Ramsie Kate Baumgardner Memorial Fund awards scholarships to 10 North Vermilion seniors

To learn more or to donate to the Ramsie Kate Baumgardner Memorial Fund, or for a link to Louisiana organ donation websites, go to rkbmemorialfund.com.

MAURICE — Ramsie Baumgardner was a force to be reckoned with in life.
Her family is ensuring that she continues to be a force for good, establishing the Ramsie Kate Baumgardner Memorial Fund in the late North Vermilion High School student’s honor. The RKB Memorial Fund distributed $1,000 checks on Monday to each of the 10 NVHS seniors who applied for the first scholarships awarded by the fund in memory of their classmate, who was killed in a two-car accident on La. 167 in January.
North Vermilion held Senior Day awards on Monday morning.
“Our family decided early on that we needed somehow to turn pain to purpose,” said Ali Vincent, Ramsie’s mother.
They decided the best way to do that was establishing a memorial scholarship fund to have education help carry students forward, with one scholarship awarded each year in her honor.
But since this was to be Ramsie’s graduating class, and because so many people had donated so much to the fund, the memorial fund awarded scholarships to all of the seniors who applied this year — Sophie Broussard, Ethan Guidry, Emma Hebert, Estelle Lebourgeois, Lexi Broussard, Blair Saltzman, Mallie Gardiner, Hailey Broussard, Jude Meaux and Kayla Veronie.
Vincent asked the graduating seniors to keep her daughter’s life and legacy in mind whatever paths they choose in life — college, trade school, military service, careers.
“Whichever path you choose, please remember, when standing at the crossroads of right and wrong, think Ramsie, choose right,” she said.
“When deciding between holding onto anger or choosing forgiveness, think Ramsie, choose forgiveness. When deciding to push through or give up, think Ramsie, keep pushing. When deciding to meet and greet or continue to walk on by, think Ramsie, meet and greet.”
She then stressed the way her daughter felt, using her favorite saying, one that was printed on the T-shirts worn by family members at Monday’s senior ceremony — Fear Less.
“When feeling scared and unsure, think Ramsie — fear less,” Vincent said.
The 10 senior scholarship recipients also were given handmade crosses made from flowers from Ramsie’s funeral, donated to the family for the purpose.
While the Baumgardner/Vincent family surprised the seniors who applied for the scholarship with checks this year, the senior class also surprised the family by honoring Ramsie. She was voted Biggest Party Animal (“You’ve gotta love that, right?,” said Ali Vincent) and Best Smile by the senior class, and was voted Miss North Vermilion High School, with dad Brian Baumgardner accepting that honor on behalf of her family.
“You could definitely feel her presence yesterday in that room,” Ali Vincent said. “It’s our cross to bear, but there’s definitely a lot of people who were affected by her death.”
Students can apply for the scholarship at www.rkbmemorialfund.com, which also includes a link where those interested can donate to the fund.
In the future, one scholarship will be awarded annually to a senior who must have attended North Vermilion High School for the previous two years, achieved a 3.0 or better grade point average throughout their junior and senior years, maintained a good disciplinary record, and demonstrated both school and community involvement.
Applicants also must submit an essay of no more than 300 words explaining how they have contributed to their school and community.
This year’s essays touched on subjects including the lighting on Highway 67 to organ donation, a subject near and dear to the family even before the accident that took Ramsie’s life. The family has known people who have needed organ transplants, and Ramsie made that a point of emphasis of her own.
“Ramsie, when she got her driver’s license, checked off all the boxes to be a full organ donor,” said Ali Vincent. “After the accident, when they told us she wasn’t going to make it, we called LOPA (the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency) immediately.”
Because of the extent of damage to her organs, only Ramsie’s eyes were able to be donated, her mom said. But because the issue was an important one to her, there is a link to the LOPA website and the Ramsie Kate Baumgardner hero story (https://www.lopa.org/hero-stories/ramsie-baumgardner) on the RKB Memorial Fund website.
“We look forward to awarding many scholarship awards in years to come,” Vincent said at Monday’s ceremony. “Be the light and fear less.”