STARKVILLE — Eleven-year-old Laura Carson loved Camp Lake Stephens. Eating in the dining hall, canoeing, kayaking in the lake, flying down the zip line, playing Capture the Flag or just hanging with her friends, she loved every part of the camp. From the time she was seven years old, she visited Camp Lake Stephens every summer.
The daughter of local developer Lee Carson and real estate agent Jennifer Carson, Laura Carson was killed January 1 in a go-cart accident in Athens, Ala. But her spirit will live on at Camp Lake Stephens, located outside Oxford, through the building of a high ropes course at the camp in her memory.
First United Methodist Church in Starkville will host a dinner show fundraiser May 6 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the church’s Christian Life Center to raise $10,000 to help fund the course in Laura’s memory. The course will be used during summer camps and youth events and will be a potential future fundraiser for the camp, because groups can rent the course for leadership training and trust-building exercises.
The dinner show will feature dancers from the Academy of Competitive and Performing Arts, formerly Dancing Feet Academy, where Laura was part of the competition dance team. Dinner will be homemade lasagna (meat or vegetarian), salad, bread, and tiramisu. The event also will feature a silent auction to raise additional funds. Tickets are available for a $10 minimum suggested donation through the office at First United Methodist Church.
In addition to participating at Camp Lake Stephens, Laura also was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Starkville, where she was in the church choir and served as an acolyte. Laura danced competitively with ACPA and was an honor student in sixth grade at Armstrong Middle School, where she played the French horn in the school band and was actively involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. For more information about the fundraiser, contact Kathy Snell at 662-648-9815 or [email protected].
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