Third annual JD Foundation auction

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

ABBOT — The big tent is up and donated items are coming in by the dozens for the third annual auction to benefit the JD Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to suicide prevention through awareness, outreach and education.

 State Sen. Paul Davis of Sangerville will once again serve as auctioneer, early-birds can check out the items from 1-3 p.m. and the auction take place from 3-6 p.m. or until everything is “going, going — gone.”

 Cheryl Morin and her husband, Victor, started the JD Foundation in 2007, two years after their son William “Jody” Day took his life at age 19.

 The money raised from the auction helps Morin get her message out to a greater number of people. “Almost all the programs we do are free,” Morin said. “This year, I’ve fortunate enough to get some new volunteers, and one of them will eventually become a trainer.”

 Some of the JD Foundation’s statewide programs include, but are not limited to: suicide awareness and prevention for adults, veterans and their families; Project Prevent for students, which deals with suicide prevention and bullying; Connecting with Nature, traumatic incident reduction sessions; and “PS: We care” consisting of a donated prayer shawl and a personal letter from Morin. “Unfortunately, I’ve had to send out three of those in the past few weeks,” she said.

 The JD Foundation also serves as a community “clearing house” at times, Morin explained. “I’m not a hotline, but I get used as one many times,” she said.

 In addition to its primary mission, the JD Foundation collects coats, boots and other winter wear to distribute to needy families and recently started donating Christmas gifts to children from low-income families. “The last two winters have been very tough,” Morin said. “We’ve had to buy a lot of boots.”

 The auction item list is huge and still growing, Morin said. “We have antiques, furniture, vacation weekends in Bar Harbor, Orland and Maynard’s Camps in Rockwood; an Old Town kayak, Fat Boy mongoose bicycle; oil changes from Rowell’s Garage, a gift basket of food from Will’s Shop ‘n Save, a family membership to Center Theatre and all kinds of gift certificates from Longhorn’s Steakhouse to Ken’s Family Restaurant in Skowhegan.”

 One seven-day vacation package at the Ryan Estate in Bar Harbor with dinner gift certificates and other amenities is worth more than $1,500, she added.

 Also, hamburgers, hot dogs and whoopie pies donated by Abbot Superette will be on sale throughout the day.

 For more information, call 876-2295 and visit the Live Auction Benefit for Suicide Prevention/Anti-Bullying Facebook page for updates.