THE TRADESMAN
| Volume 9 No. 2 | -- A NEWSPAPER by and for DIMAN STUDENTS -- | January, 2006 |
A Family Reacts to Diman's Generosity
By: Melanie de Sousa & Paul Rego
Staff writers/Co-editors in chief
One can conclude that Diman truly is a family. Once life becomes rough for those within our community or outside of it, residents of Greater Fall River can count on a small, vocational school to come to the rescue. For so many years, Diman has served as much more than a school for students to learn a trade but a true "diamond" within the Spindle City.
And as Diman's population continues to grow, so does its good will. On November 9, a $2,000 check was donated to the Bonaca family in Auto Body due to a tragic fire that literally destroyed their home, leaving the Bonaca family homeless.
When the family received the news about their house, they were extremely angry and upset. When our school found out, we decided to do something about it. The National Honor Society and Key club, along with Auto Body, decided to conduct a fundraiser. In one day they raised about $400. By the end of the week, it expanded to $2,000.
At the ceremony, the family was joined by A and B weeks students of Auto Body, Mr. Bentley, the teachers that take care of the National Honor Society, Key Club, and the teachers of Auto Body.
After the ceremony was over, we decided to talk to the family about what happened and how they felt about the situation. They said that they felt really upset and angry about what happened. They are fine now, but their lives will never be the same again. "We had to stay in a motel for 1 1/2 weeks before we found a place to live. The school and our family helped a lot. It's very unbelievable of how much they helped us out," Mrs. Bonaca said.
"No one has treated us differently after the fire has happened. It affected us a lot. Joshua and his sister wanted to go back to school quickly," Mrs. Bonaca said. They had lost 4 pets (1 puppy and 3 cats). The family will use the money for their home and anything else they need, and put the rest in the bank.
