Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2013

Designed by Jack Nicklaus and nestled in the idyllic countryside of Beavercreek, Ohio, Country Club of the North is a rare blend of natural beauty and championship golf. Proceeds benefit Cedarville’s scholarship fund, providing tuition assistance for students with financial need. Come out and play and make a difference for students! Participants will play one round of golf and receive two meals, a gift, and many opportunities to win great prizes. 2013 CEDARVILLE SCHOLARSHIP GOLF OPEN Presented by May 28, 2013 Country Club of the North Beavercreek, Ohio Register now by visiting cedarville.edu/cedarvilleopen or calling 1-800-766-1115. Advancing Cedarville and Judi had a neat friendship. They were hilarious together; you could hear them laughing two rooms away. Mom’s cancer was first discovered in 2006, and after her first surgery, Judi brought some of her nursing students to the house to practice dressing her wounds and provide other medical care. Not only did this give the students practical learning experience, the service they provided at no cost was a tremendous financial blessing for my parents. From the beginning of her illness, we could clearly see the value of a good nurse. When Mom passed away in 2011, Judi approached Cedarville’s Advancement staff to give a memorial gift, in Mom’s name, to help provide a scholarship for a nursing student. As a family, we were touched by Judi’s desire that my mom’s memory live on, and we wanted to build on what she had started. Mom’s Cause I started running in 2008. As I served coffee at an Air Force marathon, I was fascinated by the range of ages and body types crossing the finish line. If all those people could do it, I reasoned, so could I. My first race was a half-marathon in 2009, and my only goal was to finish. As I invested time in the sport and developed the discipline to keep at it, I only loved it more. That’s howwe came upwith the idea for a 5K. I started talkingwith my friends who like to run— some knewmy mom, some only knew me. Some participants did not know our family at all, but they like to run. We held our first event on October 8, 2011, just seven months after losing my mom. So many people loved her, and community support was strong. We had 45 runners, and we were so happy to pour the proceeds into the scholarship fund and watch it grow. The second year I was a little more organized. Five area businesses joined us as sponsors, offsetting our costs so 100 percent of the proceeds could go to the scholarship. We had a website, a donated inflatable start/finish line, amazing volunteers, 68 runners, and an invaluable team of friends who were there with me at 4 a.m. helping set up. My children stuffed goodie bags with T-shirts and coupons. My husband set up sound equipment that morning, and all along provided incredible support at home that allowed me to invest time and energy in this great cause. Dad’s role on the team was Executive DecisionMaker, down to the color of the event shirts. Linda was his wife before she was my mom, and it was important to me that this event honored him as it honored her. I never would have dreamed this up on my own, but one gift opened the door and set the idea in motion. So many others came alongside me in large and small ways to accomplish something I never could have done alone. And in the end, we are helping nursing students who will touch lives in ways I never could. Mom’s Legacy Elisabeth Ware ’13 was the first recipient of the Linda A. Ferguson Memorial Scholarship, and I was nervous and excited to meet her at last fall’s Legacy Banquet. Hearing her story and her hopes for the future floodedme with emotions —celebrating this scholarship, knowing Mom would love this girl, missing her so much, wishing she was here, and realizing that this moment wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t lost her. It was a defining moment, sparking dreams for what I want to see unfold in years to come. I love doing this event. I love planting a dream and watching it grow. I love that my family is part of this. I love seeing what God can do — He can bring beauty from ashes, and I have seen the proof. Rachael McKinney is the Event Director for the Linda A. Ferguson Memorial 5K. This year’s event will be held in Cedarville, Ohio, at the Elvin R. King Cross Country Course on Saturday, October 12, 2013. You may contact Rachael at LindaAFergusonMemorial@ gmail.com to learn more. Carol Lee ’96 is the Managing Editor of Cedarville Magazine and Senior Communication Specialist in Marketing. You may contact her at carollee@cedarville.edu . Contact Gift Planning at 1-800-766-1115 or cedarville.edu/ giftlegacy to establish a memorial scholarship.