Friday, September 5, 2008

Brad Baity Patriotism Scholarship

Richie Denninger and I attended a picnic in Mooresville, North Carolina last week with Brad Baity's family. The picnic was to raise funds for the Brad Baity Patriotism Scholarship Fund. It was an honor to be there and to spend time with Brad's Mom and Dad, Dot and James, his brother, Jimmy, and his sister, Sharon.

The Brad Baity Patriotism Scholarship recognizes a senior high school student from the Mooresville Graded School District for his/her accomplishments as a model citizen of Mooresville and of this country. The scholarship is in memory of Brad, a son of Mooresville, a 1988 graduate of Mooresville High School and a genuine patriot. As a child Brad was a Boy Scout and later a police cadet, a U.S. Marine and firefighter. He was very active in his church and community and was a consummate family man. He lost his life in the Sofa Super Store fire on June 18, 2007, along with eight other brave Charleston firefighters. Brad was 37 years old. In addition to his Mooresville family, Brad left behind his wife, Heather, his daughter, Mariah and his son, Noah, all of whom live in Charleston. Brad touched the lives of many, many people. Those who knew him best admired his unwavering devotion to God, family, country and community. He was the epitome of a true Patriot, someone driven by values and who gave unselfishly to help others and his country. The Brad Baity Patriotism Scholarship is intended for those young adults who exemplify the same qualities.

Many of you were close friends with Brad and he surely exemplified the qualities of the candidates for this scholarship. If you would like to make a contribution to this fund in memory of Brad, you can do so by sending your donations made payable to the "Mooresville Excellence in Education Foundation" (M.E.E.F.) c/o Chris Baker, 958 Muirsfield Drive, Mooresville, N.C. 28115.

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