Sabrina Roberts was a rising star.

Her death at the age of 16 on Feb. 19 from a rare blood disease ended her rise but her mother, Tammy Harris, wants to help other young stars achieve their potential.

“The 5th Avenue Theater called me in May and said they were honoring Sabrina with a memorial scholarship in her name.”

Harris said her first thought was to help.

“I really want to somehow make … a lot of money by this June to hand to them when they have the high school musical awards,” she said. “To have the 5th honor her with (a memorial scholarship)… that’s a big deal. I was really touched by that.”

Before she even found out that the 5th Avenue Theatre was going to start a scholarship in her daughter’s name, Harris said, she encouraged anyone who offered to donate to the theater.

According to information provided in a release by the theatre, Roberts had performed in many productions not just at the 5th, but at Carco Theatre in Renton, Village Theatre in Issaquah and Seattle Children’s Theatre.

“In addition, she was an extremely popular and talented participate in many of the 5th Avenue Theatre’s musical theater camps and student workshops,” said 5th Avenue Theatre’s director of education and outreach Anya Rudnick in a statement. “The news of Sabrina’s passing was difficult for all those in the 5th Avenue Theatre’s Education and Outreach department who knew and had a chance to work with this talented young actress. As a way to honor her memory, the 5th Avenue Theatre has created a scholarship to ensure that future student performers have access to the Summer Musical Theatre School that Sabrina took joy in for several years. Sabrina always sought to follow her own dreams, and with this scholarship her dream will be carried on.”

Because Roberts would have been a senior at Tahoma High, where she was active in the school’s drama and choir programs, Harris wanted to spend this time honoring her daughter’s memory.

“She gave so much in her life that I just wanted to give back in her honor,” Harris said. “That’s my goal, to hand them a huge check. Our goal is just to get as much money as we can so kids can have the training because I think that’s what she would want.”

Harris began raising money in June and the family has already donated $800 this year to the theatre, which helped pay for three students to go to the summer musical theater program.

Roberts was nominated for a 5th Avenue Theatre high school musical award for her role as Crystal in Tahoma High’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors.”

It was a goal of hers, Harris said, to win a 5th Avenue Theatre award.

In addition to her stage work throughout Puget Sound, Roberts and her friend Jenna Fernandez were featured on an episode of MTV’s “MADE,” where they went from being “preppy singers” to mixed martial artists in six short weeks. The pair did in that time what it takes most people two years to accomplish.

Roberts told the Reporter in February 2009 that felt like she “got so much out of the experience” including not to judge people based on first impressions.

Fernandez told the Reporter that she felt she and Roberts were “forces to be reckoned with” after the experience with MTV.

And though Roberts is gone, now, she can still inspire and be a force. A positive force to help other rising stars.

“I miss her,” Harris said. “That’s a scholarship that will be there forever and will always be in her name. They’ve never done that before, so, it’s just a huge honor.”

Donations can be made to the Sabrina Roberts Scholarship Fund at any Bank of America branch.

In addition, there will be fundraisers at Tahoma High with T-shirts and necklaces made to honor Roberts’s memory.