Debbie Pracilio Scholarship Fund
Donation protected
On April 10,2014, my wife Debbie, a dedicated educator (13 years with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and 24 years at Whitman Elementary School in Washington Township), lost her battle of life with colon, liver, and brain cancer. Dedicated to her job as an elementary school teacher, Debbie struggled for 10 years with this deadly disease, but was determined to continue working. She received chemotherapy every Thursday and Friday at the Minniti Cancer Center, leaving the center with a portable intravenous chemo that was removed on Saturday by a visiting nurse. Stricken with sickness and fatigue after chemo, Debbie would return to work on a Monday morning, upset that she was not with her students on Thursday and Fridays. With much support from all the staff and teachers at Whitman, Debbie was able to accomplish her duties as teacher while missing two days of work.
Upon her death, my daughters (Alysha and Ashley) and myself were intent on having Debbie’s name continue to live in the Washington Township community. In lieu of flowers, we decided to start a scholarship fund for graduating seniors at Washington Township High School. With the generosity of family and friends, we decided to award three scholarships for June graduates of 2014, as a start, with residual funds for the upcoming years. The name of the fund is Debbie Pracilio Scholarship Fund.
Unfortunately, upon the loss of my mother and father and brother-in-law, we were emphatic on contributions to be made in their honor to the Debbie Pracilio Scholarship Fund. Within the two year period, we were able to collect enough money to provide $9000.00 over a 6 year time frame. As funds diminished, my daughters and I thought about hosting a Fundraiser to increase our funds and continue our distribution of three scholarships each year at the Washington Township High School graduation ceremonies.
With the pandemic of COVID-19, many venues have either shut down or have a limited guest count on providing their services for events. Being a heart transplant survivor, I am and would not put anyone at risk to attend a Fundraising event, so I decided to start a Go Fund Me page, in the hopes that funds can continue to grow for the ongoing Debbie Pracilio Scholarship Fund. Eventually when this pandemic ceases to exist, further research will be made to provide a more social fundraiser to allow Debbie’s name to continue to live on in Washington Township.
As previously mentioned, I as well as my daughters need to raise at least 2000 dollars a year in order to continue our scholarship fund. We would greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to help us.
Upon her death, my daughters (Alysha and Ashley) and myself were intent on having Debbie’s name continue to live in the Washington Township community. In lieu of flowers, we decided to start a scholarship fund for graduating seniors at Washington Township High School. With the generosity of family and friends, we decided to award three scholarships for June graduates of 2014, as a start, with residual funds for the upcoming years. The name of the fund is Debbie Pracilio Scholarship Fund.
Unfortunately, upon the loss of my mother and father and brother-in-law, we were emphatic on contributions to be made in their honor to the Debbie Pracilio Scholarship Fund. Within the two year period, we were able to collect enough money to provide $9000.00 over a 6 year time frame. As funds diminished, my daughters and I thought about hosting a Fundraiser to increase our funds and continue our distribution of three scholarships each year at the Washington Township High School graduation ceremonies.
With the pandemic of COVID-19, many venues have either shut down or have a limited guest count on providing their services for events. Being a heart transplant survivor, I am and would not put anyone at risk to attend a Fundraising event, so I decided to start a Go Fund Me page, in the hopes that funds can continue to grow for the ongoing Debbie Pracilio Scholarship Fund. Eventually when this pandemic ceases to exist, further research will be made to provide a more social fundraiser to allow Debbie’s name to continue to live on in Washington Township.
As previously mentioned, I as well as my daughters need to raise at least 2000 dollars a year in order to continue our scholarship fund. We would greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to help us.
Organizer
John Pracilio
Organizer
Williamstown, NJ
