Sometimes a Vision Leads to a Party That Helps a Community

Mainely Meat BBQ on Dreamwood Hill hosts its second breast cancer fundraiser

Oct 07, 2023

BAR HARBOR—Sometimes a vision can create a movement, or at least do some good locally for people who need a little extra help.

That’s what Laura Johnson hopes will come from one of her brother’s visions last year.

While Ed Douglas was visiting some shops in the Florida Keys, he kept hearing people ask the workers, “Where’s the pink?”

“The shopgoers were seeking pink shirts but were not finding many,” Laura said.

Soon after that experience, Ed fell asleep and he dreamed of raising money for people fighting breast cancer by selling pink shirts.

“Ed doesn’t rest easy until he pursues his ideas, so borne from his dream was the first batch of pink t-shirts and the first annual “Where’s the Pink” party,” Laura said.

That party happened last year at Mainely Meat BBQ on Dreamwood Hill. The restaurant is a southern BBQ-style restaurant.

“Southern BBQ is about smoked meats, which take on a distinct pink hue from the smoking process,” Laura said. “With the help of Florance Dunbar of Acadia Designs, we tied the pink color for breast cancer awareness to the pink color of our smoked meats and designed the t-shirts.”

At that first party, they sold those shirts and raised $1,500.

“Soon after the party, there came to be known a local individual who had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer and who could use that money. We are pleased this money was able to help them,” Laura said.

But that local isn’t the only one who has cancer. And Ed’s vision doesn’t stop after one year and neither has Laura and others’ work stopped. They all want to make Ed’s vision a reality.

On Sunday, October 15, from 5-8 p.m., Mainely Meat BBQ on Dreamwood Hill will have its second annual fundraiser party to support some financial needs of local breast cancer warriors.

“We invite customers to don their pink and join us for our “Where’s the Pink? Wear your Pink!” party on our last day of business for this season,” Laura said.

The Crown Vics, ABE, and Narramissic Drive will play at the event which Mainely Meat BBQ’s Facebook page is calling “a party to remember.” It’s also the restaurant’s final day of the season.

“Everyone will enjoy delicious BBQ, play games, and be able to bid during the silent auction,” Laura said.

The goal? To raise $3,000.

“Please help us double the money raised last year,” Laura said. “Items at the auction will include a Helen Douglas original painting, an original painting from Ed Douglas, and some donations from some of our talented staff. What’s better than a good cause, great company, beer, and fantastic BBQ to close out our 2023 season?”

Helen was a well known and accomplished artist and healer in Bar Harbor who died in 2021.

WINGS OF EDEN

That’s not all the family is trying to do.

“We would also like to share that Ed has started something very dear to his heart. Wings of Eden, a 501c3 corporation, has been formed and is working toward opening a unique end-of-life care home in Hancock County,” Laura said.

It’s a big project that will need a lot of our support.

The home will provide a safe, loving, and caring environment for patients to receive end-of-life care.

“This is not a Hospice House; therefore, Medicare will not govern the length of time patients can stay,” Laura said. “Once a patient resides in this home, following a terminal diagnosis that allows them to receive hospice care, they may remain there until they pass. While there, residents will be able to receive services from hospice personnel according to the rules that govern hospice, but they will also have the 24-hour company and comfort of Wings of Eden volunteers.”

The goal is to provide this home with no out-of-pocket cost to those needing it. Stay tuned for more information on this unique home and how you can help bring it to fruition.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

According to the Susan G. Komen site,

“For nearly four decades now, the country has recognized October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a time annually devoted to educating everyone about breast cancer — including metastatic breast cancer (MBC) — and the importance of early detection and access to timely, high-quality care.”

According to the Maine DHHS, in 2019 in Hancock County, there were approximately 130 new breast cancer diagnosis per 100,000 population. According to the 2023, Maine Cancer Report, “The four most common newly diagnosed cancers in Maine are lung and bronchus, female breast, prostate, and colon and rectum.”

Hancock County has a signficantly higher cancer rate.