Augusta office of the Pierce Atwood law firm has given the $660 needed for rides to transport kids to mountain.
FARMINGTON – When attorney Dan Stevens read a newspaper article Thursday about SAD 9’s decision not to fund transportation for Titcomb Mountain’s after-school ski program, he decided to do something about it.
By 11 a.m., Stevens’ Augusta office of the Pierce Atwood law firm had donated the $660 needed to fund transportation to the Nana Webber Ski Program for this winter. And other donors, yet to be named, had given enough money to run buses well into next year’s ski season, said Titcomb Mountain Ski Education Foundation President Ron Aseltine.
Stevens said he read Thursday morning about Tuesday SAD 9 school board meeting, during which Aseltine asked board members to fund transportation from area schools to Titcomb Mountain. Although the district has funded program transportation in previous years, “due to budget cuts and the freeze on the budget,” board members voted to cut funding this year, said school board member Jo Josephson of Temple.
“I’m extremely pleased they found another resource, because its an extremely valuable program, which the board was clear they supported,” Josephson added.
The Nana Webber Ski Program, which runs for six weeks between Christmas and February vacations, brings SAD 9 elementary school students to Titcomb for ski lessons once a week, said Ron Aseltine. Lessons and ski rentals cost a total of $10 a day, with scholarships given to students who can’t afford the fee by members of the Webber family. Seventy-six children participated in the program last year. Without the bus rides, Aseltine said, he expected only “20 or so” students would be able to attend lessons. The lessons start between 3:30 and 4 p.m., this winter.
“I can’t stress enough: This program is for all kids in elementary school. But it really benefits kids that would not otherwise be able to ski. [For] some of these kids, you know, it’ll be their only opportunity to ski for a long time,” said Aseltine. “And it’s getting these kids recreating in the winter, outside.”
Stevens said the fund-raising for the bus program took just “15 or 20 minutes” from start to finish. “It’s amazing how fast things can happen when people want to help,” he said.
“Lo and behold, the word got out that we were in trouble,” said Aseltine, “And Pierce Atwood saw it and, by 11 a.m. today, I had two other offers and another offer for somebody who’s going to go out and find the money from folks to pay for” the busing.
“It’s really kind of neat the community steps forward like this,” Aseltine said. “I hate to use the word heartwarming, but it is. I’m really thankful to Pierce Atwood for doing that.”
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