The Goodrich High School gymnasium was packed Thursday, Nov. 30 as the Goodrich community came together to help one of their own.
On that evening, a benefit basketball game between the combined Goodrich Middle School/Oaktree Elementary staff and the Goodrich High School staff took place to raise money for the family of Cayn Nance, 11, a Goodrich Middle School sixth-grader who was killed in an Oct. 20 car accident at the intersection of M-15 and Kipp Road.
Cayn’s mom, Sue King, is a bus driver for the Goodrich school district.
Goodrich High School senior Katie Bradley, who serves as the senior class treasurer on the school’s Student Council, said about $2,000 was raised for the family.
In addition to the game, which was won by the high school staff 43-42, the event featured several door prizes which were raffled off. Bradley said those door prizes included a football signed by Detroit Lions quarterback Jon Kitna; a hockey puck signed by Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mathieu Schneider; a gift certificate for Goodrich Country Club; and a gift certificate for the Goodrich IGA Market.
Bradley also said the council presented Wal-Mart gift cards to Cayn’s family.
Although Bradley said she did not know the exact attendance at the game, she did say ‘at one point, people were lined up out the door.?
Trisha McElrath, a Goodrich resident and co-sponsor for the high school’s current senior class, said Bradley and her fellow class officers (president Chad Marler, vice president Catherine York and secretary Brittany Tiedeman), along with the officers for the junior, sophomore and freshman classes, deserve all the credit for putting together the fundraiser.
McElrath said she remembers coming upon the accident scene on Oct. 20 shortly after it happened. A few days later, she recalled seeing jugs in area gas stations asking people to donate money for Cayn’s family.
Afterward, she talked to Linda O’Mara (whose daughter Kayla was killed in a January car accident), who also saw the jugs at the local stations. McElrath said O’Mara asked her what she could do to help.
Shortly afterwards, McElrath and class co-sponsor Darlene Morgan approached the senior class officers.
‘I told them, ‘I would really like it if the four of you could get together to see how much money out of our class account we could donate to the family,?? she said. ‘I told them this is what Goodrich does when something like this happens.?
From that point, she said ‘those kids took over? and organized the benefit basketball game along with the other three high school classes.
‘They brought in the other class officers,? McElrath said. ‘Each class took one of the four Goodrich schools and helped get those teachers involved.?