The comedy basketball team Harlem Superstars entertained a near capacity crowd Tuesday night at Wiscasset High School. The event was sponsored by Wiscasset Middle School’s Project REACH program, now in its seventh year. The program is the junior high equivalent of the high school JMG (Jobs for Maine Graduates) program.
This is the third straight year Project REACH has sponsored the Harlem Superstars fundraiser. Proceeds from the event help community members in need, support the REACH program and sponsor families during the holidays.
“A part of Project REACH is to reach out to the community and help the community,” WMS Principal Linda Bleile said.
A percentage of funds raised this year will go to the Bill and Cheryl Thayer family to help replace personal items lost when their Foye Road home burned earlier in the fall. Daughter Chelsea Thayer is an eighth grade student at WMS.
A big part of Project REACH is to aid students “who need [to] aspir[e] and need work on their organizational skills. Forty to 45 students out of 250 in grades 6-8 are involved with the program,” Bleile said. Students in the program are tracked through high school. “Our program is so successful,” Bleile said. Kerry Mansir has been the Project REACH specialist for six out of the past seven years.
The Harlem Superstars go into the schools the day of the event. “They are wonderful. They spread a positive message to stay in school and no bullying. They are very positive. And how often do you see a family event like this in Wiscasset?” Bleile said.
Playing on the 2010 Wiscasset Dream Team were TJ Merry, Kyle Beeton, Laurie Stiles, Adam Sansouci, Tanya Pomerleau, Tracy Blagdon, Josh Mats, Corey Jacques, and Stephen Puff. The Harlem Superstars kept their unbeaten streak alive at the event.
