PENDLETON, Ore.-The fifth annual Kari Ann Memorial Golf Scramble was October 3 at the Golf Course at Birch Creek in Pendleton.
Over 100 golfers teed off for the fundraiser tournament benefiting the Kari Ann Memorial Endowed Scholarship at Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC).
Turning tragedy into action
Kari Ann Lindeman was a nurse who worked at Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS) in Hermiston, CHI St. Anthony’s in Pendleton, and also served as a traveling nurse in Boise and Portland.
On July 29, 2022, Lindeman, 49, of La Grande, was killed by a wrong-way drunk driver on Interstate 84 near Pendleton.
According to friends and family, Kari Ann was known for her big smile and even bigger, outgoing personality.
As a nurse she went above and beyond, caring for each patient as if they were her only patient, working tirelessly to provide comfort to her patients, even through the COVID pandemic.
Following her death, Kari Ann’s family hoped to raise awareness about drunk driving and honor her nursing legacy with a scholarship to help local nursing students.
Softball was a large part of Kari and her kids’ lives as they grew up, and fundraising efforts started with a softball tournament, organized by her daughter, Kasidee Lemberger, who played softball in college at Eastern Oregon University.
The Kari Lindeman Memorial Softball Tournament is now an annual fundraiser held the last weekend in July in Pendleton.
According to Kari Ann’s brother, Det Robinson, the idea for the golf tournament came about when the family got together at the course following his sister’s death.
“My sister’s been gone four years now, but this is our fifth annual tournament,” said Robinson, who serves as Event Director of the Kari Ann Memorial Golf Scramble, alongside his wife, Tara. “It’s an opportunity to remember my sister, raise awareness about drunk driving, and money for nursing scholarships.”
Kari Ann Memorial Endowed Scholarship
The Kari Ann Memorial Endowed Scholarship through Blue Mountain Community College is available for mothers, who carry at least a 3.0 GPA and are enrolled in the BMCC Nursing Program.
“What’s the number one problem is small communities when people graduate?” asked Robinson. “They leave, hopefully this scholarship will help keep nurses in the local community.”
The scholarship fund reached its first $25,000 two years ago, according to Robinson, who estimates that the funding will reach about $75,000 after this year’s golf tournament.
Right now, two nursing students a year receive Kari Ann Memorial Endowed Scholarships, a number Robinson hoped to grow as fundraising efforts continue and major donors are added.
“It’s important to remember that Kari Ann’s life mattered,” said Tara Robinson. “She was put here to help and with this scholarship she’s still helping nursing students follow their dreams.”
The 5th Annual Kari Ann Memorial Golf Scramble
A perfect fall morning under clear blue skies greeted golfers as they hit the links at Birch Creek to have fun and raise money over the weekend.
“Today’s only possible with the people who participate,” said Jim Robinson, Kari Ann’s father. “It’s grown every year, there’s over 26 teams this year and we’re approaching $75,000. It’s good to keep going for nursing students in honor of Kari.”
The golf scramble is also the culmination of all of the behind-the-scenes work of Det and Tara to organize the event.
“I’ve seen first-hand the time and effort it takes to make this happen,” said Jim Robinson, revealing that Det spent the last week at his parent’s house in Pendleton staging and planning for the event. “People don’t realize the hurdles, obstacles, and communication it takes to make this happen. A simple thank you isn’t enough.”
For Det, the golf scramble is a labor of love, worth it, despite the hard work and long hours because he knows his sister, Kari Ann, would have done the same thing for him.
“We’re keeping Kari Ann’s memory alive,” said Det Robinson. “These nursing scholarships will be awarded forever, long after I’m gone.”
A nursing legacy continued
The Kari Ann Memorial Golf Scramble is also a reunion of sorts for the Lindeman and Robinson family, with Kari Ann’s parents Jim and Becky, as well as her children and various relatives from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Kansas in attendance.
“She was a nurse and we always talked about that, and it seemed like something I could do professionally,” said Tyler Robinson, Kari Ann’s nephew. “She went to BMCC and when I went there, I saw her up on the graduates wall every day, now I’m up there too.”
Tyler, an RN and RNFA, went to BMCC and earned his B.A. through the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) partner program, and is now the Lead Surgical RN at Wallowa Memorial Hospital in Enterprise, Oregon.
For Tyler, the important part of the scholarship established in his aunt’s honor is the opportunity it provides for others to become nurses.
“In our profession the goal is to help people in need,” said Tyler Robinson. “She’d want to help others with the same goals and passion she had. She can’t physically help, but she’s helping in the background. We’re continuing her legacy.”
More information on the Kari Ann Memorial Endowed Scholarship through BMCC is available online.
