All About the Memorial Fund

This cross was made with loving hands by Jessie's friend Melissa, and placed at the accident scene. It was taken down for a while during construction that was being done at that intersection. On August 26, 2001 the cross was put back with a blessing and a prayer by Father Rob. It is the hope of the Murphy family that the cross will continue to serve as a reminder to all to observe safe driving practices.

Thanks to the generosity of family and friends, the Murphy family has been able to make donations to many local organizations. In December of 1999, all of the funds that had been donated to the Jessica Murphy Memorial fund were transferred from Bank of America to the Community Foundation, an independent non-profit foundation chartered by the state of Maryland.

It is the Community Foundation's policy to "...invest funds while preserving and enhancing the real value of the principal and to provide the Community Foundation with a dependable source of revenue to support its grant-making and scholarship activities." For more information on the Community Foundation, please visit their web site.

On March 7, 2000, a donation was made to the Monsignor O'Dwyer Retreat House of Sparks, Maryland. Father Kevin, formerly of St. John's Evangelical Catholic Church in Frederick, received the check. Father Kevin had played an important role in the development of faith for the entire Murphy family. The retreat house, where he is currently working, is a place that harbors many memories for Brad and Jessica, as well as many of their friends.

A second donation was made on March 7 to the Frederick Christian Academy. Pastor Fleming received the funds. Pastor Fleming and the Academy both played an important role in Jessica's ninth grade year. Jessie was having difficulty juggling her school work, social life, and sports. She and her parents came to the conclusion that a change to a more structured environment would be a good idea. Pastor Fleming was very flexible in helping Jessie adjust to the mid-year change. Jessie grew in confidence and spirituality during her stay at the Christian Academy.

On March 16, 2000 additional funds were given to the Governor Thomas Johnson High School Sports Boosters, PTSA, and the volleyball team, as well as to St. John's Evangelical Church Frederick. Jessica was an avid athlete, and the Murphy's wish was to support some of the organizations which Jessie had recently been a part of. The community of Saint John's guided the Murphys as they groped their way through those first tragic weeks. The church continues to provide strength and encouragement to the entire family. On hand to receive the donations were Walter Martz of the Sports Boosters, Natalie Louden and Rhonda Viola of the PTSA, volleyball coach Jim Dorsch, and Father Rob Jaskot of Saint John's church.

On June 1, 2000 the first annual Jessica Murphy Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Angela Sintes. On May 31, 2001 the second scholarship was awarded to Alison Koski. On May 30, 2002 (Jessie's graduation class) three more scholarships were given in Jessie's honor. The recipients that year were Susie Korolevich, Ashley Creggar and Melissa Parsley. On May 29, 2003, the scholarship went to Kate Martin, and on June 3, 2004 Ashley Nonemaker was the scholarship recipient. On May 26th, 2005 the eighth scholarship was awarded to Jami Murray. On June 1, 2006 the ninth Jessica Murphy Scholarship was awarded to Charlton Kilgore. In June, 2007 the tenth Jessica Murphy Scholarship was awarded to Lauren Cline. Lauren played volleyball for Thomas Johnson, and will be attending Juniata College in the fall. In May, 2008 the eleventh Jessica Murphy Scholarship was awarded to Jillian Jones. Jillian played volleyball for Thomas Johnson, and will be attending Hood College in the fall.

Please see Annual Scholarships for more information on the recipients.

This $2,000 scholarship is given annually to a graduating senior from Thomas Johnson High School. The graduate will have exhibited attentiveness to safe driving habits. They will also have participated in a varsity sport during their senior year, and have shown interest in community involvement. To support the continued growth of the fund, the Murphys intend to hold an annual fundraiser in Jessica's memory. Please see the Volleyball Tournaments page for more information on the fundraising.