Julie Rockastle, owner of the Heron Farm and Event Center in Sherman presented a check for $3,850 to the JHS Attendance Counseling Center to establish the Lexy Hughan Sunshine Fund. Pictured in the first row are,Maura Campion, JHS attendance counselor; Bonnie Schnars, behavior specialist; and JHS students and Lexy’s friends, Eddie Meyers, Leo Allison, and Ryan Aaron Guiffre. In the second row are Faith Graham, ENL teacher; Sara Rafaloski, Lexy’s mother; Jeff Hughan, Lexy’s dad; Susan Mead, school psychologist; and Dana Williams, JHS principal. Submitted photo

Community partners recently came together to help honor a Jamestown High School student lost too soon by helping to benefit a program that meant a lot to her.

Julie Rockastle, owner of the Heron Farm and Event Center in Sherman, presented a check for $3,850 to the JHS Attendance Counseling Center to establish the Lexy Hughan Sunshine Fund. Funds were raised from the fourth annual Heron Trail Run on Sunday, Aug. 14.

Remembered as a “helper, supporter, and loyal friend,” Lexy was the victim of a fatal hit-and-run accident on New Year’s Eve last year. She was 15 years old.

“(Lexy) shared joy when it was needed and was always the friend with a spontaneous idea,” said Faith Graham, high school ENL teacher. “Lexy often ate lunch (at the JHS Attendance Counseling Center) and introduced many other students to that space — young people she encountered who were in need of peace and quiet, and to feel accepted and loved — no matter what life brought their way.”

At the request of Lexy’s parents, Sara Rafaloski and Jeff Hughan, the funds will be used to purchase supplies and activities for the Attendance Counseling Center.

“Lexy meant a great deal to us,” said Bonnie Schnars, behavior specialist. “This office has become a place of healing, support and love. We plan to use these funds to honor her memory and keep her spirit alive. She let people know they mattered, her love was unconditional, and our goal is to love like Lexy did for so many.”

In addition to Schnars, Graham, Rockcastle, and Lexy’s parents, pictured accepting the donation were JHS principal Dana Williams, school psychologist Susan Mead, attendance counselor Maura Campion, and JHS students and Lexy’s friends — Eddie Meyers, Leo Allison, and Ryan Aaron Guiffre.