Liberty High School Cheer Team To March in the2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Foundation Website Provided Online Donation Forum

Bealeton, VA—Fifteen members of the Liberty High School (LHS) competitive cheer

team, along with four coaches and five additional chaperones, boarded a bus on

November 18, bound for New York City, where they will be among more than 500

cheerleaders selected from across the country to participate in the iconic Macy’s

Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 23.

The road to New York began a year ago, when LHS special education teacher and

varsity cheer coach Alicia Schrank submitted an application for the cheer team to

participate in the 2023 parade. Since the team had an incredibly successful season,

including taking third place in the state, she thought they had a chance at being

accepted. When she got the good news in January, Alicia and fellow coach Katie

Waddle immediately began to figure out how to make this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

come to fruition for the girls.

They were thrilled to connect with the Fauquier Excellence in Education Foundation,

which allowed them to channel months’ worth of fundraising efforts through their

website, permitting safe online donations that were also tax-deductible. Dozens of

businesses, organizations, families and individuals donated to the cause, raising

approximately $60,000, a portion of which went through the foundation’s website.

Fauquier Excellence in Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

organization dedicated to its mission of creating, enriching, and expanding

educational opportunities for Fauquier County Public Schools, teachers, and

students. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

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