Richfield homecoming dance returns after it was canceled due to football game shooting
RICHFIELD, Minn. -- Richfield's homecoming dance is back on, three weeks after it was first planned.
Back on Sept. 23, two people were arrested for shooting two others, just outside the Spartan football stadium at the homecoming game.
Following the shooting, the high school principal canceled the rest of the homecoming activities, including the dance.
"People were super worried we weren't going to have a dance at all," said Liv Loftsgaarden, a senior and class president at Richfield High School.
Loftsgaarden and her friends still got dressed up for their homecoming dance three weekends ago, and took pictures with their dates, even though it was canceled.
While they tried to make the most of their final year of high school, the parents got to brainstorming.
"We, as parents, bonded together and we were like we need to make sure these kids still have a homecoming, that one negative act is not going to define us," said Andi Olson, the mom to a Richfield High School sophomore.
Olson and other Richfield parents launched a GoFundMe to raise money to buy new decorations for a new dance. In just a few weeks, they raised over $4,000 with donations coming in from parents, Richfield neighbors and teachers.
"The amount of support that we got is kind of mind-blowing," said Loftsgaarden, "The amount of money that we saw in such a small amount of time."
What they raised was double their initial goal, allowing them to put on a dance that's even better than what was originally planned.
"We're going to donate cookies, free drinks and free food in general. We're also going to have a super cool photo booth come in, which we're going to have unlimited uses on," said Loftsgaarden.
One woman donated corsages and boutonnieres for everyone who bought a ticket to the homecoming dance, and the business "Perfectly Imperfect Baking" donated 300 cookies for the dance.
While a homecoming dance may seem like a small event in the moment, it gives these students a chance to make lifetime memories.
"[My son] is happy to know that he gets to do the pictures and dance with his girlfriend, and have memories that his sister was able to make," said Olson.
"Getting that turnaround really felt like, 'Okay, we're back on track. We can still make it the best senior year we can,'" said Loftsgaarden.
They collected so much money they even have some left over. They're putting the extra money towards the Richfield High School winter formal and spring prom.
The Richfield School District said in a statement that the "community is an amazing place that continuously comes together in support of our students and schools.
"We are grateful for all the efforts of our students, staff and community who have come together to replan and enhance our homecoming dance, which had to be rescheduled after the tragic event that occurred outside our homecoming football game in September. We are thrilled that our students can still have this experience and feel such support from our community," the statement goes on to say.
