HANCEVILLE – The family and friends of Grant Brown have been working hard to raise the money to send one lucky Hanceville student to college for a year. After coming off of a 5K event, the group is not stopping their work to honor a lost loved one. This event featured a regional favorite, Swamp John’s, whose food has become somewhat of a craze in recent years.
The Grant Brown Memorial Fund was founded last year after the tragic death of Brown who was 17 at the time.
“Grant was a great guy who everyone wanted to be around,” said organizer Amy Cornelius.
“He was really well loved and had dreams of traveling to Europe and then coming back to school. So after he passed, we just wanted a way to remember him and help another student at Hanceville achieve their goals and go to college.”
According to Cornelius, the amount of money needed for one year’s tuition for a student runs at approximately $3,400. This is the second year for this event with Swamp John’s after the first year raised a good portion of money toward their goal.
“Last year we raised right around $1,000 from this event,” Cornelius said.
“The plates are $11 and that comes with french fries, slaw, hush puppies and a choice of catfish, shrimp, chicken or a combination. We hope to meet that or get close to it this year. Things have been steady today so we should get close to our goal again.”
RELATED: Turning Tragedy into Hope: 5K Run Honors Grant Brown with Memorial Fund
Swamp John’s has become a sensation among people in the area and has been growing in popularity. A lot of people follow the company whenever they come to the area for a fundraiser.
“We always find Swamp John’s,” said Mary Jo Lakin. “If there is a Swamp John’s close by, then we stop and eat there. It just so good, and if they are doing a fundraiser, then the money is also helping a good cause.”
Eating with Lakin was Sandy Waters, who is also a Swamp John’s fan, and connected to the Brown family. “We always get something when we see Swamp John’s, too,” Waters said. “I also work at the elementary school with Grant’s mom, so it was great to support the scholarship fund as well.”
According to Cornelius, all of their planning and organizing has been successful because of the community of Hanceville and their continued support.
“Hanceville has been wonderful to us,” Cornelius said. “The students, parents, schools, businesses and the entire community have been so generous and supportive. We really appreciate it all so much.”
E-mail acornelius@ccboe.org for more information on the Grant Brown Memorial Scholarship.
