Hope's Heartbeat: Grief leads to creation of scholarships in school administrator's name

HAMILTON TWP., New Jersey (WPVI) -- In Hope's Heartbeat, we introduce you to the surviving loved ones of a late Hamilton Township School administrator: Cara Surace Bluth.

The grief over her passing led to the creation of Cara's Love, an organization that provides scholarships to students looking to make an impact in education, just like she did.

Cara was a joy to everyone around her. She loved to teach and especially loved her role as a school administrator in the Hamilton Township School District.

But the world was deprived of her passion in 2021 when she lost her life to COVID-19 at just 45 years old.

"She walked into the hospital on a Saturday morning and by 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon, she was gone," said her mother Joetta Surace.

Stricken by grief Cara's friends and family needed an outlet for what they so tragically lost. They searched for a way to fill the missing presence of "Cara's Love".

"Cara's Love is a scholarship and trust fund that we set up upon her death. We've given over $20,000 worth of scholarships in the past three years. We wanted to do something to keep her name going and her memory going because we don't want anyone to ever forget her and this will do it," said Joetta.

Now, ever since 2022, the next generation of students can still be on the receiving end of Cara's passion, even after her passing.

Cara's Love raises funds through donations and a yearly golf tournament. It's a mission carried on through Cara's parents and her many devoted friends.

Cara's loved ones were able to catch up with some of the scholarship winners. Something the recipients have in common is they're looking to become educators just like Cara.

"Especially coming from a single-parent immigrant household to get the financial burden off my mom's shoulders, it means a lot," said Atlantic City High School student Junyu Chang.

"When you teach children, you teach students, you are really giving the best of yourself in a hopeful way for the future. And that's what I want to keep doing in Cara's name. We can never replace the light she brought in our lives. Where I go with it is we're going to spread that forward. We're going to find people and bring as much light to their lives in any way we can that Cara brought to ours," said Kathy Coulibaly, of Mullica, New Jersey.