Construction on the Rotary Thornton House to Begin

Old Town Rotary Members worked the crowd during the Riverfest parade on September 24th, as they gathered support on the first stage of our long term project to build a Cancer Hospitality House near the Lafayette Family Cancer Center in Brewer. 

The immediate project is to build a house, called the Rotary-Thornton House, on a lot at 33 Abbott Street in Old Town that was donated by Rotarian Tom Thornton Jr. of Milford.  The house will be built by Rotarians and other volunteers.  When it is sold, the proceeds will provide seed money for construction of the Cancer Hospitality House in Brewer.  

Most of the labor and materials for the Totary-Thornton House will be donated; contributions are needed to purchase the other materials for the construction project.  

Ground breaking for the project will be October 3rd.  Sit work is being donated by Thornton Construction of Milford.  Foundation work will be done by Lindsay Foundations of Milford.  Framing will begin as soon as the foundation is completed.

Rotarian Stan Peterson, who is overseeing the project, says the goal is to have the structure enclosed by fall so that interior work can proceed during the winter.  Peterson expects the house will be completed and ready for sale next spring.

The idea fro the Cancer Hospitality House came from fellow Rotarian Sarah Robinson, a 26-year old Rotarian who has been battling brain cancer for the past two years.  When she received radiation treatments at the Lafayette Family Cancer Center in Brewer, she noticed that many patients from northern and eastern Maine had to drive several hours back and forth for appointments because they couldn't afford to stay in a motel while receiving treatment.

Rotary Clubs from throughout Maine are bing asked to take the lead in a statewide campaign to support the Cancer Hospitality House more popularly know as "Sarah's House" because of her leadership in developing the idea.