On behalf of Boothbay Region Community Resources, it is with heartfelt gratitude that we say thank you to the community for each and every person’s part in the very successful Set for Success back to school event on August 18.

Three hundred elementary students from Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Edgecomb and Southport poured through the doors to the YMCA Field House beginning at 1 p.m. Lines for the event formed as early as 11:30 a.m. while workers scurried to put the finishing touches on event plans.

There are so many people who were involved in this effort to gift every Boothbay Region elementary student with back to school supplies. First, a huge thank you to Meagan and Andy Hamblett for their generous offer to hold the event in the Marylouise Tandy Cowan Field House. Not only is this a great spot to welcome hundreds of people, but it included a place of storage for the thousands of school supplies that were arriving over a two-month period. The staff, Rose Rivera, custodians, and front desk gals Allison Brewer and Carrie Eason and volunteers went above and beyond in support.

On the day of the event … a big thank you to Scott Larson of Compass Rose for the Bounce House; Evelyn Andrews, Boothbay Harbor Hannaford, for food enough for 500 people at the Food Court; Sharon Machon Ames, Fresh popped popcorn; Calvin Crocker, DJ; and Annette Nager from Sheer Artistry Family Salon, coordinator of the hair salon for back to school haircuts. Hair stylists from her salon were Alijah Sheer and Debi Buscanera. Also volunteering were Bonnie Erskine/owner of A Cut Above and Betsy Pitcher. Kristy Anderson from Salon Capella, Kathy Barter, independent hair stylist. Judi Colgan from Aura, Danielle Driscoll and Kayce McDaniel, Sheer Artistry were the manicurists.

Thank you to local dentist Dr. Toby Clarkson’s staff and eye Dr. Michelle Bouchard; Lamey Wellehan for two carloads of men’s, women’s and children’s shoes; Charles Baker, publisher of children’s history magazines; Cheryl Lorrain, Dresses for Princesses; Boothbay Baptist Church; Rotary volunteers; and the many folks who came in shifts to work at the school supply center and to help at the front door and bounce house.

Thank you to Chief Dick Spofford, School Officer Larry Brown, Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, Head Start, Wiscasset and our EMTs and Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce for their support.

Thank you to Southport Island Association, who gifted each Southport student with a $200 NextGen matching grant; to the Rotary for significant money gifts for supplies, volunteers at the event and money donations for NextGen matching grants for an additional 20 children; to so many local businesses for your money donations and gift certificate donations for the raffle, along with Hammond Lumber and Ed Hamilton Yachts for significant donations; L.L.Bean for backpacks; The First bank in Boothbay Harbor for the school supply collection bin; and to Big Al’s and Office Depot for thousands of school supply donations.

Thank you to members and friends of our community churches: Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor, East Boothbay Methodist, Boothbay Harbor Methodist, Southport Methodist, St. Columba’s Episcopal, Boothbay Baptist, All Saints by-the-Sea, Wilson Chapel, Boothbay Region Community Fellowship, Our Lady Queen of Peace and Christian Science Society. Their July Mission Outreach Sunday was the beginning of the tremendous gifting of money and school supplies that continued through July and early August.

To the community at large, so many of you gifted school supplies and money gifts to help us on our way and you’ve dropped dollars and dimes in the receptacle at Hannaford and returned bottles to their recycle area so monies from July returns will be returned to BRCR.

Thank you to everyone who had a part in this amazing outreach event for our elementary students. Overall we expect to help well over 400 students as backpacks continue to be filled and delivered to school offices for children who could not attend the event.

It is been repeated over and over again …. What a wonderful caring community we live in. Thank you everyone.