June 2003
This project serves a dual purpose “” enhancing the monument that commemorates FMCA’s founding in 1963 in Hinckley, Maine, and helping children in need.
Good Will-Hinckley Homes for Boys and Girls in Hinckley, Maine, is now launching the second phase of the FMCA commemorative walkway project. The fund-raising effort, first announced in August 2000, offers individual FMCA members and chapters the opportunity to improve children’s lives while creating a lasting tribute to FMCA.
Each day, as thousands drive by Good Will-Hinckley and as the 150 youth who call Good Will-Hinckley home walk to lunch, they are greeted by a beautiful monument erected and supported by FMCA members. FMCA individual members and chapters have purchased bricks and engraved granite paving stones that form a beautiful patio in front of the FMCA monument. This granite monument commemorates FMCA’s founding on the school grounds in July 1963 and will be a centerpiece for ceremonies planned this summer to celebrate FMCA’s 40th anniversary.
Because of the continued interest by FMCA members to support the walkway project, Good Will-Hinckley is continuing to accept orders for additional bricks and granite blocks. They will be used to enlarge the walkway leading to the monument, and it is hoped that a turnout can eventually be built as more bricks and blocks are purchased.
Come back to where it all began!
The relationship between FMCA and Good Will-Hinckley began 40 years ago when families in 26 motor coaches gathered in a field on the Good Will-Hinckley campus to view an eclipse. That core group became the founders of FMCA. In 1994 the bond between Good Will-Hinckley and FMCA was further strengthened when a black granite monument commemorating FMCA’s founding was erected on the campus.
On July 22 and 23, 2003, Good Will-Hinckley will welcome FMCA members with a lobster bake, tours of the campus, and one night of free dry camping. The children are busily planning entertainment to cap off a day of hayrides, museum tours, and fun in the pool for FMCA guests. Camping reservations are available on a first-come, first-serve basis; limit 100 coaches per night. Tickets for the lobster bake are $30 each, and reservations should be made in advance. Details regarding these events are available at the facility’s Web site “” www.gwh.org “” or by calling Audrey Stott at (800) 639-1757.
Good Will-Hinckley is home to 150 boys and girls ages 11 to 21. These children come from broken homes and have been the victims of neglect or physical, sexual, emotional, and substance abuse. Regardless of the circumstances that bring them to this home, these children all share the need for a safe environment where they can live, learn, work, and play together in a community. Over the past five years, 53 percent of Hinckley’s graduates have gone on to post-secondary education.
The Good Will-Hinckley campus includes more than a dozen boys’ and girls’ homes; middle school and high school facilities; a Carnegie library; recreational facilities; the non-denominational Moody Memorial Chapel; a working farm; and the L.C. Bates Museum. Counseling, family therapy, and medical services are offered also. Proceeds from the first phase of the FMCA walkway project, totaling more than $20,000 (above expenses), sponsored the art classroom in the recently constructed Alfond Middle School.
The next phase of bricks and blocks will support an initiative already embraced by FMCA members: the need to improve literacy. Because of the sometimes chaotic lives the children at Good Will-Hinckley have had prior to their arrival, schooling usually has not been a first priority. On average, students’ reading levels are at least two grade levels behind, and some are even worse. The counselors and teachers who work with the children want to improve these results while teaching the children that reading can be fun.
The school receives funding from state and federal agencies for housing children whom the state has decided warrant this help. Education costs are not covered, except in a few cases, leaving this important role to fund-raising efforts.
FMCA members can help support the costs of Good Will-Hinckley’s literacy efforts by buying bricks and blocks for the walkway. By honoring a family member who encouraged reading, a favorite teacher, or an author on your brick and block, you will enable the teachers at Good Will-Hinckley to buy new books and specialized tools to assist the children.
Members of FMCA share not only their history with Good Will-Hinckley but also their belief in the home’s mission. More than 500 individual FMCA members and chapters have already become part of FMCA history by supporting the boys and girls at Good Will-Hinckley.
The relationship between FMCA and Good Will-Hinckley also has resulted in at least two new FMCA members. Dr. James Hennigar, Good Will-Hinckley’s recently retired CEO, and his wife, Sue, now have family membership number F267030 and are enjoying their time on the road. “This year’s travels have allowed us to meet many of the great folks who support Good Will-Hinckley while participating in the rallies and fun FMCA plans,” Dr. Hennigar said. Although he is retired, he serves as a consultant for the school and has been assigned ambassador duties for Good Will-Hinckley with FMCA members. He noted that he looks forward to meeting many more FMCA members at the July drive-in on campus and at the upcoming convention in Buffalo, New York, July 18, 19, and 20.
About the FMCA walkway
The bricks and granite stones are engraved with one’s name, state, and membership number or a chapter name. You can also choose to purchase bricks or stones to recognize family members, friends, and even pets. Many FMCA chapters have taken the opportunity to create a lasting reminder of their support for Good Will-Hinckley.
To accommodate individual FMCA members and chapters, Good Will-Hinckley continues to make three sizes of stones available: the 4-inch-by-8-inch brick, for $60; the 6-inch-by-12-inch granite paving stone, for $100; and the 12-inch-by-12-inch chapter granite stone, for $250. Contributions are tax-deductible. Special orders such as granite benches are available, and other memorial opportunities would gladly be considered.
Don’t miss the opportunity to come to campus in July and to create a lasting tribute and help a child in need. For more information, phone (800) 639-1757 or (207) 238-4280; e-mail astott@gwh.org; or visit www.gwh.org.