Scholarship fund aims to support State High students who have lost a parent

Bonnie Heebner Wagner would have turned 56 on Friday.

You might have heard her name during the graduation ceremony for the State College Area High School Class of 1979 or if you’ve spent at least part of your career at the Nittany Mall, where she used to work as a manager.

To Emilie Tarman, it was the name of the woman who was helping her to prepare for life after high school — but “Mom” probably had a better ring to it.

Heebner Wagner died of cancer last October, and the daughter she left behind is now serving as the inspiration for a scholarship that would benefit seniors at State High grappling with the sudden loss of a parent.

“I like to think of it as a safety net,” said Beth Delricco, a longtime friend of Wagner’s.

It was Delricco who first gave voice to the question at the heart of what would become known as the BonBon Fund — is there something out there that can help kids like Emilie?

Nan Barash couldn’t think of an answer. She lost her father at age 13 and had the luxury of her old pal Bonnie being with her every step of the way.

“For better or worse, Emilie and I are in the same club,” Barash said.

In her experience, children who lose a parent have to make a crash landing into adulthood, which becomes even scarier when you factor in the looming (and expensive) prospect of college.

The BonBon Fund is meant to ease some that strain.

“I wanted this to be simple and get moving pretty quickly,” Barash said.

The fund hopes to begin awarding scholarships as soon as 2018, and donations can already be made through the Centre Foundation website.

Barash has been reaching out to State High alumni to raise support.

“It’s to honor Bonnie but to honor the Emilies of the world as well,” Barash said.

This story was originally published August 3, 2017 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Scholarship fund aims to support State High students who have lost a parent."