FFA students lead drive honoring Quitman girl
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
EUSTACE–Two Eustace ag students, who spearheaded a fundraiser for the family of a Quitman FFA student who died earlier this year in a car accident, handed over a check totaling $1,750 May 25.
Becky and David Carpenter were honored to receive it in memory of their daughter, Skylar, who was just 15 when she died.

Monitor Photo/Pearl Cantrell
Eustace FFA teacher Theresa Tindell (left) stands next to freshmen Caitlyn Culp and Breanna Fuller as they hand Becky and David Carpenter a check for $1,750 for the Skylar Carpenter Memorial Fund May 25.

The couple told them about the Skylarship Foundation they had formed to fund scholarships in Skylar’s memory. Just a few weeks ago, the foundation gave out its first four $1,000 scholarships to Quitman High School seniors, David Carpenter said.
In gratitude for their fund-raising efforts, Becky prepared gift bags for each student with a photo of Skylar, memory wrist bands and other small items.
When Caitlyn Culp and Breanna Fuller first heard about Skylar’s traffic death while carpooling with other FFA students to the San Antonio Livestock Show in mid-February, they wanted to do something.
Fuller told her ag teacher, Zach Tappan, that her stepsister had gone to school with Skylar and was very upset about her death.
“He gave her the go-ahead to start raising funds for the family,” fellow teacher Theresa Tindel told The Monitor.
The Eustace High School Ag Booster Club held its 14th annual chili cookoff and auction just one week after the fatal accident.
The girls set up a box to collect donations and those attending were made aware of their efforts, booster club president Danny Davis said.
The girls began collecting the donations, but things really started to heat up when local veterinarian Darrell Kinnard, DVM, donated the cake he had just won with the highest bid back to the auctioneer with the stipulation that the money raised from its re-auction be added to the fund being raised for Skylar Carpenter.
He did and it was.
“That cake was re-auctioned five times first to Doug Fortenberry and then to Joel Chapel, Seth Almonza, Larry Teague and finally to an Athens couple, Toby and Mike Harrington,” Davis said.
In this way, $1,000 was raised for the Carpenters. The club also made a donation, Davis added. “The Eustace Community just opened up and gave,” Davis added.
Skylar’s parents told how they had auctioned off a commercial heifer that Skylar was raising. The Quitman community also came out in strong support, resulting in the $15,900 sale of that animal.
Skylar’s dad is working with Quitman ag teacher Brant Lee and his ag mechanics class on the overhauling of a cooker he donated to the class.
“When they’re done with it, it’ll be beautiful and road worthy,” David Carpenter said.
It’s to be raffled off with the proceeds going to the Skylarship Foundation, he said.
“I’m also having a special belt buckle crafted and the Ag student who sells the most raffle tickets will get the belt buckle,” he said.
Both Fuller and Culp are among the Eustace FFA officers for 2011-12, with Fuller as treasurer.
“I think these two have demonstrated promising leadership skills,” Tindel commented.
Anyone interested in donating to the Skylarship Foundation Inc.may do so by sending a check to City National Bank, P.O. Box 1092, Quitman, Texas 75783 for account #54783.