White Castle scholarship fund to honor Amanda Rush
A week after Amanda Rush was shot and killed inside the White Castle restaurant she had managed for two years, the company has created a scholarship fund in her memory.
The Amanda Rush Scholarship Fund for Future Leaders will be for $2,500 and awarded each year to a person studying in the restaurant industry or studying hospitality who "demonstrates hard work, talent and a heart for hospitality that were the hallmarks of Amanda's leadership," the company said in a statement.
Rush, 30, of the Far West Side, died Oct. 23 after being shot shortly before 6 a.m. during a robbery attempt inside the White Castle at 3540 W. Broad St. She had worked for White Castle since 2006 and had been general manager of the West Broad Street restaurant for two years.
The suspect in the shooting, Mark Reynolds, 29, of the Northeast Side, had gone on an apparent robbery spree at several businesses between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. that day.
He was arrested about an hour after the shooting after briefly barricading himself inside the bathroom of a convenience store he attempted to rob about a mile away.
Reynolds has been charged with murder and is being held in the Franklin County jail. Additional charges are expected when the case is presented to a county grand jury.
Rush was described shortly after her death as being a "powerful force" who had recently been recognized within White Castle for her fundraising for Autism Speaks.
"A bright and talented young woman was taken far too early," White Castle said in a statement about the scholarship fund.
The scholarship will be part of the Ingram-white Castle Foundation, which is maintained through the Columbus Foundation.
It will be available to any central Ohio restaurant employee or students attending school for restaurant management or hospitality.
The award recipient will be chosen by a committee that includes a member of Rush's family and White Castle team members. Donations to the scholarship fund can be made through the Columbus Foundation or online here. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner