SJO senior organizing a holiday parade for Dec. 19

After taking part in the Sidney's Parade of Lights on December 5, Audrey Short thought it would be nice to have one closer to home in St. Joseph.

Mourning the loss of her classmate Nadiriah Edwards, who died from her injuries sustained in a tragic traffic accident north of the village days earlier, the St. Joseph-Ogden senior, like many others in the community, wanted to help the Edwards family. What better way to put the fun in fundraising than to have a St. Joseph parade with decorated golf carts, floats and vehicles making its way through town. Short posed the question on a Facebook, asking for a $5 donation that would go to the Edwards.

The response to inquiry was overwhelming enthusiastic and it didn't take long for Short's idea grow. Within hours the event planned for the December 19th had an impressive level of support from members of the Facebook group.

"The responses have been phenomenal! I love seeing how many people want to be involved in an event that has been planned with such short notice," Short said. "I’m ready for it to be December 19th! I’m so excited to see how everyone will decorate!

"I hope everyone has a good time," she added.

The parade route will start at the Middle School and entries can start lining up at 4:30pm for the 5:30 start.

"Get there early if you want to be in the front," Short said. "We will start rolling out at 5:30pm. Don’t forget your minimum entry fee of $5, there will be someone collecting it as you leave the middle school. We will also have two different vehicles collecting donations from others that are watching the parade"

The parade travel to Main Street and head north to Grand Avenue. Turning east, the procession will head to the St. Joseph Community Park. Short said she can be contacted by text or via messenger on Facebook if any one has any questions.

Organizing an event like this is a pretty impressive undertaking for a high school student. Short hopes the donations collected from participant entries and spectators along the route will help Nadiriah's family through the difficult days and months ahead.

"I didn’t know her that well but I had gone to school with her my entire life," said Short, who has committed to play softball at Spoon River College next fall. "We had multiple classes together and had been partners for various projects. She was such a sweet person to be around."