During the past couple of months, Amber Vandeven of Chaffee, Missouri, has been working with her father to produce a CD titled "A Christmas Album."

Amber, a senior at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau, said all proceeds from the CD will go toward the Bethani Vandeven Memorial Scholarship in honor of her aunt Bethani, who was killed in a traffic accident in 2002.

Amber said her aunt also was heavily involved with the performing arts when she attended Notre Dame. In accordance, the scholarship is awarded yearly to juniors who participate in the Performing and Visual Arts Program at the high school. Amber was chosen as a recipient last year and decided to do a fundraiser to help replenish the scholarship fund.

"I told Amber, I said, 'Well, you know, it'd be nice to sell as many as it took to replenish her scholarship,' because that was $300 out of that scholarship fund that solely relied on contributions," said Darlene Vandeven, Amber's mother.

Comprising six Christmas songs, "A Christmas Album" highlights Amber's award-winning vocals mixed with background instrumentals. Ranging from Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas" to Joni Mitchell's "River," the album presents an eclectic range of musical influences.

The CD case features a black-and-white senior photo of Amber in a red-accented dress and is dedicated with the words "for Bethani" on the inside.

"We're just trying to make this as classic and simple as possible," Amber said.

Selling the CDs isn't Amber's first fundraising endeavor.

Two years ago, she organized a Christmas concert with guest performers at her former grade school, St. Ambrose Catholic School in Chaffee, and she participates yearly in caroling tours of area nursing homes around Christmastime.

Amber said having scholarships such as the one in honor of Bethani is important because a number of students in the performing-arts program at Notre Dame struggle with the costs of tuition.

Also, it's a chance to share her talent and passion with those around her, as well as the memory of her aunt.

"I've accomplished a lot, but to do something like this is completely different than winning a huge competition in Memphis," she said. "It gives me more pride to know I did it in memory of my aunt."

Darlene said selling only 60 CDs would replace the scholarship fund, but Amber said her tentative goal at this point is to sell 100.

She stressed the importance of building up the fund to help as many students as possible in the future.

"I've never looked at music as a mercenary activity anyways," she said. "I mean, if I win money in a competition, that's great, and I usually try to save it as best as I can, but when we discussed making this CD, we were like, 'We're not going to keep the money from it.'"

Amber has participated in several competitions in the past few years, with the most recent being the 2015 Mid-South Fair Youth Talent Contest in Southaven, Mississippi. She went up against thousands of her peers and won the title of First Sweepstakes for her age division.

She also is a two-time first-place winner of the Heartland Talent Showcase and a two-time finalist at the annual SEMO District Fair Heartland Idol competition.

As a member of the 11th- and 12th-grade choir at Notre Dame, Amber was chosen as a soprano member of the 2015 All-State Choir and will perform in the Lake of the Ozarks at Tan-Tar-A Resort.

She also was chosen as a soloist for the 2015 Quad State High School Honor Choir earlier this year. She has performed in every play and musical possible during her time at Notre Dame, holding a lead role in each.

An honor student and member of several clubs, Amber has been involved throughout her high-school career.

In terms of role models, Amber said Barbara Streisand is her biggest musical influence.

"I really like her style and her 'I don't care' attitude, and she was the lead in my favorite musical, 'Funny Girl,' so it has a lot to do with that," she said.

Amber said being able to act in theater productions at Notre Dame, singing and creating music are creative outlets for her and her true passions in life.

"[I like] being able to express myself and being able to create whatever I feel like I want to create," she said. "A lot of people struggle with finding their sound, and I still haven't completely found mine because ... I'm singing rock one weekend, and the next day I'm singing opera, so I really need to figure out what I'm going to do. But being able to explore and do whatever I want and being able to share that with other people and for myself -- I don't necessarily have to share it."

Amber said she is undecided when it comes to life after high school but made it clear whatever she ends up doing will be related to music.

"A Christmas Album" is $5. To purchase a CD, contact Darlene Vandeven at (573) 318-5645. Copies also will be available for purchase at The Chaffee Flower Shop, 114 W. Yoakum Ave. in Chaffee, and at the Chaffee Food Giant.

To make a tax-deductible donation to the scholarship fund, contact Notre Dame Regional High School at (573) 335-6772.

lyoung@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632