13 December, 2012
An anonymous donor has contributed $10,000 to the Tom Weaver Be Positive (B+) Memorial Fund which each year awards four $1,500 scholarships to deserving seniors helping them with their educational pursuits beyond high school.
The scholarship fund was established nearly three years ago to honor the memory of Tom Weaver, a former Hopkinton High School student-athlete who died in 2010 after a courageous battle with cancer. Tom always maintained a happy and positive outlook on life despite his extreme personal challenges. He was an inspiration to his peers as well as teachers and staff and everyone who knew him.
Some of his key messages? Always display a winning attitude. Wake up every day full of hope and feeling positive, and a winning attitude is important to success in all aspects of life. The “Be Positive” message continues to resonate at the school today spreading a message of goodwill among students. Several “B+ Days” are held throughout the year in which the students wear commemorative T-shirts with the B+ logo and are asked to think about and share positive messages with each other throughout the day. In addition, several student-sponsored fundraising events honor his memory and support the fund such as the annual Alumni Lacrosse Tournament held in the spring.
The next school-wide B+ Day is Friday, December 21 – before students break for the holidays – and this month also a newly formed “Be Positive” club, co-founded by junior Katherine Taggart and senior Jill Lary, will have its first meeting. “It’s truly a unique, one of a kind experience we are trying to create for our students. If the message of hope helps one person in the school think differently about their situation or even reach for new and higher goals then we have done our job and we have done it well,” says Evan Bishop, interim principal.
Individual and group donations to the scholarship fund have ranged from as little as $10 to as much as $10,000 and have motivated others to take action in many creative ways. Recently, for instance, the Hopkinton High School Class of 2002 – marking their 10th reunion in November and inspired by Tom’s story and the meaning behind his legacy -- made a generous $600 donation in honor of former classmates RJ Penney and Brandon Showalter, who have since passed away. “We believe Tommy shared some of the same characteristics as RJ and Brandon, and we really wanted to help a deserving HHS senior pay for college in their honor,” they wrote in announcing their gift.
To date, four $1,500 awards have been handed out to Hopkinton students in the last two years. If you, your family or friends would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, send your donation today to:
The Tom Weaver “Be Positive (B+)” Memorial Fund
c/o Hopkinton Athletics Booster Club
P.O. Box 33
Hopkinton, MA 01748
All proceeds directly benefit the scholarship fund and future Hillers. Include your name and address and receive a free Be Positive (B+) T-shirt as a gift of thanks.
Joy Donohue
Hopkinton Boosters Club
