On April 28, 2014 a local young Accord man was killed in Afghanistan while serving our country. He made the ultimate sacrifice. His name is Sgt. Shawn M. Farrell II. Our family strives to keep his spirit and memory alive, in doing so we have established a Scholarship fund. The scholarship is to be given to a graduating student from an Ulster County School and Veteran’s that have served and have returned to further their education. To fund the scholarship we decided to use one of Shawn’s passions and started the Bad Bass Fishing Tournament. We are continuing that this year but are seeking support from local business to make it a success. New for 2016 we held our first Poker Run on the same day.
Shawn was a lively spirit from the day he was born. He always had a smile on his face, he was a very happy young man and he liked to joke around. Shawn had the desire to help and serve from a very young age. As a teenager Shawn grew his hair long, not to be a rock star, but to be another kind of quiet star, he grew his hair for Locks of Love and donated to support their cause. Shawn heard his calling for duty early in life. We have photos of him all decked out in Army fatigues that were given to him by his uncle, who was in the Army National Guard Reserves. When Shawn was old enough, he joined the Army Reserves and completed basic training the summer before his senior year at Rondout Valley High School. After graduation Shawn reported to active duty and was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. In May 2010, he transferred to Fort Drum, deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2011 and again in 2013 with 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light). Shawn was killed in action on April 28, 2014, when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire in Nejrab district, Kapisa province in Afghanistan. Shawn’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, two Army Achievement Medals, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, two Afghanistan Campaign Medals, the Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, and the Air Assault Badge. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal and Meritorious Service Award.
Our mission statement is: We are a Not-for-profit scholarship 501(c)(3) foundation that was established to keep Shawn's memory alive. Our scholarship fund is to help graduating students and Veterans returning to college from the Ulster County area that display Shawn's characteristics of honor, respect, duty, family, country and God. While maintaining his memory, we are giving back to the community.
We are looking for sponsorship to help cover the cost of the fishing tournament and poker run that we are having July 15, 2017. Such cost as food, beverages, printing, advertising and tournament prizes. If sponsorship is not feasible at this time then if possibly a donation for our raffle table for the day of the event. No donation is too small.
We are so hoping that your business will find our cause worthy and that your business will commit and become our sponsor or donor. Thank you in advance for your anticipated support.
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