Indian River Students Presented Scholarships in Memory of Longtime Teacher, Coach, and Community Servant Allen T. Drake
THERESA — Indian River High School graduates BreeLynn J. LaLonde and Connor D. McMahon are the Class of 2024 recipients of the Community Foundation’s Russell I. and Mary Wilcox Family Scholarship.
This year’s scholarships were awarded in memory of longtime Indian River Central educator and coach Allen T. Drake, a dear friend of the Wilcox family who unexpectedly passed away in July.
Mr. Drake was a devoted community servant and elected official who served as a Village of Theresa Trustee, Town of Theresa Councilman, and Theresa Town Supervisor before his election to the Jefferson County Board of Legislators. He represented District 4 for nearly 15 years. This spring, Mr. Drake was elected to serve on the Indian River Central School District Board of Education.
Mr. Wilcox recalled his friend as a “tireless advocate for students and his community” who consistently worked to strengthen the Indian River area and Northern New York.
Scholarship recipient BreeLynn J. LaLonde will attend D’Youville University, Buffalo, to study nursing this fall. She plans to continue her education in graduate school to become a neonatal nurse practitioner. She is the daughter of Allesha Tucker and Adam LaLonde, Theresa.
BreeLynn was a standout athlete throughout high school, competing for four years as a member of the varsity soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams. She four-year NYSPHSAA Section III Scholar Athlete and earned numerous honors for athletic achievement, including being named as a Frontier League All-Star in all three sports and earning the Heart of a Champion Award as a soccer and basketball player.
In the classroom, BreeLynn excelled academically and is a top-ranked honor student, a two-year National Honor Society member, and a National Technical Honor Society member. She participated in the New Vision Health program at Jeff-Lewis BOCES.
BreeLynn was extensively involved in extracurricular and volunteer activities, serving as class president her senior year, a youth soccer coach, and a member of the Booster Club, Prom Committee, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Sources of Strength, and the Whiz Quiz Team. Outside of school, BreeLynn has been employed full-time during her summer breaks since 2023.
Scholarship recipient Connor D. McMahon will attend St. Lawrence University, Canton, this fall where he plans to study finance. He aspires to work in his community as a wealth management advisor after college. He is the son of Christine and Jess McMahon, Theresa.
Connor was a standout athlete at Indian River, competing for three years on the varsity football and indoor track teams, and four years on the varsity lacrosse team. He is a four-year NYSPHSAA Section III Scholar Athlete and served as a football team captain in his junior and senior years. Connor earned numerous Frontier League awards and recognition as a varsity lacrosse player and was a team captain his senior year. He also played lacrosse for Unity Club for six years and has committed to play lacrosse at St. Lawrence.
In the classroom, Connor excelled academically and is a top-ranked honor student and two-year National Honor Society member. He was extensively involved in extracurricular and volunteer activities, serving as a youth lacrosse coach, peer tutor, backpack program volunteer, and a member of the Ski and Booster clubs. Outside of school, Connor has worked as a snowboarding instructor at Dry Hill Ski Center and is employed part time.
The Russell I. & Mary Wilcox Family Scholarship was established as a permanent scholarship of the Northern New York Community Foundation in 2019. Mr. Wilcox and his wife, Mary “Cookie” Wilcox, are graduates of Theresa High School, which is now Theresa Primary School, and the place they met. Mr. Wilcox had a successful career of 41 years with the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority, retiring as its executive director in 2003 after leading the authority for 25 years.
About the Northern New York Community Foundation
Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.
Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.
The Community Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and play.