Jennifer Bender (Whalen) Memorial Fund

My name is Jessi and I am a member of the Bedford Class of 2005.

On 4/23/22, we lost one of our dear classmates, Jenny Whalen, unexpectedly.

For those who knew Jenny, you knew how kind, generous, and genuinely caring she was. Her smile was infectious, she was always full of laughter and life.

In high school, Jenny was involved in cheerleading, golf, and several student organizations. She was well known for including everyone, and making sure that everyone felt like a friend.

Jenny went on to become a scholar, earning her PhD and teaching as an Assistant Professor of Communications at University of Tuskegee in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her students were her passion.

One of the projects that Jenny had her Communication and Love class students do was called “Gifts of Gratitude”.

The lesson was simple. Go out and do nice things for other people on your own time. Be the reason someone smiles.

So with that being said, we are starting the scholarship fund to be the reason someone smiles. With the blessing of Jenny‘s family, this fund will be used as they see fit to help students in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to donate to Jenny’s fund. Hopefully through this we will be able to spread our own Gifts of Gratitude in her honor. ❤️