Abby Fiske Memorial Dinner A Big Success
By Kevin Doyon
BANGOR, Maine — The second annual memorial spaghetti dinner to honor the life of a former Husson University student was held on April 6. The event took place at the University’s G. Pierce Webber Campus Center.
The dinner serves as a fundraising effort for the Abigail K. Fiske Husson University Memorial Scholarship fund.
Abby Fiske was an Occupational Therapy student from Millinocket who passed away two years ago in an ATV crash in Lowell. She was 19 at the time and just finished her second year in the Occupational Therapy program.
Those close to her described her as a person who would not accept “no” for an answer, and always gave her best effort when she set out to accomplish.
“Abby strived every single day to help people. She was passionate about it. said friend of Abby and Occupational Therapy student, Cassidy Ouellette. “She was in the OT program, and she loved the OT program, so I think that the main goal of this scholarship is that she can continue to do so through this scholarship and reach out to people.”
With that in mind, several Husson students have put forth an effort to raise enough money for the scholarship. Husson requires $25,000 for a scholarship to be endowed. After the spaghetti dinner, which sent all proceeds to the fundraising effort, the fundraising efforts were about $3,000 short of their goal. However, they received a donation last Tuesday by the Realty of Maine which put them at their goal of $25,000.
The company’s owner, David Sleeper, says it was important for him to be involved in this scholarship because he, too, lost a child.
In addition to honoring Abby’s life and legacy, the scholarship also serves as a way to help current and future students.
“Not only will her memory be able to live — not only in our hearts and this university — but it will allow her to touch others and be able to help others through her memory,” said Ouellette.
According to a press release from the University, the scholarship “will provide financial aid support for Husson University students majoring in Occupational Therapy with academic merit, who have shown dedication to the profession. This fund is intended to allow Abby’s memory to live on perpetually at Husson University, and to provide opportunities for other Occupational Therapy students to achieve their educational goals.”
The event featured a social with the spaghetti dinner soon following.
With the fundraising efforts a success and the scholarship officially recognized, the effort to keep Abby’s legacy living will continue. When her classmates walk across the stage to claim their diplomas this Spring, they will be wearing pins on their gowns in memory of her. The pins are also being sold and all proceeds with go to the scholarship funds.
