In life, Carolyn West was a caring and dedicated teacher, helping Miss-Lou students to reach their educational goals.

To carry on that legacy, the Boys & Girls Club of the Miss-Lou is starting a scholarship in her name.

“When Carolyn’s death came about, we wanted to do something in her honor,” Boys & Girls Club Director Fay Minor said. “She was one of our first supporters. She donated $400 worth of brand-new books to the club when it first opened.”

West, wife of Mayor Phillip West, died April 19 at the age of 56. She taught young children in the Miss-Lou for years.

The club will award the scholarship to one Boys & Girls Club student every year, Minor said. That money will go toward college tuition, she said.

The student will have to have good behavior, a GPA of 3.0 or higher and complete a required number of volunteer hours in the community and with the club.

But before that can happen, the club has to raise the money for the scholarship. So far, they’ve raised some, but not enough to ensure the future of the program.

Minor said she hoped to kick off the fundraising at Friday’s celebrity golf tournament.

“We’ll have a big table set up with Carolyn Mosby West Scholarship Foundation across the front,” she said.

The tournament, the Boys & Girls Club’s biggest fundraiser, will start at 1 p.m. at Beau Pré, but food and festivities usually start around 11 a.m., Minor said.

Kareem West, Carolyn and Mayor Phillip West’s older son, said he and his family were honored by the club’s decision.

“Her work was community-oriented,” West said. “It’s definitely a privilege and a blessing to get money for a school and have someone honor her in that way.”

More than that, the scholarship was a testament to the community’s support of his family and of children, he said.

“She really believed in this community, and I think she’s smiling right now to see the way the community is doing things to support itself,” West said. “That’s what she was about, not just helping young people but helping everyone.”

For more information, call 601-304-5548.