They remain in our hearts forever. Although four years have passed since the tragic accident in July 2006 that took the lives of Grade 11 Elphinstone Secondary School students Hanna Anderson and Trina Borley, their legacy remains as strong as ever in the hearts of family and friends.
The annual student-run Fall Fun Fest is coming up on Wednesday, Sept. 15, and the community is invited to join in.
The first fun fest was created in September 2006 with the help of teacher Sarah Mani and close friends of Hanna and Trina, as an event to pull together the grads and their community in celebrating the lives of these two amazing girls.
Each year, proceeds have gone towards the Hanna and Trina Memorial Bursary. This year, as with last year's event, 20 per cent will go to the bursary, while 80 per cent will go to KidSport to help kids on the Sunshine Coast who might otherwise not be able to participate in sports.
The day's activities kick off with the annual student/teacher slo-pitch game starting at 4 p.m. at Brothers Park. Once the game is over, activities shift to the Elphi field for the pie-a-teacher booth, dunk tank, kissing booth, fish tank, hoop shoot, pitching tent, fortune telling, live music, lots of amazing draw prizes, food and drinks and this year's "In Our Hearts Forever" T-shirts, which, according to Mani, will be in high demand with new colours and more sizes this year.
The fun fest wraps up at 8 p.m.
"This is an all-ages, fun, family event that we know the whole community will get behind," said Mani. "Donations from individuals and the business community have just been tremendous. We have some amazing raffle prizes, and the support so far has been just overwhelming."Mani said each year's grad class has taken on the event with open arms, and this year is no exception.
"The 2011 grads are all on board and really working hard to make this a special event just like all the other grad classes before them," Mani added. "One thing that [Trina's father] Laurence Borley said to me a few years ago was that he didn't want people to forget [Hanna's and Trina's] team spirit, their individual drive, energy, passion for life, passion for sports - it's just so fitting that this event continues. It means a tremendous amount to both their families, the students of Elphi and the whole community."
