Town gets assist from Boston College

LINCOLNVILLE - It was 12 degrees in Boston last week when 19 college students boarded a bus bound for South Carolina.

That alone, plus the personal rewards inherent in doing public service work for a small town, would have made the trip to Lincolnville worthwhile.

But what the college youths said they will always remember about their week working in the spring-like weather of the Lowcountry was friendliness and gratefulness of the people they met.

'Everybody here was so nice and friendly to talk to,' said James Womboldt,

19, a freshman from Falmouth, Mass.

The students are part of a Boston College service organization called Appalachia Volunteers. While in Lincolnville, the youths cleaned yards and roadsides, aided children and Head Start teachers, painted inside Town Hall and helped elderly with laundry, dishes, yard work and other chores.

The youths said they have received lots of positive feedback.

'One resident said they have noticed that we are making a difference,' Allison Boris,

21, a junior from Scranton, Pa., said, She said many passers-by stop to offer compliments and even refreshments.

'Someone else slowed down and just yelled, 'Thank you!'?' Boris said.

The group, which has been sleeping on Town Hall floors and dining with local residents, will return to Boston today. Lincolnville Mayor Tyrone Aiken

said the students' efforts 'have huge benefits to the community.' Not only did they improve the town's appearance, they aided residents who are unable to perform home and outdoor chores for themselves, he said.

Christianne Sharr,

21, a senior, said she loved helping children with art projects and cleaning a yard owned by someone elderly.

Cate Prefontaine,

21, a senior from Buffalo, N.Y., and a youth group leader, said that although BC students have been coming to Lincolnville for years, it's a first time for all in this group. Each student raises the funds needed to pay for travel, she said.

'We have loved every minute of it and met some great people. A bunch of people have pulled over and thanked us, and one gave us a bag of Gatorade,' Prefontaine said.

Su In Park, 21, a junior from HonoÂ-lulu, wore a 'Lincolnville is for Lovers' T-shirt that was made for her by a friend.

'I like it that people here don't see us as outsiders,' Park said. She added that it's been bitterly cold in Boston, with snow the past week, but in Lincolnville she can work in shorts. She also said she's impressed that Aiken seems to know every one of the town's more than 900 residents.

For more information about the program, see http://appalachia.volunteers.googlepages.com/.