This past week, some particularly good news came out of Franklin. The Dorchester Square Reunion Group was able to showcase just some of the good that they have done over the past year at a fundraising breakfast.

Attending the event, which was at the Sportsman Association Club, were many community, business and spiritual leaders of Franklin. And after the meeting was over, the community proved that they took DSRG seriously as an organization that gives back to Franklin by donating to the tune of about $5,000.

Operating off a similar budget this past year, most of it out of pocket from members, the group was able to help the children of a Franklin woman who died in a Dorchester Square apartment fire; help a homeless woman with food and provide other assistance; adopt a family at Dorchester Square and help them with needs that they struggled with; and they also contributed food baskets to the Franklin Cooperative Ministry to help those in need.

They were also able to provide two deserving students, Ellis “Trey” Cofield III and Terrence Britt Jr., with connections to this area with $500 scholarships to help them with tuition in college.

This year, however, they want to do more. And to do more, they are hoping to raise more, setting a goal of raising $25,000 annually.

With that, they are asking the community, particularly those in the business community, to help, as members cannot afford to pay as much as they have been spending out of pocket.

Donation levels are suggested at $25, which can help with school supplies; $50, which can help provide books to improve literacy; $75, which will help provide a food basket to a family; $100 to help provide job readiness training for the unemployed; $250 to help students participate in cultural activities including travel; and $500 to help with tuition assistances for deserving high school graduates. And you can set your own amount as far as the donation.

For more information, contact Lamar Barrett at 860-398-2686 or lamarbarrett1971@hotmail.com. He can also provide you with a donation form.

To donate directly, the group’s mailing address Dorchester Square Reunion Group, 158 Graystone Trace, Suffolk, VA.