01.30.09
Katelyn Joy Derstine “Fly High” Scholarship Fund
At Sparkle Plenty Designs, bling is our business, and while we enjoy the enthusiastic responses from customers the first time they see their design sparkle, it’s even more gratifying when a special design comes along that can have an impact on people’s lives.
That’s the case with Fly High Butterfly, a wonderfully inspired original design by Katelyn Joy Derstine.
Katelyn created the design as an expression of her deep faith and love of butterflies. Bordering the design, she wrote, “Once while I was struggling to climb, I asked God to give me a sign. A sign that would tell me You were thinking about me and still loving me…to give me the strength to keep climbing. He did…He gave me a Butterfly.”
Katelyn’s life was tragically cut short in June 2006 when she was killed in a car accident. A junior studying Environmental Horticulture at the University of Florida, Katelyn possessed many talents and touched many lives, but it was her love of butterflies that inspired her mother to create The Katelyn Joy Derstine Scholarship Fund, Inc., “Fly High Award”.
The Fly High Award is a financial scholarship awarded annually to qualifying female high school seniors who demonstrate character traits exemplified by Katelyn through their academic excellence and solid promise of continuing, life-long dedication to selflessness.
We, at Sparkle Plenty, are proud to be a part of this very special scholarship fund. In honor of Katelyn, we’ve designed a Swarovski crystal Fly High Butterfly shirt, available to all for purchase. The design is a replica of Katelyn’s original art, created entirely out of Swarovski crystals.
You can purchase the shirt HERE. If you are a retailer and would like to get involved in selling the shirts to raise funds, please contact us at 800-952-0446. Proceeds from the sale of the shirts will go to the fund, helping to further the education of promising students – something that would have meant the world to Katelyn.
To learn more about Katelyn and The Fly High Scholarship Fund, please visit
Fly High KJD.
