MADISON — Scoutmaster Mike Pike and Boy Scout Troop 481 won’t mind getting up early on Saturday to volunteer for the 28th annual Trek Across Maine.
Neither will some of the moms and dads who will help the boys pitch about 100 tents for bicycle trekkers at Colby College in Waterville on the second day of 180-mile American Lung Association fundraiser.
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“It’s great to challenge the kids — that’s pretty early to get up and get themselves going, but it’s always fun,” assistant scoutmaster Mike Fazio said of the 5:45 a.m. arrival time at Colby. “They’re waking up as they’re putting up the first tent.”
Hi son, Boy Scout Dominic Fazio, agreed.
“I think it’s for a good cause,” Dominic, 12, of Madison said Thursday. “It’s for the health of the lungs.”
Cyclists will leave Friday morning from Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry and trek about 60 miles to the University of Maine at Farmington, where they will spend the night.
Day two of the trek takes bikers from Farmington to Waterville, where they will spend the night at Colby. The final leg of the ride on Sunday will take trekkers to Steamboat Landing Park in Belfast.
Last year, a record 160 teams with more than 2,300 cyclists participated.
The American Lung Association hopes for 700 volunteers over the three-day weekend.
The trek is expected to raise $1.8 million to support lung health and prevent lung disease. It is the largest fundraiser for the organization nationwide, according to a release from the American Lung Association.
Pike said Troop 481 is chartered for Anson, Madison and Starks. They have 17 Scouts ranging in age from 11-17. It’s the fifth year the troop has volunteered at the event, he said.
“What we do is set up a number of booths — they call it Tent City,” he said. “There are about 100 of those tents that we set up to help support the Lung Association; businesses use the tents to support the riders when they come it with food, refreshments and information.”
Pike said he expects 15-20 boys and their families to volunteer on Saturday.
“We invite parents, we invite siblings; we figure the more the merrier,” he said. “We try to make it as family oriented as possible; we find by doing that we get more of a turnout. That’s what Boy Scouts do, we serve the community.”
Zachary Cates, 14, and brother Mitchell, 11, Boy Scouts from Anson, said they will be there with their mother, Amy, early on Saturday.
Zachary said his hope is to ride the trek himself someday.
“It’s good to help (the cyclists) out,” Mitchell added.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
dharlow@centralmaine.com
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