Bennett Foundation
Issues Remain

By Sandy Vondrasek

There IS another approved fundraiser underway for The Brooke Bennett Foundation, Brooke’s father Jim Bennett of Bethel confirmed this week.

In a page-one article in last week’s Herald, Bennett was quoted as saying that no fundraisers are presently underway.

However, he had forgotten the on-going raffle of two New England Patriots tickets, organized by Nancy and Mark Hutchinson of Randolph Center.

Nancy Hutchinson called The Herald this week about the raffle.

She acknowledged that last week was a stressful one for Brooke Bennett’s family—with the news of additional federal charges being filed against Michael Jacques, in connection with his 12-year-old niece’s disappearance, sexual assault, and murder in late June. It was understandable, she said, that Jim Bennett forgot about the raffle.

In addition to confirming the legitimacy of the raffle, Bennett this week also confirmed that $220—proceeds from a recent car wash in Randolph—had been deposited in the foundation account, late last week.

In his Herald interview last Tuesday, Bennett said the car wash was a mystery. He had not received any advance notice that the event was going to be held, he said, nor had the foundation received any proceeds at that time, he said.

In a letter to The Herald this week, a Randolph woman, Tammy Philbrick, said her 13-year-old daughter had organized the car wash and that Brooke Bennett’s mother Cassie had been present. Brooke had been her daughter’s "best friend," she explained.

Jim Bennett confirmed this week that the foundation has both a checking and a savings account at Northfield Savings Bank.

He declined to say how much is in the accounts.

Patriots Raffle

Nancy Hutchinson said this week that the New England Patriot tickets, donated by an RUHS alumnus, are for a Thursday night game, Nov. 13, versus the New York Jets.

Tickets are available at Valley Bowl, at Village Auto, and at the Frankenburg Agency. The drawing will be on Halloween, 6 p.m., at the Randolph Village gazebo.

RUHS Plans Fund

RUHS Principal John Holmes reported this week that the school’s junior high student council plans to establish a fund that could receive donations in memory of "students we have lost."

School officials and students agreed that having one fund would be preferable to maintaining multiple ones that might be established in memory of specific students who had died.

Holmes said it is likely the fund would provide "summer camp scholarships" to middle school students who might not ordinarily be able to attend camp or other summer activities.

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