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Community mourns cheerleaders

Hundreds of mourners poured into Jim Thorpe High School on Sunday night to honor the memory of two teens killed in a crash Thursday night.

Long before the scheduled calling hours start time of 5 p.m., the line to pay respects to the families of Taylor Denyse Shepherdson, 16, and Jasmine Fonseca, 15, stretched around the side of the same school they were to attend Wednesday for the start of classes.The cheerleaders and best friends were killed when the 2005 Chevrolet Uplander they were passengers in crashed into a 2013 Buick Enclave on Route 903 near Weiler Road in Penn Forest Township."It's no surprise the outpouring of support tonight," said Tim Whitehill, who said his son knew the girls."This community really comes together in tough times. You can see they meant a lot to everyone."Though three days after the crash, the loss of classmates and friends was tough to deal with for the many students who left the school in tears Sunday.Cheerleaders from numerous other school districts in the area including Lehighton, Blue Mountain, Panther Valley, Marian and others, also paid their respects.State police said Tegan Kane, 18, of Albrightsville, lost control of the Uplander just before 9 p.m.The vehicle crossed over into the southbound lane of Route 903. The Enclave, driven by Verner Drohan, 76, of Fulton, New York, was traveling southbound and hit the Uplander.On Facebook Saturday, Kane's brother Dakoa said he felt numb when receiving the news."Jasmine and Taylor became family to me," Dakoa said."They were the two little sisters I never had. I'm truly going to miss their bubbly personalities."A Memorial Service was held this morning at St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church, 2111 Lake Drive, Lake Harmony, with the Msgr. John Chizmar officiating.GoFundMe pages have been set up to help pay for medical expenses of those who survived and funeral costs for Shepherdson and Fonseca.As of Sunday night, over $23,500 had been raised."Thank you so much to everyone who donated and helped us reach our goal," said Lexi Pisani, who set up the page for Shepherdson's funeral fund."This helps out so much and it couldn't be done without all of you. The love and support that has come out to help the last few days is so tremendous and we can't all thank you enough."