a hard place with dental care,” she said.

Tooth Protecotrs, based in Lewiston, provides preventative dental care in alternative settings across the state, including at schools, hospitals and nursing homes. Servides include oral hygiene assessment, cancer screenings, cleaning, denture cleaning, sealants, X-rays, temporary fillings, fluoride treatments, smoking cessation and referrels.

MaineCare patients 20 years old and younger receive treatment at no cost. Patients 12 and younger without insurance pay $42, while patients 13 to 20 years old pay $52. Adults are charged $65 for an assessment and cleaning. Temporary fillings are $50 and X-rays start at $40.

DeCesare said she has 30 open appointments for Nov. 29. To schedule an appointment, call Sue at 282-3883 before Monday or at 282-6511 on Monday.

Girl releases ‘adopted’ seal

A 7-year-old Scarborough girl last week released the seal she “adopted” from the University of New England’s Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center.

Risa Sanders visited MARC in Biddeford Pool last summer and, with her birthday approaching, asked her parents for something related to seals. Sanders decided that her “big present” from her family would be to adopt a seal through the program. She also asked her friends to donate to the cause instead of buying gifts, according to UNE Communications Assistant Sherri DeFilipp.

Sanders adopted Garland, a harbor seal stranded earlier this year in Cape Neddick and rescued by the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Garland weighed 26 pounds when admitted to MARC and was 56.1 pounds when released last Friday. Garland received treatment for neck wounds, a small scrape and respiratory problems. 

Garland was released at Granite Point, where Sanders opened the cage while a crowd gathered to watch.

Julie and Pat Sanders, Risa Sanders’ parents, said in statement their goal is “to teach our children true generosity and a desire to help others, including animals. With the help of MARC, Risa understands how important it is to help the animals and also how rewarding it can be. She has been very willing and open to the idea of donating versus receiving gifts since her 4th birthday, but MARC has been the first organization to really show her how thankful they are for her kind donation.”