A tuition fundraiser will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 3 at the Boothbay American Legion Hall to benefit a Boothbay Region High School student entering college a year early. Denise Stover, 17, of Boothbay is forgoing her senior year next fall to start her undergraduate study in animal and veterinary sciences at the University of Maine.

Stover was accepted into the university’s early acceptance program. Since Stover hasn’t graduated high school, she doesn’t qualify for most federal loans, grants and other financing toward college costs. The fundraiser is being held in conjunction with a gofundme page to raise money for her first year of college expenses. Stover will become a high school graduate next year and become eligible for traditional college financial aid programs and scholarships. The fundraiser will include products from Mary Kay, Scentsy, Tupperware, Pampered Chef and Lulare. Other items will be sold with a percentage of sales donated to the fund or companies donating a set fee, according to Jessica Stover, Denise’s mother.

Stover’s career ambition is becoming a veterinarian. She must complete four years of undergraduate study in animal and veterinary sciences and four years of post-graduate studies to receive a doctor of veterinary sciences degree. Stover discovered UMaine’s early acceptance program after inquiring about more rigorous academic programs. School officials told her how a past BRHS student went to college a year early.

In 2015, Stover was diagnosed with a genetic tissue disorder known as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. It creates a laxity in her joints, making them flexible and susceptible to dislocation. Stover had never heard of the syndrome before the diagnosis. There is no treatment for EDS, but doctors recommend patients remain physically active. Stover works out at the Boothbay Region YMCA, but competitive sports are out. Stover no longer plays field hockey, basketball, or tennis.

Had EDS not struck, Stover would have likely been a member of the BRHS girls basketball team which played for state and regional championships the past two years. “Playing sports was my favorite activity and watching the team go to states without me made me want to cry.”

Since competitive team sports are no longer possible for Stover, she is now focused on her future. Her family is undertaking fundraisers and has set up a gofundme.org/deniseivy page to pay for the $18,000 college tuition. Stover turns 18 in December.