Page 27 - Cedarville Magazine Spring 2013 Volume 1 Issue 1
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2013 Cedarville Scholarship Golf Open
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
.
Contact Gift Planning at 1-800-766-1115 or
cedarville.edu/
giftlegacy
to establish a memorial scholarship.
