"When an educational door is opened, a prison closes." -The Miracle Project
Missouri inmate Ralph T. Wilmas established the Amethyst Scholarship Fund at the St. Louis Community Foundation in 2022. Wilmas' goal was to create restorative justice platform for other inmates to make financial contributions to victims of violent crime.
The Amethyst Scholarship Fund was inspired by the memory of Amethyst Killian, who was murdered in 2020. Amethyst's family praised her for being "a wonderful mother" to her two young children, which she wanted to one day attend college. Her death and the stories of other like her-such as the nearly 20,000 people who died from firearm homicides in 2020-inspired Wilmas to create the fund.
The loss of a parent can cause lifelong grief and pain. The death of a parent though violent crime adds significant stress and emotional problems. A family's economic status worsens when a parent dies. In some families, grieving children are required to take on new responsibilities, which increases their chances of dropping out of school. Education is one of the most important factors in breaking the chains of economic impoverishment.
The Amethyst Scholarship Fund is a component fund of the St. Louis Community Foundation.