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The Allison Dewart Memorial Scholarship Foundation remembers a remarkable young woman, whose bright light shone too briefly but whose life was a beacon of love and friendship.
Beautiful daughter, loving friend, diligent student, selfless volunteer, athlete... Ally was an accomplished and delightful girl before tragedy caused her death at the age of 18. Home for the holidays in January, 2006, after her first semester of college, a drunk wrong-way driver struck the car in which Ally was a passenger. Both drivers were killed instantly. Ally and three other girls in the car were catastrophically injured. Her friends survived, but Ally did not.
One thousand mourners attended Ally's memorial service - friends, schoolmates, teammates, families and members from Neighborhood Church – from her years of sports, school, church and volunteer activities. Ally was a vivacious, outgoing girl who gave more than she took, who welcomed everyone she met as a friend, and who extended that hand of friendship to many who needed one. In sports, school and church, Ally embodied the spirit of inclusion. She lived her brief life giving to others.
An outpouring of love and sympathy in the form of donations came in from family and friends when Ally died. These gifts were transformed by Ally's family into the Allison Dewart Memorial Scholarship Foundation. She may have been prevented from achieving her college dreams, but her Foundation offers help to other young women to pursue that opportunity in her name.
Today, Ally's Foundation awards two college scholarships every year to young athletes from her alma mater, West High School in Torrance, California, where she was captain of the varsity soccer team and also competed in track and volleyball. The board of the Foundation seeks applicants who demonstrate the same determination Ally possessed to better themselves through academics and athletics while striving to also better their community.
We are planning a Memorial Walk on January 9, 2021 to mark the 15th anniversary of Ally’s passing, and have had a new T-shirt design created for the event. We hope that you will join us as we “Do It For Dewey” to raise funds for her scholarship and to remember how much all of you meant to her!