Scheil scholarship awarded
Published 9:53 pm Friday, June 2, 2017
The family of Savannah Scheil on Tuesday awarded the fifth scholarship that has been given in her memory since she passed away.
“This will be the last group of kids that went to school with her,” said Michelle Rizzatti. “It started within a few weeks of her death.”
Savannah Scheil died in a car crash on Lake Prince Road in April 2013. Her employer, the North Main Street sweetFrog location, closed the following day in her honor. When it reopened the day after that, it raised $8,000 from community donations.
That money has funded the scholarships, said Rizzatti, who dates Savannah’s father, Scott Scheil.
“All of this is done through Scott and Chris,” Rizzatti said, referring to Savannah’s mother, Chris Davy. “They started the scholarships within a month after Savannah passed. We all sat down and talked about it.”
The scholarships have been given each year to a Windsor High School senior. This year’s scholarship was awarded to Lauren McKeel.
Rizzatti said Savannah, who was a Windsor High cheerleader, would have been thrilled with the scholarships being given in her memory.
“Savannah was a very, very giving person,” she said. “She loved everybody in life, and everybody at the school absolutely adored her. She was always wanting to help.
“If there was a friend down or in need, Savannah would try to figure out a way to make it better for them.”
Savannah volunteered at Edmarc Hospice for Children and at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, Rizzatti said.
Applicants for the scholarships have to write an essay in response to a prompt that has been developed with the help of some of Savannah’s friends.
“The ones that graduated with her, they and their families have helped us come up with the theme,” Rizzatti said. “That tells me how much Savannah impressed upon them.”
Rizzatti said the family has been touched to be able to read the responses and give the scholarships.
“Some of the kids really put their whole heart into it, they really do,” she said. “We’re really sad this is the last year of kids who knew her.”
Rizzatti said the family hopes to continue the scholarship.
“There’s still some funds left,” she said. “We’ve discussed carrying it on and doing other things.”
A group of Savannah’s family and friends also adopted a road near where Savannah died and cleans it up on a regular basis.
Rizzatti said the family is thankful to members of the community who came out to support the family in the days and weeks following Savannah’s death. They also are thankful to sweetFrog manager Anne Weaver.
“We just wanted to say thank you, and we appreciate how the community treated us,” Rizzatti said. “We gave it all back and will be forever grateful.”