Jim Carpenter endured many trials and tribulations in the 8+ years after he was diagnosed with lung cancer until he passed away in December of 2013. In those years, he had tumors removed from his brain, lung, and adrenal glands. Through it all he remained a positive and driving force of his family and did what he could in the community to give back. He sat on the board of The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life committees in past years. And was an inspiration to many people - until and even after - his death. It became evident, as he and his family started this journey that there was not as much support for families as is necessary. His youngest daughter began a scholarship in his name - The Jim Carpenter Scholarship Fund. The scholarship is awarded annually to Portage High School seniors who have been affected by a life-altering or terminal illness (either themselves, family, or friends). It is the scholarship’s hope that this fund be used for many years, in Jim’s honor, to give back to the community that he lived in, and the community of cancer survivors that he was welcomed into with open arms. Once the first scholarship was set to be given away in the spring 2013, his family decided that wasn't enough. Jim always fought everything head-on and with everything he had to give. And his family was there to fight the battle with him. Which means they learned about long hospital stays, home health-care, social workers, emergency trips to the hospital, chemo, radiation, blood transfusions, and more. They also noticed that there was a big need for a support system. The Jim G Carpenter Foundation was born. The hopes are that this will become a sense of comfort, support, and guidance as others go through the same journey of being a caregiver for someone with a life-altering or terminal illness.