As we hit our 10 year anniversary, we want to share what our foundation has been able to accomplish this year.
Our May fundraiser – The Price of Freedom Race and JAG 28 Memorial Birthday Walk were virtual. We had participants all over the United States and in at least three countries outside the U.S.
Also in May, we awarded our annual Price of Freedom Scholarship at Haleyville High School. This year’s recipient was Julia Bonner. Since our first year in 2011, Julia was our 26th recipient.
In June we received our new JAG 28 caps. We also sold out in a few weeks. Our second order was impacted by COVID and then Top of the World was acquired by Fanatics, which means they will no longer support non-athletic team caps going forward. Once this order arrives (in early December), we will find a new supplier for the JAG 28 caps. Suggestions for suppliers/brands are welcome.
Also in June, Mark’s biography was finally released as an audiobook on Audible. You now have every option for reading “My Brother in Arms” – paperback, hardback, Kindle, audio. If you read it or listen to it, we ask that you leave a review on Amazon and/or Audible. You can also leave reviews on Goodreads, and most other sites that sell books. For more insight into the book, you can listen to an interview with Mark’s brother and “My Brother in Arms” author on Gun Owners New Hour with Larry Pratt from 2015.
In August, we held our annual Charity Golf Tournament at RTJ Golf Trail at The Shoals. It was great to be together, in person. We had 16 teams and the winning team was: Randy Kilpatrick, Hudson Lawson, Ryan Forester, Mike Forester, with score of -28.
We’ve had the funds to donate to several organizations, including: Combat Control Association, Haleyville Fire Department’s Christmas by the Lake and the Haleyville Rotary Club Toys for Kids
We are working on MFF logo’d golf shirts that will be sold at next year’s golf tournament. In fact, we are always looking at other merchandise options. What do you want to see the most? Give us feedback at jag28@markaforester.com
Thank you for the support over the years. We continually get donations from people we know and those who never knew Mark or our family.
We created The Mark Forester Foundation without knowing anything about starting a non-profit. But, with much help from Michael Shiffler, we’ve been official since December 2010. And we’ve been fortunate to help 26 students and multiple military related non-profits. We continue to operate with minimal overheard and a very limited online store. We apologize for this; it’s only because we’re all part-timers and learning as we go.
Keep on doing good. As Mark said to one of his instructors at STTS when questioned about the amount of time he was spending in the gym: “I can rest when I die.”
