Set for Success, started and run for 10 years by Sue Burge, has two new women at the helm, and judging by the success of the Aug. 22 event, they look set to be there for years to come. Krystle Hodgdon of Edgecomb and Katrina Dunsmore of Boothbay are both known for their volunteering efforts: Hodgdon is a Girl Scouts troop leader and runs the Parent Teacher Club at Edgecomb Eddy School; Dunsmore is acting vice chair of the Boothbay Region Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization. And both women own and run their own businesses: Hodgdon, Island Gardening; Dunsmore, The Ice Cream Hut in Boothbay.

The weekend of Aug. 22, they were both working flat out to make Set for Success as good as ever.

“We had more than 300 kids come through the door and leave with a back pack and all their supplies,” said Hodgdon. “Thanks to the incredible achievements of previous years, the event is well oiled but it still takes a lot of work. We come under the umbrella of the Community Resource Council, so they take care of all our fundraising, but Katrina and I were responsible for everything else.”

That meant coordinating with the school principals to get lists of supplies needed and numbers of children who will be attending each grade. And, of course, it also meant buying all those supplies.

“I did most of the physical shopping, and Krystle did most of the online shopping,” Dunsmore said.

“In previous years the kids have had generic backpacks from a number of different retail suppliers,” said Hodgdon. “But this year we decided to go all out and get everyone an L.L. Bean backpack that will serve them for two years. L.L. Bean gave us 35 bags and then a 20% discount on all the rest.”

“And because there are only 20 different designs and, inevitably, some kids will have the same bag as others in their class, BBH Apparel in the harbor will embroider any bag with the kid’s initials for just $5,” Dunsmore said.

A community effort, this year’s event went off without a hitch, thanks in no small part to the 37 volunteers who showed up to help. “The efforts from the volunteers and the incredible support we get from the YMCA every year means that the event really does work well. The helpers all arrived at 12 p.m., we opened the doors at 1 p.m., served more than 300 kids by 3 p.m., and were all done and cleared up by 4:30 p.m. None of us could really believe it! I think it was a record time,” said Hodgdon.

The event was lower key than in some previous years with no bouncy castle or salon booths and everyone had to wear a mask and get a squirt of hand sanitizer on their way in. But for all that, there were happy faces all around. “I really do love it, it’s truly a community event and something families look forward to. When Sue Burge asked me to take it on, I couldn’t say no,” said Hodgdon.

Dunsmore agreed. “We have to keep it going. It’s such an important beginning to the school year for the community, the families, and all the kids.”