Local News in Brief : South County : Fund Drive Planned to Aid Injured Teacher

A fund-raising drive in the Capistrano Unified School District area will begin Friday on behalf of a San Clemente High School music teacher who has been confined to a wheelchair since suffering a broken neck in a fall last spring.

The teacher, Renee Lacouague, had worked for the school district only 3 years at the time of the accident and is 2 years short of qualifying for disability from the State Teachers’ Retirement System, said Ric Stephenson, president of the Capistrano Unified Education Assn.

Stephenson said students, fellow teachers, parents and other community members are taking part in the drive. Empty 5-gallon water bottles are being placed at various shopping sites in south Orange County to collect donations.

“Money dropped into the containers will be used to defray some of the costs that face Renee each day, as well as provide her funds toward future expenses,” said Stephenson. He said the injured teacher’s most pressing needs are for “a properly equipped van and a device which allows her to stand.”

Stephenson said other fund-raising activities for Lacouague will be held during the school year, including an art auction, a marathon run/walk and an entertainment night. He said persons wishing to mail in donations should write to: The Renee Lacouague Fund, c/o Charleen Bason, 604 Calle Embocadura, San Clemente, Calif. 92672.