Laura Brooke McDonald was an inspiration to all who knew her. She was always giving of herself, her time, and her talents to anyone who asked. She was an honor student at Terre Haute North Vigo High School. Her untimely death in 2004 from an auto accident left her family, her North Vigo classmates, and her friends with a longing to keep her memory alive.

To preserve and honor Laura’s memory, her parents, Rodney and Marla McDonald, and her sister, Tara, established a scholarship fund in her name with the Wabash Valley Community Foundation. The scholarship focuses on school and community involvement as well as academic achievement, and it is available to North students to help with the tuition and costs at the college of their choosing.

As an active member of the Junior Senate, Varsity Cheerleading, and a host of other activities, Laura kept herself busy doing anything she could fit into a day. “We spent a lot of time at the school,” Laura’s mother Marla said. “There was always something going on.”

Laura loved life and everything in it. Outside her varied school responsibilities, she could, at times, be found hunting, fishing, and “mudding.” At other times, she took great joy in dressing up and dining out. She also worked part-time in her father’s dental office. “She always worked hard,” Rodney reflected, “and she was like a ray of sunshine. She really brightened up the office.” No matter the activity, Laura was spending time with family and friends. To her it was the people with whom she was involved who made all the difference. When Laura’s life was taken, the community suffered a great loss of a caring and involved young adult.

Involvement is one of the things Laura’s friends and family members remember most about her. “We wanted the scholarship that we created in Laura’s name to reflect the kind of student she was – involved in everything,” Marla said.

Eligibility requires that:

• You are currently a graduating senior of Terre Haute North Vigo High School
• Your GPA is 3.0 or higher.