HOPE — A movie night organized by the Students Fund of Hope generated about $3,800 to assist Hauser High School students who were injured in a serious car accident at the school and to help buy a headstone for one of their classmates who died unexpectedly last month.
The Sept. 14 event attracted more than 1,000 people to the Hope Town Square to watch the movie “Moana” and participate in arts and crafts, a petting zoo and bounce houses, said Whitney Budd, an organizer of the fund with Stephanie Long.
All the activities and the food, which included grilled hotdogs, popcorn and candy, were donated and offered for free-will donations, Budd said. Organizers wanted all families to feel like they could attend regardless of financial status.
All proceeds from the event will be distributed among the families of the four seniors injured in the car accident, including the family of Erin Newcomb, who was the most severely injured and remains in Indianapolis undergoing medical care. The accident happened near Hauser one day after Trevor Frazee’s funeral, a Hauser senior who died Aug. 23 from a cardiac problem.
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In addition to gas cards, food cards and medical care reimbursements for the families of injured students, the group hopes to help pay for Frazee’s headstone, Budd said.
The movie night was the second fundraiser the group has planned and held. In July, the group sponsored a root beer float party which raised more than $10,000 to help Flat Rock-Hawcreek students with school lunch accounts or other expenses families can’t afford.
The charity was created to raise money to pay school-related expenses for Hope children from financially disadvantaged families, Budd said. There was no set price for the root beer floats. Instead, patrons were simply asked to provide whatever they could afford to give.
About 40 percent of Flat Rock-Hawcreek students qualify for free or reduced lunches, which is below the state’s 48 percent average, according to the corporation’s 2017 annual performance report.
Next on the charity’s agenda is baking 200 dozen cookies for Saturday’s Hope Ride, as the event plans to give a donation to the Students Fund of Hope, Budd said. Students Fund of Hope also hopes to enter a float in the Sept. 30 Heritage Days Parade.
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Donations to the Students Fund of Hope may be made through the Hope branch of First Financial Bank, or through the organization’s Facebook page.
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