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School communities raise money for Clinton drowning victim's family

CLINTON, Mass. — Local school communities raised more than $3,000 for the family of a teenager who drowned in Clinton.

15-year-old Rafael Perez was pulled from South Meadow Pond on June 4 and was later pronounced dead.

Clinton Public Schools Athletic Director John Smith said the Clinton, Auburn and Maynard school communities raised a combined $3,335 for Perez’s family.

Perez was raised by his father and his step-mother. His mother lives in the Dominican Republic. His father created a GoFundMe page to help raised enough money to send Perez's body back to the Dominican Republic so his mother can see her son's body once last time. The GoFundMe page raised nearly double the $7,000 goal.

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The Clinton High School freshman class also organized a memorial service to remember Perez.