A fundraiser held over the weekend for a Lehighton Area High School student-athlete who lost his father suddenly resulted in a huge outpouring of support.

Tim Snyder, owner of TNT Auto Repairs LLC, 619 Iron St., Lehighton, conducted a grand opening Saturday complete with an antique/vintage car show that attracted over 80 cars.

Snyder opened his business on June 15, and said thus far his venture has exceeded his expectations.

“It’s been better than expected,” Snyder said. “I’ve been overwhelmed with support from the community; it’s awesome.”

Snyder said he wanted to tie the car show in with his grand opening in order to raise funds for Lehighton senior Richard Fronheiser and his family.

Richard’s father, Lamar Fronheiser, 49, passed away Sept. 22 from complications following a medical procedure.

“Just my love of antique cars; I wanted to do that,” Snyder said. “I knew it would get a good turnout and be good for community.”

Snyder said he was grateful to all those who gave of their time to make the event such a huge success.

“They did absolutely great; there was such a variety of food that you couldn’t go away hungry,” he said. “It was an awesome turnout.”

Snyder said his heart goes out to Richard, who is the starting quarterback for the Lehighton Indians High School football team.

“I lost my mom last year at 46 years, and I could not imagine at (Richard’s) age losing a parent,” he said. “I got to meet him; it was a good thing.”

Above all else, Snyder said he was extremely appreciative of what the fundraiser meant for Richard and his family.

“I just wanted to help them with any costs they had,” he said. “And it was just very touching to see the support.”