Scholarship benefit, other charity fund-raisers memorialize White Plains teenager

Rachael Scarborough King
Star Staff Writer
Published: June 23, 2006

Anita Davenport wants people to remember her stepson, Daniel Darrell Davenport, as he was before his four-wheeler accident in May 2005: “He was just the best kid anybody could ask for.”

Saturday, she will mark the one-year anniversary of Daniel’s death with a fund-raiser at the Quad Cities Fire Department. The event will benefit a scholarship set up in Daniel’s memory.

Daniel, who was 18 and a senior at White Plains High School, crashed into a tree while riding a four-wheeler on May 24, 2005. He died at the University Hospitals in Birmingham on June 25, after a month in a medically induced coma.

An anonymous donor provided the initial gift for the scholarship fund, which awards one graduating White Plains student each year $1,000 toward college. This year’s recipient is Lauren Jenkins.

The goal of Saturday’s event, Davenport said, is to raise enough money to continue the scholarship.

“It made us feel good to be able to give that scholarship, because he left such a good legacy,” Davenport said. “I just want to keep the scholarship fund going; I’d like to keep it going for many, many, many years.”

The original gift included enough money to award the scholarship for four years. The winner is chosen by a committee of the White Plains alumni association, and the money is administered by the school. Winners must be in good academic standing and must have played varsity sports for two years.

Jenkins, the winner this year, said she decided to apply “because it was just a good scholarship and Daniel was such a good person.”

“He was just an awesome person, he left behind some great memories and legacies, and for me to be able to receive the scholarship in his name was just a great honor,” said Jenkins, who will attend Troy State University in the fall.

Saturday’s fund-raiser will feature other charity activities designed to honor Daniel’s memory.

“He was a big animal lover, so we wanted to help with The Animal Shelter,” Davenport said.

There also will be a station to give blood and a donation bin for Center of Hope. To raise money, organizers will be selling food, T-shirts, and arts and crafts. A silent auction also will be held.