While little ones in Maine are excited as Christmas nears, there’s little reason for excitement in Haiti.

The Rev. Marc Boisvert, a Lewiston native who runs the Project Hope facilities in Les Cays, says its orphanage is now home to 246 children.

He plans to move the youngest children to the Project Hope village where there’s plenty of fresh air and room to play.

But they won’t be celebrating Christmas with gifts and baked ham. “We won’t have a Christmas tree with pretty wrapped presents underneath. There will no moms and dads to wish them Merry Christmas,” Boisvert wrote in an e-mail.

“And still, we are grateful. We give thanks for life, for a safe place to sleep, for daily food and for friends like Dr. Cynthia (DeSoi of Lewiston) and the folks at St. Mary’s who care about us.”

For more information on Project Hope, visit www.theoswork.com.

If you’d like to help the mission’s children, send donations to Jack Reynolds, 2303 West Market St., Greensboro, N.C., 27403 or contact Dr. Cynthia DeSoi or Sisters of Charity Health System in Lewiston.

– Doug Fletcher
Plan B: Bake sale

Jessica Henson of Lewiston told her mom one day that she wanted to do something to help animals.

The 8-year-old considered joining the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, until a friend of the family described the radical animal rights group as terrorists.

So she came up with another idea: a bake sale.

Her mom, Candice, agreed to help. She started by calling several local businesses, including Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Shaw’s, to ask if her daughter could set up shop in their store. Each cited company policy as the reason they had to say no.

Finally, the manager of Fashion Bug in Lewiston invited her in. Last Saturday, Jessica and her mom set up a table at the entrance of the clothing store. They spent the day selling cupcakes, brownies and chocolate chip cookies. Jessica’s goal was to raise $10 for the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society.

At the end of the day, the goodies were almost gone and she had $46.

“She couldn’t believe it,” Candice Henson said of her daughter. “She counted it a hundred times that night.”

– Lisa Chmelecki
Survivor’ update

The rumors were true: Lewiston native Julie Berry and “Survivor” host Jeff Probst are an item.

This week he dishes to People magazine that the pair hooked up in the fall, after filming for “Survivor: Vanuatu” wrapped up, when he sent her an e-mail “hello.”

He told the gossip mag: “Once we started spending some time together, I didn’t have any doubt. I didn’t have any doubt, and all the questions about how you meet and any potential obstacles, they fade away like an old dying leaf … I’m in love.”

Ah, the romance! The made-for-TV-ness of it all! Mark Burnett couldn’t have asked for a cuter couple, what with their killer cheekbones and tanned bods.

Weeks ago, radio DJs in Portland reporting spotting the pair in that city, and in the following episode of “Survivor,” she sported a painted heart with his name on her chest.

For those wondering, he’s a nicely aged 43. She turned 24 on Wednesday. According to People, she’s moving to California, where Probst lives, to pursue a master’s degree in family counseling.

– Kathryn Skelton

Celebrity on the slopes

Yes, that really is Jon Lovitz pitching Sunday River ads on the radio.

The Maine ski resort snagged the West Coast comedian for four spots this winter, said spokeswoman Susan DuPlessis.

Lovitz, a “Saturday Night Live” alum, has had roles in “A League of Their Own,” “City Slickers 2,” “Rat Race” and bunches of cameos, often as a loud, silly, over-actor.

DuPlessis said marketing folks at the resort were talking with the copy writer for the commercials when someone suggested, “We want that Jon Lovitz thespian-sounding kind of voice.” So why not go for the man himself? A call to his agent and the deal came together.

“As it turns out, he’s a skier,” DuPlessis said. As part of his payment, Sunday River tossed in a weeklong ski vacation at any of American Skiing Company’s eight resorts. She can’t be sure which one he’ll visit.

Lovitz recorded the spots in California. They’ll air in rotation through March, hitting markets in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Boston, she said.

“Obviously, radio is cluttered with a lot of advertising,” said DuPlessis. They wanted something that would stand out, hoping people would notice that it’s Lovitz.

In one commercial, Lovitz invites listeners to imagine a day on the slopes: “You say, Hello, freshly groomed corduroy; Hello, Mr. Bald Eagle about to swoop down on that chipmunk.'” Then he warns that, in the midst of this daydream, there’s a truck coming right at you.

– Kathryn Skelton

Santa delays commish

During a recent Androscoggin River water quality meeting, hosted by the state Department of Environmental Protection, the DEP officials had started the meeting when Commissioner Dawn Gallagher arrived late. She apologized, saying she didn’t know that Santa Claus was coming to town.

Lewiston’s annual Santa parade delayed her. “I got stuck behind the parade and firetrucks and Santa,” Gallagher said. “Santa did look good in the firetruck.”

– Bonnie Washuk