OAKLAND, Maine — Some Messalonskee High School students are making a difference in honor of one of their own.
They’re working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine to fulfill the dream of Cassidy Charette, who died last fall in a tragic hayride crash.
“We get the satisfaction of giving back, which is a huge thing,” Cassidy’s brother, Colby Charette, said.
In the program, 17 high school students each are paired with an elementary school student, as their big brother or big sister.
“It’s about having a positive influence, it’s about having someone they can talk to, help them build their confidence, their relationship skills, help them make good decisions,” said Alex Gaeth with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine.
For Colby, it means so much more.
“It means I get to honor my sister,” he said.
This was a long-time dream of Cassidy, who was a standout student and soccer player at Messalonskee High School.
“She was two weeks away from becoming a big sister,” Gaeth said.
Connor Garland, Cassidy’s boyfriend, wanted to keep her dream alive by starting the first school program in the community.
“I think this makes her really happy, because she knows that it’s all for her,” Connor said.
The enthusiasm was overwhelming — an unprecedented 100 students applied.
“That’s a record, we haven’t ever had that in any school before,” Gaeth said.
They say it’s a testament to Cassidy’s big heart and even bigger impact.
“Without her, none of this would have happened,” Connor said, “It was all just ‘cause she was such a caring person and so selfless that she was going to do this for herself and now it just turned into this and it’s all because of her.”
Thinking of her, they help and they heal.
“This is something where they felt they could honor Cassidy while giving back to the community, which was amazing,” Colby said.
To keep the program going, a special fundraiser will be held on Saturday, April 11, called “ Bowl for Cassidy’s sake” at Sparetime Recreation in Waterville. The proceeds will go to the program in Cassidy’s name.