$50K raised for scholarship honoring Butler senior killed in crash

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A new scholarship at Bellarmine University honors the life of a 17-year-old girl killed in a tragic crash.

Madelynn Troutt was a senior at Butler High School and had already been accepted to Bellarmine, where she planned to study nursing, when she died.

Police say her car was hit head-on by a man who was driving high in a stolen truck.

After her death, a stranger reached out to the family to help her legacy live on.

"Each incoming year, there will be a student that receives the Madelynn Troutt Memorial Nursing Scholarship, which is very exciting, and then have that live with them for four years," Chris Kircher, associate dean of undergraduate admission, said. "Being able to do that, in this way, will still allow us to talk about Madelynn and share her story and make an impact on Bellarmine, but also the community here as well."

Money for the scholarship was raised through events like a recent golf scramble, with all proceeds going toward the scholarship fund.

The goal was $50,000 to make it an endowment that will last forever.

"It doesn't end. Stewardship means they'll meet the family, they'll get to know Madelynn's story, she'll live forever, and we have the chance to just pass that on and pay it forward," Joan Riggert, director of planned giving and stewardship at Bellarmine, said. "And Madelynn will be watching."

The Madelynn Trout Memorial Nursing Scholarship will start help funding students' education in the fall of 2022. It will be awarded to an incoming freshman each year as a renewable, four-year scholarship. Preference will be given to Butler students studying nursing. Right now, it'll be $2,500 each year. But as donations continue and interest grows over time, that number could increase.

There are future events planned to continue raising money for the endowment, such as an auction and additional golf scrambles. The Madelynn Troutt Memorial Golf Scramble, which pushed the scholarship fund to the $50,000 goal, is expected to become an annual event.

Related Stories: