NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio — A scholarship fundraiser at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia will honor the memory of Shannon Wigfield while also benefiting a scholarship in her name.
The second annual Shannon Wigfield Scholarship Breakfast is planned for Saturday, March 14. Proceeds from the breakfast will support the Shannon Wigfield Scholarship through the Buckeye Career Center Foundation, which awards a $2,500 scholarship to a deserving BCC senior.
Wigfield, who was an English teacher at Buckeye Career Center, was one of six people killed in a chain-reaction crash involving members of the Tusky Valley High School band in 2023 along I-70 in Licking County.
On the morning of Nov. 14, 2023, a charter bus carrying the band students was heading to an event in Columbus when the accident happened east of Columbus. A semi-truck driven by Jacob McDonald slammed into an SUV and then the bus.
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All three people in the SUV were killed: high school teacher Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarre, parent chaperone Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar, and Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar, who was also a parent chaperone.
Three students on the bus died: John Mosley, 18, of Mineral City, JD Worrell, 18, of Bolivar, and Katelyn Owens, 15, of Mineral City.
McDonald was convicted of six counts of vehicular homicide and sentenced to 18 months in jail. He has since been released.
The breakfast will be held from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at BCC, located at 545 University Drive NE in New Philadelphia. The menu features donuts from Dutch Valley, MaryAnn’s, and Rod’s Donuts, plus fruit and yogurt parfaits. Drinks will be provided by Rolling Refreshments Beverage Catering, including a specialty cold brew, lovingly named “Shannon’s Special.” A silent auction is also planned.
Tickets for breakfast are $10 and are sold in advance, with walk-in tickets available until sold out the morning of the event. Children 2 and under will receive a complimentary meal.
To purchase tickets, contact Jennifer Robinson at 330.339.2288 ext. 1231, or email jrobinson@buckeyecareercenter.org; or contact Katrina Bundy at 330.339.2288 ext. 1320, or email her at kbundy@buckeyecareercenter.org.
You may also send a message to Bundy or Robinson via the scholarship’s Facebook Page.
Anyone interested in contributing to the event by donating donuts, basket auction items, or money should reach out to Robinson or Bundy.
Financial scholarship donations can be mailed to the Buckeye Career Center Foundation: PO Box 355, New Philadelphia, OH 44663, earmarked to the Shannon Wigfield Scholarship.
