Spirit of America award presentation at Valley Grange

GUILFORD — Piscataquis County winners of the 2019 Spirit of America Foundation Tribute for outstanding community service will be honored at a ceremony on Friday, Nov. 15 starting at 7 p.m. at the Valley Grange Hall (172 Guilford Center Road). The event is open to the public.

The Spirit of America Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity established in Augusta to encourage volunteerism. Since the first Spirit of America Foundation award was presented to Alma Jones by Augusta’s mayor in 1991, over 500 Spirit of America ceremonies have taken place.

Those to be honored at the county-wide ceremony include: Walter Boomsma of Abbot, John Brainard of Atkinson, Rodney Preble of Bowerbank, the Brownville Public Library, Friends of Central Hall and Maine Highlands Senior Center in Dover-Foxcroft, Prudy and David Richards of Greenville, Hardwood Products Company in Guilford, Damien Pickel of Milo, Barbara Wilbur of Parkman, Alvina Church of Sangerville, the Sebec Community Christian Church, Colleen Ashe of Shirley and Walter Hish of Wellington.

“We hope friends and family of these recipients will come and help us salute these models of the volunteer spirit of America,” Sheriff Bob Young suggested. “This will be a fun, uplifting evening with no long speeches,” he promised.

Valley Grange Program Director Walter Boomsma is excited the Grange has been given the honor of hosting the awards, “All Granges are about community and Valley Grange is certainly not an exception. We enjoy making our hall available to organizations dedicated to building strong individuals and communities. It is a special treat to host individuals and organizations doing just that!”

The Valley Grange will be serving refreshments immediately following the program. Additional information about the Foundation is available at http://spiroaft.com and the event at http://valleygrange.com.