FCA camp scholarship to honor Erin Hook

May 31--Shortly before her death, Erin Hook challenged others to live with a purpose. That's exactly what one organization now is doing in her honor.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is raising funds for the newly established Erin L. Hook FCA Camp Scholarship. Erin attended FCA Leadership Camp twice while she was in high school, and she brought the lessons she learned back to share with others, says Wes Simmons, FCA area director for Northwest Missouri.

"Erin had that passion to share the love of Jesus Christ with her fellow students," he says. "She had an outward focus in that she reached out to other teams. That was really inspiring."

Erin participated in volleyball, basketball and track while she was a student at St. Joseph Christian School, Mr. Simmons says. The school did not have an FCA group when she became involved with the organization, he says.

"She was really instrumental in getting FCA established at St. Joseph Christian," Mr. Simmons says. "Erin built that into a lasting legacy there."

Erin was a student at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg when she was killed in a March 1 car accident. Just days before her death, she posted a message on Twitter challenging those she knew to "live with a purpose."

That sentiment captured the spirit of the way Erin lived, says her father, Ron Hook.

"She wanted to touch as many people as possible," he says. "She was always doing stuff for other people out of the kindness of her heart."

FCA's vision is to see the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes, Mr. Simmons says. One of the ways the group does that is through camps for student athlete leaders and their coaches like one that is set for July 7 through 9 at Northwest Missouri State University, he says.

When he heard about Erin's challenge to live with a purpose at her funeral, an idea was sparked, Mr. Simmons says.

"Her message is really what our camp is about, living with a purpose, so establishing the scholarship just seemed like a natural," he says. "We've had a need for a capital scholarship for a while, and this was the right opportunity to honor Erin."

Mr. Simmons approached Erin's family about the scholarship at an FCA banquet recently, Mr. Hook says, and the idea seemed a fitting tribute.

"Being able to send numerous kids to FCA camp is something you know is going to touch lives," Mr. Hook says. "Hopefully it will inspire those who get these scholarships in Erin's name to see that doing something good is going to come back to you."

Donors established a $10,000 challenge grant to start the campaign, with $5,000 of that money coming from a life insurance policy that belonged to Erin. FCA's goal is to at least double that amount in order to give the more than 200 people expected to attend camp this summer a scholarship that would pay half the registration cost, Mr. Simmons says.

To help raise additional funds, FCA is planning a Night at the Mustangs June 6. Mr. Simmons says $2 of every ticket sold will go to the scholarship fund. Tickets can be purchased at http://missourifca.org/mustangs (money from tickets purchased at the gate won't go towards the fund).

An auction of player jerseys and a raffle also will be held at the game to raise money.

People also can donate to the scholarship fund at https://my.fca.org/4992-mo-erin-hook-memorial-camp-scholarships.aspx or by mailing checks to FCA at P.O. Box 8966, St. Joseph, MO 64508.

Mr. Simmons, who lost an older brother to a car accident several years ago, says he knows how important it is to keep someone's legacy going.

"That's what we're after -- keeping Erin's memory alive and adding to her already significant legacy," he says. "This can impact thousands of kids in the coming years."

Jess DeHaven can be reached at jess.dehaven@newspressnow.com.

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