The L. Scott Deatherage Memorial Fund
The L. Scott Deatherage Memorial Fund was created to honor the life of Scott Deatherage, former Executive Director of the NAUDL. The Fund pays tribute Scott's legacy of expanding access to debate, the activity he so loved, to students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to participate. It carries forward the principles he valued in the debate community - character, commitment, team work, and hard work.
As an educator, champion debate coach, and national leader in urban debate, Scott believed in the educational power of debate competition to change students' lives. He shared debate with literally thousands of students and used it to foster leadership, communication, and argumentation skills. In the last two years of his life, Scott dedicated his extraordinary talent and focus to providing urban youth with access to the activity. Under his leadership, the NAUDL built eight new Urban Debate Leagues that will continue to serve 150 urban public high schools and thousands upon thousands of urban students for years to come.
Scott held a conviction that urban debate should be available to all urban students in major cities across the country. He said of his work at the NAUDL: "I have been offered what I consider the opportunity - indeed the privilege - of a lifetime; the chance to help on a national level to build debate programs in the many thousands of high schools across the United States where that opportunity has not existed for a long, long time."
The NAUDL is committed to fulfilling Scott's vision. In the coming years, the NAUDL will bring debate to more cities, more schools, and more students nationwide. The L. Scott Deatherage Memorial Fund will provide ongoing programmatic and organizational support for the NAUDL. This Fund creates a vehicle for distinguished educational, civic, and business leaders to follow in Scott's footsteps and advance the urban debate mission.
It is a tragedy that Scott is not with us to see his vision for urban debate become reality. Scott's accomplishments during his years at the helm of the NAUDL give us confidence in the potential of our mission. Indeed, there has never been a more important time to invest in our nation's future by helping the NAUDL and urban debate become an enduring American institution. Your support will provide a crucial opportunity for thousands of urban youth to become leaders of their communities and their country.
To seed the Memorial Fund, the NAUDL Board has launched a challenge
grant in Scott’s name. Therefore, please consider supporting the
Memorial Fund now, when your dollar can make double the impact for
students in urban debate.
Donations to the L. Scott Deatherage Memorial Fund can be made online through Paypal or by check through the mail.
PayPal
Please choose either a one-time donation or three-year pledge by using the "Donate" buttons below to make an online contribution. If you'd like to include a note to Scott's family, click the "Include a note to Scott's family" button before submitting your donation.
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One-time Donation
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Three-year Pledge
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Check
Please make checks payable to "The NAUDL" and send them to:
The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues
332 South Michigan Ave., Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60604
Please include "In Memory of Scott Deatherage" in the memo line. If you wish to include a note, we will pass it on to Scott's family.
Questions, Comments, and Notes
Please direct questions to the NAUDL's Shiyin Wang at ShiyinWang@urbandebate.org.