Haven W Soergel Memorial Scholarship

Haven William’s story could be one of deep sadness, sorrow, and grief. And, there will always be some of that mixed in. But, from the moment we received his anencephaly diagnosis at 12 weeks, we knew we couldn’t let his death defeat his purpose. We wanted to make his short life carry as much meaning as possible. When a baby or child dies, you don’t stop parenting them, rather you find new ways to do so.

Over the years, we have marked Haven’s milestone birthdays in different ways, always trying to attach his name to helping others. For example, the year he would have gone to kindergarten, we did a book drive for the school library. We’ve also asked for donations to a perinatal hospice that is dear to our hearts.

But turning 18 is a huge deal. He would have graduated from Ashland High School this year, with the class of 2022. So, we wanted to do something BIG. After much prayer and seeking advice, we have decided to award an AHS senior with a scholarship.

The Haven William Soergel Memorial Scholarship will be a one-year gift and we’d like to humbly ask for your help with funding it. We will be putting in $500 and would love to see that number tripled, so that we could give $1500 to help a classmate of Haven’s start their college career.

In the interest of full disclosure, we have a committee that will decide on the winner after reviewing submitted applications.

Any donations above $1500 will make for a larger scholarship. The Go Fund Me campaign begins today and will run through March 31, 2022.

Please consider helping us help someone in Haven’s name so that his story continues. We are more grateful than we could ever adequately express.