SNOHOMISH — A community-led fundraiser will give Snohomish High's wooden sign on its front lawn some well-needed TLC.
The legs are rotting, and the hard-carved Panther atop is wobbly.
An online fundraiser quickly accumulated more than $13,000. They've handed current principal Nate DuChesne and the Panther Parent Club the money to run with the sign project, organizer Eric Cahan said.
It might involve enlisting a woodcarver.
Cahan and the booster club sent letters to about 80 contacts, and people reciprocated with funds quickly. More than 40 donors chipped in.
The effort raised more than $13,000 in a short time period.
"It's been a warm outpouring of support," Cahan said.
Model and TV host Chrissy Teigen gave $10,000. How'd she hear? Her old Snohomish High cheerleading coach Andrea Cahan pinged her and Teigen "stepped up in a big way," Eric Cahan said.
Cahan said they set the fundraising goalpost at $12,000 after asking Snohomish Fire District 4 how much it paid for its new wood sign at its headquarters.
Any money left over will benefit the Panther Parent Club for other school purposes.
Cahan said the fundraiser's genesis was that Cahan and DuChesne had been kicking around the idea for a while. They're old friends who've shared the same office: Cahan was Snohomish High's principal until spring 2022 when he chose to change jobs to be the principal of Valley View Middle.
"I came to this community as a teacher just wanting to help out, and this is our little way of giving back," Eric Cahan said.
