Community rallies around family of Bellefonte teen who drowned at Raystown Lake
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been started for the family of a 16-year-old Bellefonte Area student who died while swimming at Raystown Lake on Saturday.
Nathan Dan was a member of the school’s lacrosse team and had been part of the district since elementary school, Bellefonte Area High School Principal Mike Fedisson wrote in a letter to families.
The GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $6,500 toward its $10,000 goal as of 1 p.m. Monday, just hours after it was created.
“We are hoping to ensure Nathan’s family doesn’t have to carry the financial burden of the memorial on top of everything else they are enduring,” the organizer of the GoFundMe wrote.
Police were dispatched to 7000 block of Susquehannock Road in Penn Township, Huntingdon County, at about 5:15 p.m. Saturday after a report that a 16-year-old boy had gone underwater while swimming and had not resurfaced. Following a search, units from Smithfield Fire Company, Marklesburg Fire Company, the coroner’s office, Fish and Boat Commission and the Army Corps of Engineers found the teen’s body in the water.
In the note to families on Sunday, Fedisson said counseling services would be available at the school on Monday as students and staff grieve. Parents who think their child needs extra support coping with the loss are encouraged to contact administration or guidance staff.
