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AUBURN — Each year, the Auburn City Council is asked by the Spirit of America Foundation to select a local person, project or group to receive the Auburn_Spirit of America Foundation Tribute for Outstanding Community Service and to honor the recipient at a council meeting.
Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque, members of the Auburn City Council, and City Manager Peter Crichton announced Auburn’s 2019 recipients during a meeting held at Auburn Hall June 3.
The recipients are the Danville Junction Grange 65, an historic and exceptional community service organization, and Larry Pelletier, an outstanding community volunteer and natural resources advocate
The Danville Grange is a philanthropic community organization with a significant impact on the City and the people who live there. In fact, this group has been making a difference in Auburn since 1874.
The grange raises much-needed funds for initiatives like “Cabin in the Woods”(for veterans), Dictionaries for Third Graders, the Auburn PAL Center, several scholarship funds and more. Most grange members are lifelong members, and in addition to their fundraising efforts, they also volunteer their time and energy.
The group meets at the Danville Junction Grange Hall, built between 1898 and 1901, in south Auburn in the village of Danville Junction. It is the only grange still operating in Auburn (Back in the heyday of the city, there were six). The Danville Junction Grange is alive and well
these days; in fact, their membership is increasing and in this year of “Heritage, History and Honor” in Auburn, it seems fitting to recognize the members of this dedicated organization.
Pelletier is one of those residents who works with all his heart to help his community thrive. He is active on several city boards and committees and he exhibits a genuine desire to improve the City of Auburn for all residents.
Pelletier cares deeply about Auburn’s natural resources and can often be found picking up litter from the streets and city parks on his many walks.
“For nearly 30 years, Pelletier, a former school board member and current New Auburn resident, has been on a crusade to make sure the city’s public parks and walking trails remain free of trash,” according to an article in the Lewiston Sun Journal.
He is passionate not only about trash but has made it his mission to encourage pet owners to “scoop” up after their pets, even working with city staff to create a “Do You Scoop?” pamphlet that he circulates every chance he gets.
Pelletier has a close relationship with city staff and is a supportive and enthusiastic resident. He is a regular attendee at Auburn City Council meetings, often participating when he is moved to do so. He embodies not only the Spirit of America but also the heart of Auburn.
Members of the grange and Pelletier are known for their philanthropic work, generosity of spirit and sense of community pride. The Spirit of America Foundation was established in Augusta in 1990 to honor volunteerism. The Spirit of America Foundation Tribute is presented in the name of Maine municipalities to local individuals, organizations and projects for commendable community service.
The city of Auburn began participating in the statewide program in 2011.
