The annual Liverpool Regional High School (LRHS) scholarship fundraiser is marking 25 years of providing money for graduates to attend post-secondary school.

What started as a dinner and auction moved online during the pandemic and has been breaking donation records ever since. Last year, organizers raised over $33,000, smashing through their $22,000 goal. This year they’re challenging themselves and the community to come up with $35,000.

Fundraising committee member Pierre Losier says organizers considered returning to an in-person format but decided staying online offered benefits that couldn’t be ignored.

“What we found is with the online auction format it provides more than just a one-day event. It provides more opportunities for folks to participate in the auction,” said Losier. “We start in the first of May and go through the month into June until we've gone through the different lots of auction. So, it's a different format but it increases our participation and as a result also increases the funding.”

The committee is composed of parents, teachers and, most importantly, students.

“They are broken down in smaller groups with a mentor committee parent and they will go and canvas the community for donations of either items to be sold at auction or some financial donations to the committee,” said Losier.

The auction is held on the LRHS 2023 Scholarship Fundraiser Facebook page.

Items up for auction are displayed as posts and bids can be made in the comments.

Losier says given the generosity of the community they could surpass the set goal of $35,000.

“Our community, year after year, just shows amazing support for this program and we’re confident that will continue on.”

Each year, about a third of the graduating class receive $1,000 awards from the scholarship fund to support their post-secondary schooling.

In the 25 years the auction has been running, over 400 students have received around $500,000 towards their continuing education from the LRHS Foundation.

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