With thanks to a generous community of individuals who attended the recent event, businesses who lined up to donate silent auction items and a core group of volunteers to put it together, we are overjoyed to have raised thousands to help Tim, Danielle and Abby in their fight against cancer.

V. Paul Reynold’s column on the joy of the 1950s is typical of what can happen to someone who doesn’t appreciate they are probably alive today because of so many good things we take for granted today but didn’t even imagine in the ‘50s.

The author of a recent OpEd, “The 1950s were a wonderful decade,” states that “abortion was a rarity.” This is not true. According to the Guttamacher Intitute, in that decade illegal abortions are estimated to have numbered between 200,000 to 1 million each year.

For two years Go Green has been helping the Earth. Go Green has a meeting and works on things to help the Earth. Last year Go Green grew potatoes big and small. This year Go Green started by planting plants.

Has Central Maine Power looked at other alternatives to an energy corridor that will stretch across Maine’s northwestern forest? CMP’s proposed route would break up pristine forest.

A party of 33 from Maine, including 12 students, ages 9-21 from the Portland area, Dover-Foxcroft, Waldoboro and Farmington, will meet with elected officials on Capitol Hill regarding climate change legislation. The students will participate in trainings on Nov. 11 in preparation for the Nov. 12 meetings with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden and members of U.S. Sen. Angus King’s staff.

Our community should consider renovating vacant houses to provide homeless citizens safe, affordable shelter.

To parents and friends of our area's children: If your family lives in one of the towns served by RSU 68 (Charleston, Dover-Foxcroft, Monson and Sebec) and your family needs assistance in providing warm winter clothing and a gift for each of your children (ages infant to 17 years old), the Kiwanis Club of Dover-Foxcroft may be able to help.

As our health care delivery deteriorates -- lacking the quality and outcomes found in other advanced nations at twice the cost -- the hospital conglomerates, the government and the press are sometimes claiming progress. And, in spite of this, the growing national outrage is being met by policymakers scrambling to hold our nation’s bloated health care money pit.

Many government programs are trying to address Maine’s economic challenges. We have an aging population, more jobs than qualified candidates to fill them, and far too many families struggling to put meals on the table. Government assistance helps, but we cannot rely on it alone.

Having served 20 years in the U.S. military (submarines), I find the editorial stance of the BDN on Oct. 10 concerning the “Syria withdrawal” troubling. The BDN’s position seems to be in agreement with most of Maine’s congressional delegation that considers the withdrawal to be an abandonment of the Kurds and a dangerous signal to our allies.

The Maine Legislature recently passed a bill allowing abortions to be labeled a health care issue and covered under taxpayer insurance. I will state right off that I do not believe in abortion, but even if I did, my common sense would tell me that pregnancy should be covered by private or taxpayer insurance.

(In his Oct. 2 letter) Jeffrey Weatherbee has little understanding of American health care or its costs.

If 97 percent of mechanics told you that the plane your family was boarding was unsafe, would you stop them? Ninety seven percent of climate scientists are warning us of the impacts of human-caused climate change. Let’s switch planes.

As hard as it is to look away from impeachment drama, I hope Mainers will consider the latest numbers from the U.S. Census, showing that 13 percent of Americans live below the poverty line. In Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, the statistic is worse: nearly 15 percent of the population lives in poverty.

Letter-writer Alan Boone is correct that the climate has changed before. However, it's the pace of the current change that is most troubling.

Congratulations and thanks to Matthew Gagnon for his column, “Why climate change skeptics still exist.” It’s remarkable that all the apocalyptic predictions of climate doom (Al Gore and many others) over the past 30 years have come to naught. Now they must make predictions for many decades in the future so we naysayers won’t be around to criticize.

The Land Use Planning Commission continues deliberation of New England Clean Energy Connect corridor at the Oct. 9 commission meeting in Greenville. For the exact time, the agenda for the meeting will be posted on the commission’s calendar and meetings page.