East Rockaway fundraiser in memory of Keith Lane rescheduled

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A fundraiser to benefit a scholarship in the memory of late East Rockaway Junior-Senior High School alumnus Keith Lane was postponed to June 2 because of bad weather last weekend.
A yard sale fundraiser was originally scheduled for May 15 at the Vigilant Engine Company No. 1 Firehouse, 5 Main St., in East Rockaway. Lane’s sister, Stacy Lane-Navarra, said the venue would now host the fundraiser on June 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Clothing, tools, golf clubs, furniture, custom jewelry, shoes, pocketbooks, toys and other items will be sold at the event. The money raised will benefit the Keith Lane Visual & Media Arts Scholarship, which was set up after his sudden death at age 53 in August 2016 because of Lane’s passion for journalism and media.
“This is all I ever wanted,” Lane-Navarra said of the scholarship. “He will never be forgotten and these kids can hopefully learn and become as great as he was.”
The scholarship will be presented to an East Rockaway senior who plans to pursue a media or communications degree in college. Class of 2017 graduate Mike Saporito was the first recipient of the scholarship last June.

Lane graduated from East Rockaway in 1981 and followed his passion for media all the way to becoming a Fox 5 News cameraman for nearly three decades. He also served as a volunteer for the East Rockaway and Oceanside fire departments for 30 years.
Lane was heavily involved in school activities at East Rockaway. He served as class president, took part in the annual Rock Rivalry competition, in which students perform skits and compete with other grade levels, and worked on the yearbook committee.
Last year, the fundraiser generated more than $6,000 for the scholarship fund and was attended by hundreds of residents. Items are still being collected for this year’s fundraiser. Checks made out to the East Rockaway Union Free School District can be mailed to Stacy Lane-Navarra, 18 Seawane Road, East Rockaway, N.Y. 11518