Girl's creation benefits PAWS

FORT KENT - A young teenager, 11-year-old Allie Daigle, daughter of Shondelle and Steve Daigle, has combined a love for animals, a talent for drawing, an enterprising spirit, and the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Race contest at the Fort Kent Elementary School into a fundraiser for PAWS Animal Welfare Society in Fort Kent.

ALLIE AND PRIS

Allie took the image that she created as part of the contest to develop a winning design for the Can-Am race and has printed it on bumper stickers that advertise the Can-Am Sled Dog Races. She will donate part of the proceeds to the animal welfare organization.

Pris Daigle from PAWS, who taught art at the Fort Kent Community High School for years, said, "The design is wonderful. She did a wonderful job. It was a kind and thoughtful thing for Allie to do."

Both of Allie's parents said their daughter loves animals and loves to draw.

Allie's fundraising idea began with her submission for a school contest sponsored by the Can-Am Crown 20th Anniversary Committee. The contest involved all grades in SAD 27, from pre-K and kindergarten students to seniors in high school.  Pre-K and kindergarten participants competed for first, second, and third place in a coloring contest of a pre-determined design, a picture of a husky. Students in grades one through 12 competed in five different categories and designed their own images, using any media of their choice, at any size, up to 11X17.

ALLIE'S DESIGN

Committee Chair Norma Landry said they received a large number of submissions from the students, and anticipates some type of acknowledgement for everyone who took part. The committee will announce the winners at the Can-Am 250 musher's banquet. She said the hope is to involve the mushers in the announcement and acknowledgement in some way.

"Students and children are a big part of the Can-Am," said Landry. "Their enthusiasm and excitement is so wonderful."

Although Allie was unable to take one of the top spots in the contest, she is using her enthusiasm and excitement to create both an aesthetic and socially beneficial product.

Daigle said all of the people involved with PAWS are volunteers. The volunteerism extends not only to time, but also to investments of gas money when traveling around the state with cats, so the organization money being raised for PAWS in Allie's fundraising effort will be used directly for the care and maintenance of the cats.

She said, "Although PAWS is mainly concerned with stray and unwanted felines, we celebrate the Can-Am. [Allie's design] bridges over people's love of animals."