Chris+Bouchard+3-4-10

By: Chris Bouchard ** bouchardc@students.nescom.edu
 * Iraqi Schoolchildren Fundraiser

BANGOR - A tremendous effort is being orchestrated by NESCom student Michael Goulart to provide aid for Iraqi schoolchildren. Goulart served as part of the 82nd Airborne Division in the Army for five and a half years, with 27 months of that time spent at war.

“The reason I’m doing this is because it’s something I’ve seen first hand,” explains Goulart. “I’ve seen kids there without shoes. Most of the kids over there have to wear the same set of clothes for a long time, and they really deserve better. I figured since I'm not serving over there any more I should try to help these kids out." The main focus of this fundraiser is to provide Iraqi children with supplies for school. Children in Iraq are required to buy their own school supplies, but unfortunately only a small number of them can actually afford to do this. “We’re gonna try to set up drop boxes around the Husson/NESCom campus,” says Goulart. “People can then put notebooks, pencils, or any kind of school supplies in these boxes. Once the fundraiser is finished, the 82nd Airborne Division will be taking the donations to the schools in Iraq.”

To top it all off, there will be a concert with local bands to aid in the overall effort. According to Mike, the details aren’t completely worked out yet, but admission should be somewhere around $3 to $5.

“We’re going to have // Wolves Among Sleep // play, as well as // Legend Has It,” // says Goulart. “There will most likely be more bands performing, but we know these bands will be playing or sure. We may also try to get some people in the Video and Live Sound majors to record the show and possibly put together a DVD.

Goulart will be working alongside the Husson/NESCom chapter of the PRSSA to help make this a reality. They plan on setting up drop boxes along with some posters advertising the event. More information regarding the fundraiser will be released within the next month.