By Terri Spilman
The late Amy Kline was the equivalent of Norma Rae for parents who have been alienated or excluded from serving on their school’s parent teacher organization.
Her love of helping Carmel schools lives on in a scholarship established in her name through the Carmel Education Foundation.
“She never cared about the ‘power’ of the position. She just wanted to get things done and wanted to include anyone who wanted to volunteer,” said Amy Kline’s husband, Spencer Kline. “Inclusion was key to Amy since she was initially excluded when we moved to Carmel. Amy gave up a buying job at Sears and was responsible for a hundred million dollar business, but was told that because she had no PTO experience, she was not needed. As she eventually got involved and rose in the ranks, she made sure that never happened to anyone on her watch.”
Amy Kline persevered and served as PTO president for a total of six years while her daughters were in elementary school, Clay Middle School and Carmel High School, Spencer Kline said.
After she unexpectedly died of uterine cancer in November 2012, her family established the Amy Kline Scholarship Fund to keep her memory alive and to continue her mission of enriching the Carmel Clay School system.
The purpose of the grant is to fund a scholarship for a CHS graduate attending Indiana University and majoring in education. The award is also given to someone who is truly involved in both the high school and the community. The first recipient of the scholarship was Ricki Daly, who is now a freshman at Indiana University.
In order to have a scholarship in Amy’s name endowed by the Carmel Education Foundation, the family has organized a fundraising campaign with a goal of $25,000. They are holding a Wine Night with entertainment by Ten Days Pending, a band comprised entirely of CHS staff.
For more information or to donate to the scholarship fund, visit www.amyklinescholarshipfund.org.