A Legacy of Friendship

Life-long friendships result in a generous gift benefitting UofSC Aiken nursing students.

Aiken, SC (08/27/2021) — Karli DeLoach, Chrissa Matthews, and Ashley Witherspoon grew up together as part of a close-knit group of girlfriends in Barnwell, South Carolina. They remained close into adulthood, taking group trips to Charleston, the beach, the Edisto River, and concerts. "We had a daily group text going for years," Chrissa said. "That's where we shared what was going on with our families and jobs, reminisced about the good old days, and enjoyed many inside jokes. We could all really be ourselves with each other."

Tragedy struck the group five years ago when Ashley passed away after an extended illness and then again with the sudden loss of Karli in 2020. Chrissa still has a hard time talking about it and chooses to focus on the legacy the two women left behind.

"Ashley and Karli both went to nursing school at University of South Carolina Aiken a little bit later in life," Chrissa said. "They became nurses and were so proud of their professions. Karli was an administrator at an assisted living home in Charleston, and Ashley was a school nurse for children with special needs."

To add to that legacy, Melody Wilbanks (a close family friend of Karli's) and Chrissa established the Karli Lemmond DeLoach and Ashley Austin Witherspoon Nursing Scholarship at the UofSC Aiken School of Nursing in honor of their late friends. "Melody called me and wanted to do a scholarship in Karli's memory. We put the word out, and through generous donations from family and friends of both Karli and Ashley, the scholarship is going to be ongoing in their memory which is really special," Chrissa said.

The scholarship is specifically for nursing students from Barnwell and is an endowed scholarship, meaning it will be awarded year after year to a student with at least a 3.5 GPA. The student may receive it all four years through the program if they can maintain the GPA requirement. "I hate the circumstances but truly believe the girls would love this as a way to honor them both, their lives, their friendship, and their service as nurses," Chrissa said.

Chrissa and her husband Chad presented the check, which brought the scholarship up to the endowment level to Dr. Thayer McGahee, dean of the School of Nursing, on August 17. "This scholarship gift is such a wonderful way for Chrissa and Chad to remember a special friend," Dr. McGahee said. "As an endowed scholarship, it will have a lasting impact on students in the school of nursing for years to come. Being able to relieve some of the financial burden for students helps them be better able to focus on their studies and be successful. We are very grateful for this generous gift."

Chrissa and Chad met at UofSC Aiken, where they were both students. Chrissa studied English and went on to become a speech therapist. Chad was a business major. Their combined experiences led them to found DayBreak Adult Care Services. DayBreak provides compassionate, dependable, and reliable in-home care to adult patients and employs many UofSC Aiken nursing students and graduates. "We always need nurses and caregivers, and the quality of care that comes from the UofSC Aiken School of Nursing is outstanding," Chad said.

To donate to the Karli Lemmond DeLoach and Ashley Austin Witherspoon Nursing Scholarship, contact Mary Driscoll at 803-641-3448 or maryd@usca.edu.

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