The Union community reeled in pain and shock in February at the death of Olivia Greenlee, senior music major.
Three months later, the Department of Music and Zeta Tau Alpha will host “We Remember,” a benefit concert to support a new scholarship at Union: The Olivia Greenlee Memorial Scholarship.
The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. May 10 at West Jackson Baptist Church.
Tickets are $10, and the concert is open to the public. Tickets will be available for purchase before the concert and at the door.
University Singers, Proclamation Choir, Jazz Band, the Orchestra and members of Zeta will perform in the concert.
A silent auction for items donated by member of the Jackson community will precede the event at 6:30 p.m. All ticket sales, donations and proceeds of the auction will go toward the scholarship fund.
Landon Preston, director of Donor Relations, is in charge of the scholarship side of the event.
“Shortly after her passing, Chris Mathews and I began some conversations about how we could carry on Olivia’s memory at UU,” Preston said. “One of the ways we thought we could do that was through an endowed scholarship. We felt like this was one of the best ways to continue her legacy.”
Preston said endowed scholarships are different than other scholarships because they are invested and last longer.
“As long as the stock markets are around, this scholarship will be around,”Preston said. “It continues to be around as long as Union is around.”
Preston said this kind of scholarship is particularly meaningful.
“It’s a tangible way to not only help someone else but to every year remind the student recipient of who Olivia Greenlee is,” Preston said.
Chris Mathews, chairman of the Department of Music, explained the concert is something the department has been planning with the sorority since the week of Greenlee’s death.
“We decided a good result of our grieving process would be to have an end-of-the-year concert along the line of “A Union Christmas,” which will allow us to remember Olivia, celebrate God’s faithfulness and raise money for her scholarship,” Mathews said.
Hope Lewis, junior elementary education major and president of Zeta Tau Alpha, said offering a scholarship in Greenlee’s honor is apropos.
“Raising funds for a scholarship in Olivia’s memory is important for our Zeta Tau Alpha chapter because she had such a spirit of cheerful generosity,” Lewis said. “We hope to honor that by providing financial aid to future students at Union University.”
Lewis said the concert will provide a time of remembrance for the members of the sorority as well as the Union community at large.
“For Zeta Tau Alpha specifically, I hope this event will further strengthen our sisterhood as we continue the process of healing after the loss our beloved sister and friend,” Lewis said. “The Union Community as a whole will have the opportunity to celebrate Olivia’s life.”
IF YOU GO
- Who: Open to students, public, and community
- When: Saturday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m.
- Where: West Jackson Baptist Church, 580 Oill Well Road
- Tickets: $10, available before concert or at door
- All proceeds will go toward the scholarship fund.