The Walpole Community has rallied around a common purpose before, and this year is no different.  Joining forces, the friends of the Donovan Family have recently organized various fundraisers and upcoming events to support a family in need.   One event took place at Texas Roadhouse on November 17, while December 6 marks another night to support the family.  Along with the events, countless members of the community – including faculty, families and students – have purchased “Walpole Strong” t-shirts to raise money for the Donovan Family Fund.  As a collective effort, members of Walpole High School and the town as a whole hope to come together to the lighten the burden of one family.

People did not hesitate to take part in “ A Night for the Donovans,” an event sponsored by Texas Roadhouse two weeks ago, which generated significant participation.  For every group who ate dinner after 4 p.m. on November 17, 15% of the total food purchases were donated to the fund.  Countless families, as well as faculty decided to dine at the restaurant in support.

“It was great to see the community out to support a great cause!” said Ms. Jamie Farrell, a history teacher at Walpole High.

The involvement in athletics at WHS also inspired various sports’ captains to spread the word to their teammates to eat dinner at the Roadhouse.  The night of the event, athletes and their families filled the tables and contributed to the fundraising.

“It was really a no brainer to encourage everyone to help out.  The whole team was on board and wanted to donate to support the Donovans,” said senior Kevin Quinn, a captain of the Walpole Boy’s Hockey Team.

Members of the town will again come together in a few weeks to raise more money in an even larger event held at Finnegans Wake Pub in Walpole.  Beginning at 6 p.m., admission is 20 dollars per person, with all profits directly benefitting the Donovan Family.  With raffle and silent auction items up for grabs to attendees, organizers hope for another large crowd.

Taking place throughout the evening, 10 live auction items will be available.  Some of them include the following: A Las Vegas Super Bowl Weekend Package, a Summer vacation in New Hampshire, 4 Bruins tickets vs Nashville Predators,  a Bruins Luxury Suite vs The Sabres on December 21, and a Tom Brady autographed football.  Additionally, countless golf outings are present in the silent auction, as well as sporting event tickets, sporting good items, travel opportunities and entertainment items.  To win the Patrice Bergeron autographed jersey, the helicopter sightseeing ride, the $500 certificate to Reebok, or any of the other numerous silent auction prizes, attendees must bid before 11 p.m.

Raffles include diamond earrings and scratch tickets.  Also, several friends of the Donovans have donated regular raffle tickets  with over  $5,000 in prizes for the event.

Not only have people provided great raffle and auction items, but generous donations have also come pouring in.  The first to donate, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, MA (a member of Steward Health Care) has contributed significantly to the fundraising, as Mrs. Donovan worked there for over 20 years.

Mr. Dave Thornton, one of the committee members of the Donovan Family Fund said, “The participation has been absolutely awesome.  There are some great items, and I am so happy with the generosity of everyone involved in the fundraising.”

While Walpolians look forward to “A Night for the Donovans” at Finnegan’s Wake, they continue to purchase “Walpole Strong” t-shirts.  The t-shirts, saying    “ We have your back” on the back and “Walpole Strong” on the front come in both orange and blue colors.  Over 300 shirts were originally ordered, and already about 250 were purchased by students and teachers during school, as well as parents at events such as Parent-teacher Conferences.   The remainder of the shirts will be sold at the upcoming event, where organizers anticipate the shirts will sell very quickly. The shirts, a symbol of Walpole’s commitment to helping one family, is just one step in a much larger goal to raise money.

With the next event to contribute to the Donovan Family Fund on December 6 at Finnegan’s Wake, the fundraising committee is still happily accepting any and all donations, as well as auction and raffle items.

While the community continues to take care of their own, the town remains united; it’s members, resilient.

(If you would like to donate, checks are accepted, payable to  “The Donovan Family Fund” and  should be forwarded to P.O Box 739 Walpole, MA 02081. )