All in the name of Love

June 9, 2007 was the second most perfect day of my life. It was the date my only child, Ashley, graduated from high school. She liked to test her limits during her high school years and there were times I did not think this day would happen. But it did and I was proud. The most perfect day of my life was when she was born. May 14, 1989.

When your child is born you have so many dreams as to what you want for them in life. As they grow those dreams turn into cherished memories. There are all of the firsts that you anticipate as a mother yet they all pass by so fast. I had so many dreams for my daughter. It was her and I..we were a team. There were days we did not feel that way, but we were.

During Ashley's high school years we had a rough go of it. She did not understand me or my motives any more than I understood hers. We both were not communicating like we should and we were growing apart. An idea that scared me. Choices were made that cost Ashley so much in the way of her education. She got behind and got herself to the point she would fail a semester of her junior year or change her priorities and fix the mistakes that had been made. She chose the latter.

Ashley's high school was a true blessing to both Ashley and I. They never gave up on Ashley, and in their words, she had something in her that they would not give up on. It was because of their dedication and Ashley's determination, that she turned her issues into successes. She made up what needed to be made up and maintained a passing GPA after that. My daughter had overcame many obstacles, and realized her future was not what she originally thought she had wanted. Her future now became one of college, and eventually running her own business.

I was looking forward to the fall when Ashley was going to begin college to make those dreams come true. Her life just beginning...what did her future hold for her? Those questions were answered on June 25, 2007 , sixteen days after her graduation. Ashley was killed in a car accident. Those hopes and dreams and that life that was just beginning suddenly and abruptly came to an end. I was crushed and a piece of me died with her that day.

For anyone who has lost someone very close, especially a child, it changes you drastically. For me, losing my only child made me really look at my life and reevaluate what was important. Although gone, Ashley was and is the biggest part of my life. She died but I did not want her to be forgotten. I needed to make a difference and I needed to do it keeping Ashley's memory alive. It had to be in a big way, because Ashley would expect nothing less.

I met with a great friend of mine, Bill, a few months after Ashley died. We started talking, and I mentioned I wanted to do something in Ashley's memory. After throwing some ideas around, we came up with the idea of a scholarship. This would not be the usual scholarship for the usual scholarship winner. The great student who excelled throughout their high school years, this would be a scholarship for that student who was just like Ashley. The student who needed a second chance.

Although the students who excel deserve recommendation, teenager who has overcome obstacles and turned around their education deserve recommendation as well. They have many of the same hopes and dreams as the student that excels. The only difference is they took a different road to get there. It was then we realized the perfect tribute to my daughter.

Ashley's Second Chance Memorial Scholarship was born. It was created as a tribute to the light of my life my daughter. This scholarship was founded to give other students a chance to further their hopes and dreams, most of all though, this scholarship was created to keep Ashley's memory alive and even more so it was created all in the name of love.