Last week, someone stole an electric wheelchair from Dana Huard’s front porch in Lewiston. The 80-year-old man purchased the scooter last year and relied on it to run errands and get to medical appointments.

So, according to his daughter, Wendy Deemer, “taking his scooter is like taking his legs out from under him.”

The day our story about the theft appeared, the Sun Journal received multiple offers from our readers to donate new and used scooters to Huard, and our online readers organized a collection to help him purchase new equipment. Later that day, Lewiston police recovered Huard’s property, so the offers of help — although appreciated — were unnecessary.

Huard and his family were overwhelmed by the generosity of our readers, as were we, and we hope that generosity can help others who may need wheelchairs.

The Lewiston-based SeniorsPlus, an agency that helps elderly residents of Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties remain independent and engaged in their communities, is willing to take donations of electric wheelchairs and place donations where they’re most needed.

The agency doesn’t have the means to pick up donations, so wheelchairs would have to be delivered. To make a donation, contact SeniorsPlus at 795-4010, or toll free at (800) 427-1241, and ask for Collette Wilson.

The agency also is always looking for volunteers to help deliver Meals on Wheels and other services. To volunteer, call 513-3710 or (800) 427-1241, extension 3710, and ask for the volunteer coordinator.

The outpouring of support for Huard was a grand show of community spirit and we thank our readers for their compassionate response. Cheers to them all.

? ? ?

It’s already been said by others, but we’ll say it again: Cheers to Mexico Walmart Manager Shawn Ames who scrambled down an 80-foot embankment Tuesday to help an elderly shopper who had fallen over that embankment hours prior.

That afternoon, Barbara Cormier, 63, was shopping with a friend and had carried her groceries out to the car. A plastic bag floated by and caught her attention, so she chased it and tripped when she got to the embankment, striking her head and tumbling down toward the Androscoggin River.

Cormier’s friend, Ames and local emergency personnel searched for Cormier for hours after she was reported missing, and it was only when Ames and Mexico police Lt. Roy Hodsdon watched store surveillance that they figured out Cormier had accidentally fallen out of sight.

Ames and Hodsdon ran out to where cameras indicated Cormier had fallen, and Ames immediately scooted down to help her, with Hodsdon close behind.

Emergency responders lifted Cormier back up to the parking lot, and she was transported to the hospital, having suffered leg and hip injuries.

Ames declined an interview with the Sun Journal, but a spokeswoman from Walmart’s corporate offices in Bentonville, Ark., said company executives were happy their employee was able to help.

It was overcast and cold Tuesday afternoon in Mexico, and Cormier was in real danger of hypothermia had she not been found when she was. Ames and his fellow rescuers acted quickly and deserve high praise for their efforts.

? ? ?

When the MaineHousing board of commissioners voted to go into executive session on March 20 to consider the resignation of then-Director Dale McCormick, the motion was made “pursuant to MRSA 405.6.A. and E. to go into executive session to consult with counsel regarding a proposal on an employment matter.”

This matter was not on the posted agenda and that’s a pretty vague motion that skirts the requirement that motions include “the precise nature of the business” being voted on.

Then, after commissioners returned to public session, they voted on a motion “to approve MaineHousing entering into the proposed agreement on an employment matter reviewed with counsel in the Executive Session and to approve execution of the agreement by Peter Anastos and Peter Merrill.”

That motion says nothing at all. Not what they voted on, just that they voted on “something.”

Later in the meeting, the announcement that McCormick had tendered her resignation was made, but the motion on the record and to be forever contained in the minutes says nothing at all.

The commissioners’ wording was vetted with the Attorney General’s Office and, we’re told, “lawyered six ways to Sunday,” but it does not conform to the instructions municipal and school officials are trained to adhere to in making similar motions, which is to include precise information, such as “motion to consider the resignation of McCormick.”

It just doesn’t make sense that school boards and selectmen are held to a more precise standard than MaineHousing commissioners. A public vote ought to say exactly what action is being taken or it is meaningless.

We understand McCormick’s standing with MaineHousing was a controversial topic, but the public has a very real right to clear, concise and informative motions as a basic matter of government accountability and historical record-keeping. That was missing on March 20.

[email protected]

The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and editorial board.