Before we even entered the hospital with Thomas in October, I knew I wanted to do something big to honor him. I am an area director and the communications and event coordinator for First Priority Greater Birmingham, a ministry that connects the church to the school campus to share the hope of Christ with elementary, middle and high school students. We have amazing students that lead their First Priority clubs. What I had in mind was a scholarship. I desired to present a scholarship to an exceptional First Priority student in honor of Thomas. I believed it would be a great way to not only honor him but to create awareness about his underlying condition, KID Syndrome. Buddy and I discussed the scholarship several times, even while we were in the hospital; we even began thinking about a name for it. I knew without a doubt it was something I wanted to do.
When I originally thought of the scholarship, never in a million years did I think it would be in memory of Thomas. After Thomas passed away on December 5, 2014, it became even more evident to me that we were supposed to present this scholarship. We are committed to educating people about Thomas’ condition as well as to remember and recognize his precious life. I went back to work in February and spent four months attending First Priority clubs, and after much observation, chose a student for the scholarship whom I believed best exemplified the qualities of Thomas.
Thomas may have only lived a short life here on this Earth, but he made a huge impact on many people’s lives all across this world. To be a young baby, he exemplified the qualities of strength, hope and love. Thomas was such a strong fighter. He fought a long, hard and painful battle. He never gave up. Thomas gave us so much hope. Our faith in God was strengthened and we prayed like we had never prayed before. God chose to heal Thomas completely in Heaven, so we now cling to the hope that we will see him again one day soon. An abundance of love surrounded Thomas. He gave and received eternal love. The student who received the scholarship exemplified those same qualities and made a huge impact on other students’ lives in his school and community.
When I originally thought of the scholarship, never in a million years did I think it would be in memory of Thomas. After Thomas passed away on December 5, 2014, it became even more evident to me that we were supposed to present this scholarship. We are committed to educating people about Thomas’ condition as well as to remember and recognize his precious life. I went back to work in February and spent four months attending First Priority clubs, and after much observation, chose a student for the scholarship whom I believed best exemplified the qualities of Thomas.
Thomas may have only lived a short life here on this Earth, but he made a huge impact on many people’s lives all across this world. To be a young baby, he exemplified the qualities of strength, hope and love. Thomas was such a strong fighter. He fought a long, hard and painful battle. He never gave up. Thomas gave us so much hope. Our faith in God was strengthened and we prayed like we had never prayed before. God chose to heal Thomas completely in Heaven, so we now cling to the hope that we will see him again one day soon. An abundance of love surrounded Thomas. He gave and received eternal love. The student who received the scholarship exemplified those same qualities and made a huge impact on other students’ lives in his school and community.
On Friday, May 15, 2015, Buddy and I presented the Thomas Alexander Lambert V Memorial Scholarship to St. Clair County High School First Priority Student Brandon Allen Wiggins. This year’s scholarship was in the amount of $500 per semester, with a total amount of $1,000. We were honored to present the scholarship to Brandon for outstanding qualities including strength, hope and love, and for Christian leadership, academic excellence, involvement and leadership in Saints for Christ and commitment to a local church. We are very proud of Brandon, and so thankful we could remember Thomas in such a big way.
Our goal is to make the Thomas Alexander Lambert V Memorial Scholarship not only big, but HUGE. We would love to be able to give away more than one scholarship per year, and we plan to do this for the rest of our lives. We look forward to holding fundraisers to raise money for scholarships and also to create awareness about KID Syndrome. If you are interested in learning more about our ideas or would like to make a donation to the Thomas Alexander Lambert V Memorial Scholarship Fund, please e-mail us at: [email protected]. We appreciate your support! CLICK HERE to view pictures from the recent scholarship presentation.
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