Events fund scholarships to honor Oran teens

ORAN, Mo. -- It's been almost a year since Oran High School students lost two of their classmates in an automobile accident.

But they and other town residents are working to keep the memories of Alexis Cummins and Austin Todt alive. On Saturday, they will host a 5K run/mile walk to raise proceeds to fund scholarships in each of the teens' names.

"We are expecting this to be a pretty big deal, and I think most of the people in Oran are going to be there, helping out in some way," said Alex Schlitt, Alexis' cousin who is helping to plan the event. Organizers hope to make the walk an annual event.

All proceeds from the event will benefit scholarships the Todt and Cummins families have set up in Austin and Alexis' memory. This year, a portion of the proceeds will also go to the family of Cody Boggs, another classmate who died unexpectedly this spring.

"We've been very very fortunate and blessed with the turnout," said Crystal Todt, Austin's mother. "It is just going to be phenomenal."

So far, more than 200 people have preregistered for the event. "We have a lot of people from Oran, but also quite a few from different towns and schools that want to help out and be involved," Schlitt said. "It's amazing how everyone is just pulling together."

Registration begins at 8 a.m., and the race will start at 9 a.m. Schlitt encouraged those who plan to participate to get there early -- even if they have preregistered -- to help the morning run more smoothly.

In addition to this weekend's memorial run, plans are underway to remember the teens May 31, the anniversary of the crash in which they died and four others were injured. Schlitt said no specifics are set yet, but there will be some sort of memorial at the site of the accident.

Todt said she knows her son would be happy with the events planned. "He was a very sentimental and proud person and I know he will look down on all of this and know that his memory is going to go on forever," she said. "Austin and Lexi were very well-known and liked by adults and their peers, and not just those in Oran."

The $1,000 scholarships -- of which the first will be presented to graduating seniors this year -- is just another way to keep the memories of the teens alive, said Todt. Each family has set its own criteria, similar to their children's interest. For instance, as Austin was involved in sports and hunting, his scholarship gives preference for someone planning to major in a related field.

Todt said that over the past year, she's been amazed to see how much support her family and the Cummins family have received.

"I'm absolutely amazed and proud to be a part of this community and know I have a son who touched so many lives while he was here with us," she said. "He never met a stranger and was just such a loving person."

Neither teen was reported to be wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident -- and clearly students have learned from that. Schlitt said the student body participated in the Missouri State Highway Patrol's "Battle of the Belt" this school year and that at the end, 95 percent of students were found to be wearing their seat belts -- one of the highest percentages in the state.

Todt, who also works at the school, said she's glad to see her son's classmates have learned something.

"It's bittersweet for [my husband Brian and I]," she said. "We've lost our son, but there are things good that came from our tragedy."

Schlitt agreed. "It's really changed our school life," he said. "There's not a day that goes by where we don't think of or talk about them."