AUBURN – Sgt. Shawn Allen, an Army recruiter in Auburn, visited the Child Health Center’s Auburn Preschool recently.

Allen’s visit was spurred by an activity at the school in which the children made cookies for a soldier, Dana Plourde, in Iraq.

Plourde is the brother of Jennifer Plourde, an intern at the preschool and a student at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Sue Lake, head teacher at the preschool, said, “Jennifer has been a great addition to our staff. This was a good way for the staff and children to show their appreciation for her work, while acknowledging a serviceman away from home.”

Jennifer and the staff asked Allen to talk with the children to help make the experience of helping someone they had never met a little more meaningful.

The children asked Allen a lot of questions, including, “Have you ever been in a sub?” Allen said he had as an infant but not in his military career. Other children wanted to know if he had ever flown in a helicopter, to which he answered, “Yes, many times.”

The children presented Allen with a basket of cookies to thank him for his time.

The Child Health Center is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health and well being of children and their families throughout Western Maine. For more information, call 782-5437 or log on to www.childhealthcenter.org.