CHELSEA – Through the combined effort of the Chelsea Youth Club and the Ingram family, a scholarship was recently established to honor the life of Chelsea resident and volunteer, Kristi Barker Ingram, who died on Nov. 24, 2017 after battling breast cancer for years.

According to a release from the CYC, the first scholarship is effective for the Chelsea High School class of 2018, and will award $2,000 to one male student and one female student who “have prided themselves with the same never-give-up attitude that Kristi possessed.” The scholarship will be presented at the ChHS Senior Awards Night at 6 p.m. on May 15.

Despite the fact that the scholarship is offered by the CYC, Kristi Ingram’s husband and Chelsea City Council member David Ingram said the scholarship is open to any seniors who have overcome adversity or have shown a proclivity toward serving others, regardless of their athletic skill.

“We wanted it to be available to any student at the high school who has the same characteristics that she did,” David Ingram said.

Family friend Kyra Hagan said Kristi Ingram displayed a special kind of resilience, and continued to be a dedicated volunteer, wife and mother despite her fight with cancer.

“The amount of time she lived with cancer while no one knew about it is mind-blowing to me. She wanted her kids’ lives to be normal,” Hagan said. “Her strength was beyond comprehension to me. Her presence was a reminder to the community to hope always.”

David Ingram credited CYC leaders Wade Dockery and Brad Harrington with coming up with the idea of a scholarship, which he and his family have fully endorsed.

“They thought it would be something that Kristi would be proud of,” David Ingram said.

On Tuesday, Feb. 13, Kristi Ingram’s friends and family, along with other members of the community who wanted to help enjoyed a meal at the Chelsea Johnny Ray’s. According to Johnny Ray’s owners Jack and Michelle Donovan, 10 percent of the sales that were made between 5 and 8 p.m. that evening will benefit the scholarship fund.

“Kristi was a real inspiration to the community, and we wanted to do this in her honor,” Michelle Donovan said. “She was very involved with the community through youth sports, so it’s just an honor for us to be able to help them help the young people.”