Facebook group lets community ‘adopt’ members of Class of 2020

Some sent gift certificates.

Others mailed handwritten letters and congratulatory cards.

There have been cash offerings and homemade desserts.

For those who have “adopted” members of the Class of 2020 through a Facebook page created by Goldsboro High School graduate David De La Fuente, it’s about showing a group of young men and women that their years of hard work merit recognition — traditional graduation ceremony or not.

De La Fuente and his wife, Sandy, say they have watched their daughter, Cassie, who is also a senior, cope with missing out on the many rites of passage most associate with their senior year in high school — from spring sports and prom to photoshoots, graduation parties and Senior Skip Day. They say they felt helpless as to how to make it better.

And even though his family resides in Texas, De La Fuente’s heart is still very much in his “second home,” Wayne County.

So when he was invited to an “Adopt a Senior” Facebook group in the Texas town where his daughter completed high school and saw just how quickly thousands of his neighbors rallied behind young men and women like his own child, he decided to give back to the county where his high school memories were made.

“After some research and with the help of Virginia Horton, I went ahead and created ‘Adopt a Class of 2020 WCPS Senior’ that has grown to over 650 parents/members,” De La Fuente said. “I have had help from two former classmates, Alicia Britt Pierce and Sharron Holloway. Two other (Goldsboro High School graduates), Montrice Gray and Delavisha Harris Faison, also help run the group.”

The group is open to parents and guardians of graduating seniors who reside within Wayne County and those who don’t have seniors but want to “adopt” one.

And once a parent posts photographs and information about their graduate, he or she can be adopted.

The adopter then contacts the student’s parents or guardians through Facebook Messenger and arrangements are made to surprise and deliver treats to the student’s house.

“We have another tag for ‘Gifts received.’ Every time a child receives a gift, their parent posts a picture of them with their gift. I’ve seen pizzas, gift baskets, mini fridges, school supplies, bikes, food from local restaurants and banners to hang outside their house,” De La Fuente said.

The monetary value of the gifts might vary, but the gestures have brought hundreds of smiles to faces of those who haven’t had much reason to celebrate since Gov. Roy Cooper closed schools March 13.

To date, more than 100 students’ stories have been posted to the group. But De La Fuente won’t be satisfied until all local members of the Class of 2020 have been adopted.

“We’ve spent roughly 18 years getting them ready to run across the finish line, and they can’t even walk across it,” he said. “We want to let them know that we wish they could have.”

To join the page, type “Adopt a Class of 2020 WCPS Senior” into the search feature in Facebook or click here.

Businesses are also encouraged to get involved — to join the group and offer personalized items, such as T-shirts, banners or photography sittings for sale as gifts for those who adopt members of the Class of 2020.

New Old North has joined and posted information about the free Class of 2020 edition of our sister magazine, Eastbound & Downtown, which will publish this summer and be distributed to all Wayne County graduates, their families, schools and local businesses. (Special tributes can be submitted by parents, churches, community organizations and local businesses to honor the graduates in their lives.)

So, join the more than 600 people who are spending their time looking for innovative ways to honor the Class of 2020.

“I don’t want anybody’s senior to not be adopted,” De La Fuente said.