Brenna Lawrence Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund

Want to join us in making a difference?  We are raising money to increase an existing Catawba College Endowed Scholarship, and any donation will help make an impact. We have already helped 3 students attend/graduate Catawba over the past 12 years.  The program has been a success we want to help more deserving students gain a College Education.  Your donation will keep working permanently in the future year after year and help many, many future students.

THIS SCHOLARSHIP was established by all those who knew and loved Brenna.  Brenna passed away April 14, 2004.  They have joined together to build a scholarship fund in her name to benefit other deserving Catawba College students.  We have previously raised $44,000 for the scholarship fund.  Catawba College, in Salisbury North Carolina, administers the endowment.  The scholarship has helped three students afford to attend Catawba College.  We are hoping to double the amount we raised over the last 17 years in a much shorter time so the Scholarship can be awarded to more students.

ABOUT THE ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP.  The endowed scholarship is a permanent fund in which the principal remains intact and invested at all times. Scholarships are awarded from the allocated income earned on the principal investment in accordance with the Catawba College Board of Trustees Endowment Spending Policy.

THE COLLEGE PICKS THE RECIPIENTS.  The donors have stipulated that the scholarship shall be awarded to students who embody the high moral values, the zest for life and the commitment to service to others exemplified in Brenna's life.  Recipients shall have demonstrated a commitment to pursue a vocation that will involve service to others and shall participate in the Center for Vocation Year of Inquiry program as a means clarifying and confirming such a vocation.  And, recipients shall have demonstrated a commitment to high standards of moral values and a willingness to share this commitment with others.

 THE EXTRAORDINARY STUDENT for whom this scholarship fund is named was Brenna Lawrence.  Brenna, a 1997 Greensboro Page High School graduate, was a 2002 graduate of Catawba College, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with minors in both religion and philosophy.  She graduated as a member of two honor societies: Beta Beta Beta (“Tri Beta”), a national honor and professional society for biology students, of which she was the 2000-2001 Southeastern Region president; and Phi Epsilon, an honorary scholastic society.  She was listed in “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges” in 2000 and served as a valuable member of the College Honor Court and was the History Department’s best all-time work study student.  In 2001 she won an award for her senior research project, which she presented at the 62nd annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists.  While attending Catawba College she was a member of the Omwake-Dearborn Chapel Choir and also served on the cheerleading squad.  Everything Brenna accomplished was driven by her enthusiasm and passion for excellence. 

 IT WASN’T EASY for Brenna.   She suffered from several autoimmune diseases including Polymyositis, Raynaud’s, Fibromyalgia, Mixed Connective Tissue Disorder and other ailments.  Although these diseases in themselves were not life threatening, they were painful and energy depleting.  Catawba’s faculty worked constantly to accommodate Brenna’s special and evolving needs, which allowed her to graduate with such high honors.  Tragically, Brenna’s medications left her susceptible to other diseases, and on April 14th, 2004, at age 24, Brenna Lawrence died from a hospital-borne staph infection. 


FUNDS GO DIRECTLY TO CATAWBA COLLEGE in Salisbury, NC.  The college will send you an acknowledgement and their tax id so you can qualify for a tax deductible donation.  The Go Fund Me donations will add to this existing endowed scholarship fund and will continue to help future students indefinitely.