On May 11, a fundraiser for the Washington Court House City Schools (WCHCS) fine arts program will be held.

The fundraiser is called Drive 4 UR School, and is hosted by Beford Ford and WCHCS. It is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the Washington middle and high schools, 400 S. Elm St. in Washington Court House.

The fundraiser itself is simple and donations do not cost participants money. Each household gets one test drive of an available vehicle. The driver must be 18 or older. For each test drive, the school will receive $20.

Ford is having a bonus right now—the new 2019 Ford Edge will be on display and available to test drive as well. For every test drive of the 2019 Ford Edge, the school will receive another $20. This means one person can have $40 donated by test driving one vehicle of choice and the 2019 Ford Edge.

Up to $8,000 can be donated to the school with the combination of the first and bonus test drives—if there are enough people who participate.

According to Melissa Porter, general manager of Beford Ford in Washington Court House, the vehicles they plan to have available for test driving include the Eco Sport, F-150, Ford Fusion, Escape and the 2019 Ford Edge.

Porter said she and the rest of the staff are excited to participate more in the community and to help raise money for the schools. They will be orchestrating the event with help from student volunteers.

The student volunteers will include band and choir members. Trevor Patton, director of marketing and communications for WCHCS, said, “The fundraiser is for the students. They’re excited to work to earn the money.”

According to Patton, the funds will be going toward upkeep and maintenance costs of the Washington Historic Auditorium.

Patton explained the building is old, but they are proud of it. He said, “We’re committed to keeping our buildings in good and working condition for the next generation of Blue Lions—this will help us continue the arts in the Washington Historic Auditorium within our community.”

Reach Jennifer Woods at 740-313-0355 or on Twitter @kenanipel.