By Suzanne Hodgson

Staff Writer

Teddy Vatcher and his twin, Annie, have four friends over Friday afternoons to eat snacks in the family’s kitchen. They talk about their week at Middle School of the Kennebunks and brainstorm ideas on how to help others.

The Vatcher kitchen is home base for six 11-year-olds involved in Roots and Shoots, a national program that focuses on youth who want to build a better community. For the third year in a row, the Kennebunks chapter of Roots and Shoots will conduct a toy drive for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program in Scarborough.

It all began five years ago, when Teddy, then 6, heard about a neighbor’s family member who died of Leukemia.

“He said ‘let’s do something,’” said Teddy’s mother, Ginny Vatcher.

Ginny said she heard a toy drive was something doable for children Teddy’s age, so after some research, in 2007 the family put up collection bins at Sea Road School and Kennebunk Elementary School.

“It’s kind of a hard thing to have happen to you, but to go in for treatment and get a toy after, it’s something to look forward to,” Teddy said. 

Last year the group was able to collect more than 400 toys and games for toddlers to teenagers to put into the “Owie” box at the Scarborough center.

“I was really amazed by how much we got,” said group member Katelyn Hurlburt. 

Once a patient at the cancer center has treatment, they can check the “Owie” box for a toy, book or game. This year Teddy and his friends are asking people to remember teenagers also use the “Owie” box because in years past they have received a lot of toys for young children, but not much for teens.

“We still do the little kids stuff but as we move the boxes to the older schools they will naturally donate for the older kids so it will probably be a pretty good balance,” Teddy said. 

This year all six schools in RSU 21, which encompasses Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel, will have a collection box and Poofberry’s, Kennebunk Toy Co. and Kennebooks will also host collection boxes. 

Kennebooks will offer 20 percent off the price of any book given to the collection and Poofberry’s and Kennebunk Toy Co. will both offer 20 percent off the entire purchase as long as one item goes toward the “Owie” box. Ginny Vatcher said each year Roots and Shoots donates about 400 items to the cancer program. She said everything must be unused and still in the original packages. Ginny said many of the toys end up as Christmas gifts because the group donates so many items to the program at one time.

“Some of the toys end up as gifts for families with children in treatment who can’t afford Christmas,” Ginny said. 

Because all six students go to Middle School of the Kennebunks, the group is especially pushing its fundraising efforts there. They have set a goal to collect between 100 and 150 toys before the drive ends at the end of the month. 

“We made a thermometer to see how close we are to the goal,” said Roots and Shoots member Elizabeth Cain.

Once all the toys and boxes have been collected, the group will pack them into the Vatcher family vehicle and drive to the Scarborough center to present the gifts in person. 

Last year the group was able to take a tour of the treatment facilities, meet doctors and nurses and its therapy dog, Daisy.

“You feel good about it, about helping people. Some people just don’t think about it,” Annie said. 

“And you guys are just six kids,” Ginny added.

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.