NEW ORLEANS- On the one year anniversary of his tragic death, family members and friends are honoring 21-year- old Zachary Thomas Nelson in a very special way.
Sunday afternoon, the family announced they are starting a scholarship fund called the Zachary Thomas Nelson '14 Endowed Memorial Scholarship.
"This scholarship is perpetual and it will exist forever," Darria Thomas, Zachary Nelson's aunt, said.
Nelson was shot and killed on Tulane Avenue in Mid-City last June while attending a birthday party. He was innocently caught in the cross fire.
"The scholarship is going to be between $25,000 to $100,000. We had a lot of people who really loved him and cared about him. And a lot of people came out today to show that love," Zena Nelson, Zachary Nelson's Mother said.
The scholarship will go to a graduating senior at St. Augustine High School, Nelson's alma mater.
"It's an important message that Zachary's life lives on in the environment of his character. He did community service. He was active in his church. He loved his family. His mom, his sister, his dad. And to keep his spirit going on," Thomas said.
"You have to understand that this is just not about a scholarship. It's about understanding that you have great people in the world. And you just have people in the world. My son was a great person in the world," Nelson's father, Barry Nelson, said.
Student scholarship awards will be awarded annually to a student who fully meets the established criteria in an amount determined by the designated Nelson family representative.
Scholarships awarded from this fund will also assist a graduating senior who meets all academic standards established by the school and who enrolls a post-secondary institution.
The family says although they'll miss Nelson every day, having this scholarship in his honor shows that Zachary Thomas Nelson's name will live on forever.
"We don't want it just to be about the fact that he was a innocent bystander that was caught in cross fire. We want people to remember Zachary and what he stood for," Thomas said.
If you would like to donate to the Zachary Thomas Nelson '14 Endowed Memorial Scholarship Award, please email smilelikezach@gmail.com or call Nelson's aunt, Darria Thomas at 504-758-9330.