Remembering Carey: A Scholarship Fund Honors a Beloved Friend and Health Care Provider
By SANDRA CRABTREE
This last week of August marks a reflective one-year anniversary for Hatteras Island.
On August 30, 2007, Carey Marie LeSieur passed away peacefully, leaving behind her loving husband, Robin, her parents Claude and Marie, her sister Jennifer, and her niece Madison. She also left behind and an infinite number of friends.
Carey was a beautiful and kind woman who loved life. She was a compassionate nurse practitioner who loved helping her patients and a thoughtful and loyal friend to so many people. She continues to be very much missed by all those who knew her. Carey made such an impact that it is easy to believe that once a soul has accomplished what it has come here to do, it continues its work from the other side.
Shortly after her death, a group of friends came together and devised a way to honor Carey in the benevolent way in which she lived her life. We formulated a plan to raise money in order to start a scholarship in her memory. The memorial was kicked off by Anita and Stuart (“Brud”) Bills with a “Bucket Party” last October at their Frisco home.
A custom-painted bucket for donations was hung on a shepherd’s hook next to a collage of photos of Carey with her colleagues and friends. The pot luck gathering was a huge success, and this is how it all began.
A scholarship fund was established, spearheaded by Dr. T. Bentley Crabtree, Jr. and committee members Robin Gerald, April Contestable, Tom Murphy, Susan Wyche, Elaine Whitaker, and Sandra Crabtree.
Robin, Carey’s husband, has been placing donation jars for the scholarship fund in various business locations on Hatteras Island and has been collecting and depositing the donations throughout the year.
The scholarship is intended to go to a student from Cape Hatteras who is choosing a career in the field of health and/or medicine. The student will have completed his or her second year of study and will be entering the third year and will have proven his or her sincerity in the career path chosen. The way we propose to reach out to these applicants is through our Web site.
A summer barbecue picnic was held July 10 at the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Center to benefit the Carey LeSieur Scholarship Fund. Food, fun, and fellowship were the theme of the
evening as all enjoyed the music and entertainment of the Frisco Jubilee. Folks poured in from one end of the island to the other, and friends and family as far away as Kansas came to celebrate
Carey’s humanitarian life and spirituality.
On behalf of the committee, we would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to all who advertised, volunteered, donated, baked, performed, photographed, and attended the event. Because of your tremendous support, we have taken the next step and are officially the Carey LeSieur Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization whose primary objective is the Carey LeSieur Scholarship Fund, as well as promoting compassion and humanity within the local community.
Looking back at the remarkable kindness we have witnessed for the love of one incredible woman during this past year, countless seeds of philanthropy are planted. A way to honor Carey’s life is to remember her and allow the warmth in our hearts to blossom spiritually.
We are looking forward to and hope to see you at our next event. Our Web site is currently under construction and will be available very soon. The Web address is http://www.careylesieurfoundation.org.
If you wish to make a donation, please send it to The Carey LeSieur Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 722, Avon, NC 27915.
