FA Key Club helps out at Sebec Village Cemetery
SEBEC — Students from Foxcroft Academy’s Key Club were on hand May 22 in Sebec Village for the second year in a row to help paint the large fence that surrounds the old cemetery. Co-presidents of the Sebec Village Cemetery Association Thomas Nason and Shirley Wright were thrilled to have help painting the fence.
Contributed photo
A HAND FROM THE KEY CLUB — Several members of the Foxcroft Academy Key Club recently helped paint the fence at the Sebec Village Cemetery. From left are Avery Carroll, Charlotte Jolin, Avery Nelson, Maya Hagelin and Adviser George Rolleston.
“I spent all afternoon repairing some rough spots on the fence, “ Nason explained. “Just in time for the kids to show up and paint. We were very glad to have the help.”
Wright added, “It was so great of the Key Club and their adviser George Rolleston to come out on a Sunday afternoon and help us get ready for Memorial Day. That fence is huge and it was nice to have several hands to help out.”
Last year, Key Club members rolled up their sleeves and helped clean stones in the new cemetery across the road. Resident and Cemetery Association trustee Helga Nason let the group use her hose and lawn to fill buckets. The crew used bleach, brushes and lots of buckets of water to clean the stones which had accumulated moss and dirt from the nearby road.
This year, when student showed up to paint and clean stones, they were told that the work they did last year was so good that the stones were still clean. All of the work this year was devoted to painting the old fence. According to Wright, the fence looks great after the students and their advisor spent the afternoon working on it.
“It is such a great service to our little town to have the Key Club students available to help out,” said Wright. “They did it all with a smile on their faces, and when we gave them cold drinks and encouraged them to take a break, we talked about community service. Some of them had over 150 hours of community service in this school year alone. That is fantastic. We talked about communities and their needs for service. We were all able to name community groups we volunteered with and the importance of doing that.”
“We hope to continue to clean up the cemetery,” Nason added. “It is in need of some brush cutting and removal next. We’ll have to find a way to raise money.”
Association Vice President Louisa Finnemore said, “We are going to find a fundraiser to get this work done. We all have loved ones in the cemetery and it’s up to us to raise the money to keep the area looking nice. We will continue to work on projects over the next few years.”
Key Club students were asked to put the association on their calendar for next year. All felt that this work should continue into the future for as long as possible.