The final numbers are in and students at San Benito High School
managed to raise more than $7,000 for two memorial
scholarships.
Despite several hard-fought efforts, SBHS students didn’t reach
their fund-raising goal of $10,000 for scholarships to remember
2003 graduates Matt Lopez and P.J. Galvan.
The final numbers are in and students at San Benito High School managed to raise more than $7,000 for two memorial scholarships.
Despite several hard-fought efforts, SBHS students didn’t reach their fund-raising goal of $10,000 for scholarships to remember 2003 graduates Matt Lopez and P.J. Galvan.
Each year, SBHS students put on a benefit ball with the proceeds going to different beneficiaries. Lopez and Galvan were killed in an automobile accident Dec. 6, 2003.
Donations came from the Jan. 16 ball, fund-raising before the dance, a fund-raising drive at Papa Murphy’s Take ‘n Bake Pizza and other drives after the dance. Associated Student Body President Becky Bonner even sweetened the pot by offering to shave her head to motivate students.
“I would have totally done it without even thinking about it,” Bonner said about shaving off her hair. “We made over $7,000, which is awesome. It’s the most we’ve ever raised.”
Although Amy Abbass, SBHS senior and coordinator of the benefit drive, was looking forward to seeing Bonner hairless, she was not disappointed with the final outcome.
“This is the most money we’ve ever collected. I wish we could have collected more, but this is more than we had expected,” Abbass said.
The fund-raiser at Papa Murphy’s pulled in $750 from purchases and $100 in donations.
SBHS students will present a check to the Lopez and Galvan families sometime next week, Abbass said. The money donated to the families will go to scholarship funds – Lopez’s will be for golf players and Galvan’s for baseball players.
At the benefit ball, students collected pledges for the event. A $10 pledge got students into the dance for free.
Another way students raised money at the dance was by selling stars for $20 that people put names on – similar to the luminaries at Hollister’s Relay for Life. Most of the 250 stars sold featured the name of Lopez, Galvan or their families, Abbass said.
“The difference between this year and other years is that a lot of people were connected to Matt and P.J. They were very influential in this community,” she said in an earlier interview.
Formerly called the cheap dance, the benefit ball started in 1994 as a dance students could get into for a discounted price. The next school year, students wanted to collect funds for distribution to a needy community member or family. This year, the name was changed to benefit ball.
