Fundraising for Liverpool Regional High School graduates has taken on new life online.<\/p>\n
The annual LRHS Foundation auction, the main fundraiser providing scholarships to graduating students, was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.<\/p>\n
Teacher Claudine LeBlanc has helped organize the event for the past number of years and didn\u2019t want to break the 22-year tradition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t willing to not have our graduates receive something, receive their due.\u201d<\/p>\n
With schools closed until at least May 15, she realized there wouldn\u2019t be time to organize their traditional auction.<\/p>\n
LeBlanc decided to reach out to the community through Facebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just sort of said, if anybody\u2019s interested in donating, and truly in my heart I thought, ok, well, let\u2019s start with $2,000 and see where we go.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was overwhelmed when 24 hours later the total was climbing past $6,000.<\/p>\n
Each year, the Liverpool Regional High School Foundation hands out $20,000 in scholarships to its graduates.<\/p>\n
LeBlanc says LRHS is one of only two schools in North America she has found that provides this kind of support for their students.<\/p>\n
She says it\u2019s only possible because of how invested residents of Queens County are in the school; and that makes cancelling the annual auction that much more disappointing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of those rare times you get to open the school up to the whole community. You open the doors, everybody comes in, everybody\u2019s there for a reason. It\u2019s so nice to see. For me, I always tell people, it\u2019s the highlight of my school year.\u201d<\/p>\n
LeBlanc says since the auction began 22 years ago, the LRHS Foundation has awarded almost half a million dollars to over 400 students.<\/p>\n
After teaching at Liverpool Regional High School for 17 years she has come to know just how giving the community is.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would not be surprised to see our total exactly where it would have been had we had an actual auction. We always aim for $20,000 but if we hit $18,000, that won\u2019t surprise me that people will be that generous.\u201d<\/p>\n
LeBlanc says she plans to keep the Facebook donation page open until June first.<\/p>\n
Usually, the foundation distributes 20 $1,000 scholarships each year.<\/p>\n
LeBlanc says once the fundraiser closes, she and the foundation members will look at how much has been raised to determine if they will hand out a number of $1,000 scholarships or divide the total among a set number of students.<\/p>\n
Anyone interested in donating to the Liverpool Regional High School Scholarship Foundation can follow this link.<\/a><\/p>\n