ROBERTSDALE, Alabama --- Sarah Darelle Anderson would have celebrated her 22^nd birthday on Monday, March 5.

The Baldwin County native was a 2008 graduate of Robertsdale High School where she was a member of the Golden Bear marching band, a member of the National Honor Society and recipient of numerous awards and honors.

She was the 2007 homecoming queen at RHS and served as drum major for the band her senior year.

She was an active member of Loxley First Baptist Church. She went on several mission trips, including a trip to Haiti, and was also involved with drama and singing with the church.

She would go on to play piccolo in the marching band at Auburn University and was a member of the Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, national honorary band service fraternity.

Tragically, Anderson’s life would be cut short at age 19 in a car accident Nov. 10, 2009.

In 2010, the Sarah Darelle Anderson Memorial Scholarship was established at Auburn University to honor outstanding band members.

The endowment requires that $25,000 be raised and, along with other fundraising efforts, the Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi created the Annual Live, Laugh, Run 5K on the Auburn University campus.

“Sarah was such an impressive person and cared deeply for the program here at Auburn,” said Dr. Corey Spurlin, marching band director and assistant director of bands at Auburn. “This is a great way to honor her memory and recognize a deserving student with a scholarship.”

In the first two years, the event, which was held in April, along with other fundraising efforts and private donations, raised over $20,000 of the $25,000 needed for the scholarship, said Mary Baird, director of Development for Auburn’s College of Liberal Arts.

In an earlier interview, Baird said in order to be considered for the scholarship, the student must play the flute and be a resident of Baldwin County.

If a flutist cannot be found, the scholarship will be awarded to another qualified student in the AU Marching Band. They must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 for entering freshmen or 2.5 for returning musicians on a 4.0 scale. They must demonstrate financial need as verified by the Office of Financial Aid.

The scholarship will be given out yearly and the amount is determined by the Band/Performance/Vocal Scholarship Committee and be limited to funds available. Each recipient will be selected by the Sarah Darelle Anderson Scholarship Committee and will be subject to review by the Office of University Scholarships. Interested students should complete and submit an application to the Kappa Kappa Psi Scholarship Committee and it will be reviewed. Three candidates will be nominated and have an interview and audition before the panel. Then Director of Bands, currently Dr. Rick Good, will select the recipient.

This year’s event will be held closer to Anderson’s birthday and is scheduled for Saturday, March 3 on the Auburn University Campus.

“Sarah embodied the ideals and purposes of Kappa Kappa Psi in her striving for success, her great attitude on and off the band field, and her ability to further musicianship through Kappa Kappa Psi and the Auburn University Marching Band,” Richard Martin, president of Kappa Kappa Psi’s Pi Chapter at Auburn, said in an e-mailed statement. 

Registration for the 5K and 1-mile fun run will begin at 8 a.m. and the race will begin at 9 a.m. The annual award ceremony will follow the race at 10:45 a.m. There will be prizes and refreshments following the race.

“Everyone that knew and loved Sarah knew she had an unlimited capacity for love and caring for others,” said Sarah’s mother, Linda Anderson. “That simple attribute was part of the reason she was accepted into the Kappa Kappa Psi fraternity. The main purpose is for a deserving band member to receive a scholarship. Attend if you can, but if you can't please contribute to this worthy cause if possible, and in recognition of Sarah's favorite slogan and life statement-- Love God Love People.”

Martin and fellow Kappa Kappa Psi member Katherine Buck are organizing the event.

For more details including registration information on the Live.Laugh.Run. 5K, visit www.livelaughrun5K.eventbrite.com.  Donations can also be made via the website as well.  After the race, donations can also be made out to “The Sarah Darelle Anderson Memorial Scholarship” and sent to 132 Goodwin Music Building, Auburn University, AL 36849.