Held on the Helipad Event Raises Over $30K to Benefit Aroostook Cancer Care

The fundraising event Held on the Helipad has proven successful once again, raising over $30,000!

The popular and fun event, formerly known as Rally on the Roof, was brought to ground this year, but it appears support for this year’s cause certainly took off.  A new location and great weather proved even more fun for “captives” with a pirate-themed island adventure staged on the Helipad in front of TAMC’s A. R. Gould Memorial Hospital.  A total of 53 people took part in the fundraiser and hundreds donated to support their efforts.

Last Thursday's 12-hour fundraiser was coordinated by TAMC and by our three Townsquare Media radio stations right here in Aroostook County.  Proceeds this year were designated to benefit TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care Services, specifically a new fund established to assist patients in need to ensure that barriers such as transportation costs do not get in the way of their receiving life-saving treatment.

As part of the fundraising effort, community members were encouraged to have a “capture order” issued for someone they wanted to see join in the Pirate Island adventure.  The pirate ships on wheels (Crown Ambulance and the colorful WOW Wagon) were dispatched to several central Aroostook communities to pick up the “scalawags” for their trip to “Crown Bay” where they were sentence to time on nearby Helipad Pirate Island.

When the captured parties arrived at the TAMC’s Crown Emergency Care facility, adjacent to the A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital, they went before a special guest pirate captain to be sentenced to serve time on Helipad Pirate Island.  While on the Helipad, the captives raised their way back to the “mainland” by calling friends and family to work their way off.

The captured didn’t find it much of a hardship to be exiled to the island and raise their bail.  Abundant sunshine and the warmest day of the season to date, coupled with Island-themed décor and music greeted them.  During their stay, those serving time on the island were treated to tropical-themed refreshment.

If you'd like to make a donation, there is still time! Just go to www.heldonthehelipad.com. The site will remain live through the end of June.

In addition to the fun and fundraising that took place on the Helipad, Tim Horton’s of Aroostook County supported the project through their “Smile Cookie” program at their Cafe and Bake Shops in the region.  The Houlton, Presque Isle, and Caribou locations sold the specially decorated cookies all week long with proceeds from the sweet treats benefitting the patient assistance fund at Aroostook Cancer Care.