ROBERTSDALE, Alabama --- Do you believe in angels? If you don't, then you believe that Sarah Anderson doesn’t know the good that has been done in her name.

A 2008 graduate of Robertsdale High School where she was assistant drum major her junior year and was drum major her senior year, Anderson entered Auburn University in the fall of 2008, where she joined the Auburn University Marching Band, playing in the piccolo section for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

Then, on Nov. 10, 2009, tragedy struck when Anderson was killed in a traffic accident on Interstate 85 between Auburn and Montgomery.

In her memory, the Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi National honorary band fraternity created the Sarah Anderson Memorial Scholarship, which is given annually to a member of the Auburn University Bands.

In April of 2010, the first Live, Laugh, Love Run was held to raise funds for the scholarship. It was held in April again the following year, then moved to March of this year, closer to Sarah’s birthday, which is March 5.

Then, Kappa Kappa Psi decided to move the run to the fall to coincide with the band’s marching season. Hoping to capitalize on publicity generated by football fans coming to the Plains and hoping to get some of the nearly 100,000 estimated to be on hand for Saturday’s home contest against Arkansas, the fourth run will be held this weekend on Sunday, Oct. 7.

To date, there are 63 donors to the Sarah Anderson Memorial Scholarship listed on the Auburn University band’s website.

Not only has money been raised to benefit the Auburn band program, funds raised have also benefitted high school music programs in the Auburn-Opelika area and at Robertsdale High School.

Benefits have also been held in Sarah’s name for the children of Haiti, which was also a cause near to Sarah’s heart. A member of Loxley First Baptist Church, Sarah went on several mission trips, including a trip to Haiti shortly before her death.

If you don’t believe in angels, then you don’t believe Sarah Anderson knows any of those things.

Linda Anderson, however, does believe in angels, one in particular. Her daughter, Sarah.

“We always considered her to be our little angel,” Linda Anderson said. “So many great things have been done in her name that there’s just no other way to describe it. It’s like she is watching over us and will continue to watch over us.”

Linda Anderson also believes that it is fitting that the run has been moved to October. This year’s run will be held five days before Linda Anderson’s birthday, which is Oct. 12.

It just so happened that the team’s schedule allowed Sarah to come home twice in October of 2009, including the week of her mother’s birthday that year. The family was also able to visit Sarah, making the trip to Auburn for the contest on Oct. 31, just 10 days before her death.

In a lot of ways, Linda Anderson said, Sarah’s death has gotten harder to deal with as the years pass.

“We miss her more and more every day,” Linda Anderson said. But in other ways, the passage of time has brought more reflection.

“When it first happened it was just so hard to think about her without getting upset,” she said. “Now, I feel like I am able to see her and remember her in real time. Whenever something happens it brings back memories of Sarah as a little girl, or from high school and I can almost see her as it happened.”

Linda Anderson says she still frequents Sarah’s Facebook page and leaves messages for her. When she goes there, she says she sees messages from Sarah’s friends as well.

“I can tell by what they say that they see Sarah as an angel too, watching over them,” she said.

Then again, maybe you should believe in angels. Linda Anderson most certainly does.

If you would like to donate to the Sarah Anderson Memorial Scholarship, contact Mary Baird, Director of Development with the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts, 323 Biggin Hall, Auburn, AL 36849-5223, call 334-844-1141 or email bairdmk@auburn.edu. Checks should be made out to “Sarah Anderson Memorial Endowment Scholarship Fund,” or you can donate online via PayPal.