Memorial Scholarship To Be Created Honoring Girl, 10, Who Died In Crash On Night Before 1st Day Of School

GREENPORT, NY — Thursday marked seven years since Amber Rae Stulsky, 10, died in a horrific Greenport crash while out shopping for supplies on the night before the first day of school in 2019.

On the North Fork, one woman has made it her mission to ensure Amber's memory is celebrated forever, with acts of kindness done in her honor.

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And this week — the week Amber, who would have now been 17 and starting her senior year in high school – Bednoski announced a new way to keep Amber's legacy alive forever: A memorial scholarship, "honoring Amber's beautiful spirit, kind heart and love for all living things."

The scholarship will be awarded to a Southold High School graduate of 2027; details are to follow.

The scholarship will be "established in love, in memory and in inspiration of Amber —forever in our hearts," she said.

In a past interview, Bednoski noted that every year on December 3, to mark Amber's, birthday, she has organized an effort to give back in her beloved memory.

"Happy Birthday in heaven, sweet Amber Rae! Today, we remember Amber on what should be her 16th birthday," she wrote during a past effort, when birthday celebration boxes were created.

She added: "Help us meet our goal while remembering Amber and just how precious life is."

During other years, she has organized collections to help the homeless, and also, a coat drive.

"I'm just happy to help keep her memory alive," Bednoski said. Her daughter Abbi and Amber were close friends. "I promised Abbi she would not be forgotten."

Amber was killed just hours before she would have been starting fifth grade.

Her memory fills hearts on the North Fork, as family and friends continue to mourn her unthinkable loss.

"Keeping her memory alive is important to me," Amber's aunt Amanda Stulsky told Patch in a prior interview. "I have pictures on my wall and I keep one in my car. She was a true joy to be around — and there's not a day that goes by that I don't miss my niece."

Stulsky, has also, in the past, planned a lantern release with her children and her brother Jason, Amber's father. On that day, to celebrate her life, she said, "We save a seat for her at dinner and share our favorite memories, as well as look at pictures," she said.

Bednoski and her daugher Abbi also did rock painting in 2020 to remember Amber on the night before school started — and the kids took them to school the first day and decorated a garden, she said.

Reflecting on the loss, Bednoski said the pain echoes.

"I look at my own children and see how they have grown. I don't know what's worse, the pain of the loss — or the pain of what will never be."

In past interviews, Bednoski said Amber had been her daughter Abbi's friend for two years. "She was a sweet kid. Soft-spoken. She didn't ask for much; she loved the simple things. She always loved to have fun, and she loved nature," Bednoski said.

Amber, Bednoski said, spent time at her house with Abbi and her other two girls, making memories at sleepovers, swimming, riding Hoverboards, and spending days at Splish Splash.

Abbi used to stay in during recess to help her with her math, Bednoski said.

"I hope you're dancing in the sky," Bednoski has said, remembering Amber. "I hope you're singing in the angels' choir. And I hope the angels know what they have."

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