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April 2025 - Scholarship Presentation and Benefit Dinner Dance
2020 Scholarship Recipient Comments
My name is Libby Oelhaf, I had the honor of being named the 24th recipient of the Kevin M. Eidt Memorial Scholarship during the tumultuous year of 2020. It truly is a privilege to celebrate with you all tonight, especially since my original acceptance speech was presented virtually, in my childhood bedroom, in the midst of a global pandemic. If you are having trouble recognizing my name, you most likely remember me as Libby Christinat, but I am overjoyed to share that since our last meeting, I was happily married in October to the love of my life, Carl Oelhaf! It is my joy to have him here for the first time tonight, and to show him firsthand the love and support of the Eidt family and this community gathered to honor Kevin and his legacy.
Five years ago, I was a very different person. Those of you who are familiar with my academic and extracurricular pursuits can attest to my intense drive to complete every task to perfection. For me, perception was everything. I spent the entirety of my high school career controlling the image I presented to others, finding my value as a human in the perspective and approval of those around me. The sense of security and confidence that I was chasing, I believed, could only come about once I reached the highest point of achievement and earned the admiration of everyone. But I was wrong. The harder I worked, the more muddled my identity would become. The culmination of my undergraduate admissions process truly highlighted this reality. What was supposed to be a time of triumph after all I had accomplished came to a soul-crushing end with nine rejection letters and heaps of disappointment.
Why am I sharing all of this? Well, it was not until I stepped into the Eidt family home for my final interview in the Spring of 2020 that this tension and superficiality began to shift. Praying silently as I took my seat at the head of their dining room table, the selection committee smiling on various computer screens in front of me, I was empowered to do something I had never done before. When asked questions about myself, I was honest. Rather than reciting the answers I had prepared ahead of time which I believed could earn me the scholarship, I scrapped the script and told the committee who I truly was. That I loved God and my church community more than anything. That I thrived in environments and relationships that challenged me to learn. That my free time was often spent in and around water, whether at the beach or on the pool deck. That music had and always would play a vibrant role in my life. These parts of myself that I believed no one wanted to hear about were actually the very truths I needed to share all along.
Now, as a recent graduate of Liberty University, a new resident of Wilmington, North Carolina, and a newlywed, I can confidently say that my life is nothing like I had planned as a teenager. My relationship with God is still a foundational part of my daily life, my career, my marriage, and my community. Knowing Him and feeling known by Him has taught me how to have peace with myself, love others selflessly, and approach life with freedom and confidence. In discovering who I was made to be, I realized I had a deep desire to see people discover hope and healing through professional counseling. I graduated Summa Cum Laude with my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology last spring and am excited to announce that I am beginning my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in the Fall of 2025.
After my graduation this past May, I made the decision to move to Wilmington, NC for a year to be closer to family and gain experience in the workforce before pursuing further education. My love of learning and passion for youth led me to apply for a position as a substitute teacher at a local high school. By the grace of God I was hired in September and offered a secondary position as their Assistant Varsity Swim Coach. Being able to create an environment of trust, discipline, and camaraderie between student athletes has reignited my former passion for swimming. Only a few months later, I was offered and accepted a full-time position as a Freshman English teacher at the same school. It has been a true joy to encourage students to tackle their education with confidence. Although these opportunities were far from what I had planned for this year, and have truthfully been quite challenging, working with high-school students has given me a new vision into my future as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Without the encouragement of the people in this room, and the incredible financial blessings of this scholarship, I would have been too afraid to pursue these things that truly bring me joy.
What started in the Eidt family dining room five years ago, has resulted in a woman today who is confident and full of life. I finally know who God has uniquely made me to be and am confident in His calling on my life to serve my community as a professional counselor. I want to thank everyone associated with Kevin's Fund, and all the generous donors, for allowing me to graduate debt-free and subsequently blessing my husband and I with financial freedom. I would also like to thank the Selection Committee for creating a space for me to share a large part of myself throughout the selection process, and for continuing to encourage me to pursue my passions. I, of course, have to thank my wonderful family and my husband for their constant patience, support and love. I especially would not be in the position I am today if it were not for the sacrifices of my mom and dad, Julie and Joseph Christinat, whom I could never thank enough. Lastly, I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Eidt for entrusting me to be a part of continuing on the beautiful legacy of their son. What began as a step of faith 29 years ago has transformed into a heartbeat of the city of Norwalk. Thank you all for welcoming me into this community with open arms, guiding me with patience and grace, and for truly changing my life for the better.
Background
The Kevin M. Eidt Memorial Scholarship Fund was established through the generosity of the many people Kevin touched in his short life. Kevin, an 18-year-old dean's list freshman in the honors program at Boston College, passed away from cardiac arrest on January 23, 1997 while playing intramural basketball. Kevin set the example of the passion and sincerity we should bring to each day. He was an individual with vision, commitment, abiding hope, aspirations, and compassion. And when we look back, it was a life, albeit a glimpse of life, by which people can be measured and judged by.
Mission
The mission of the Kevin M. Eidt Memorial Scholarship Fund is to preserve Kevin's spirit by paying tribute to achievements in academics, athletics, arts, and the virtues of service and faith that were the essence of Kevin's life.
Fund Facts
With 13 scholarships, valued at $164,500, awarded to the class of 2024, Kevin's Fund has provided nearly $2.9 Million in financial support to 235 exemplary young men and women matriculating at over 85 diverse colleges and universities in Kevin's memory. The dramatic growth in scholarship awards is directly related to the financial success of our annual benefit dinner dance, which began in 2000 and funded scholarships for the class of 2001. As a result of this generosity, Kevin's Fund has awarded the following scholarships
To the class of 1997 $3,750 To the class of 1998 $5,000 To the class of 1999 $12,000 To the class of 2000 $13,000 To the class of 2001 $47,000 To the class of 2002 $55,000 To the class of 2003 $70,000 To the class of 2004 $85,000 To the class of 2005 $100,000 To the class of 2006 $111,000 To the class of 2007 $127,000 To the class of 2008 $139,000 To the class of 2009 $140,000 To the class of 2010 $118,000 To the class of 2011 $117,000 To the class of 2012 $115,000 To the class of 2013 $121,000 To the class of 2014 $122,000 To the class of 2015 $124,000 To the class of 2016 $122,250 To the class of 2017 $124,000 To the class of 2018 $127,000 To the class of 2019 $128,000 To the class of 2020 $128,000 To the class of 2021 $126,500 To the class of 2022 $156,000 To the class of 2023 $160,500 To the class of 2024 $164,500
For the 2024 – 2025 academic year, Kevin’s Fund is providing financial support to 14 students matriculating at Berklee College of Music, Boston College (2), College of William & Mary, Columbia (2), The George Washington University, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, Stanford, Temple, UConn, Univerisity of Wisconsin, and UMass-Amherst.
| Scholarship Fund Accomplishments as of June 30, 2024 | |
| Recipients | 235 |
| Awards | $2,864,500 |
| Funding as % of Contributions | 99.5% |