Scholarship fund close to goal
With a lofty goal of raising $100,000 for their newest fundraising endeavor, Rod and Barb Carpenter are close to reaching that mark.
“We’re actually beyond belief,” said Rod Carpenter.
The Carpenters newest fundraiser is called Marathon IX: Tri Star Eternal Scholarships.
“We have a goal of $100,000 and we are as of today a couple hundred dollars short of $74,000, which is the largest out of all eight that we have done,” said Carpenter.
The Tri Star Eternal Scholarship Fund is an endowed scholarship fund which means the fund will provide yearly scholarships forever.
The idea for teaming up with Tri Star Career Compact came up when Rod and Barb were kicking around ideas after their last fundraiser.
“I’ve told people that I am not smart enough to come up with this idea,” Carpenter joked. “Barb and I don’t even think about what we’re going to do after we get done with one for probably a good month and a half or so. It was like a few days after we were finished with the last one. I just got woke up and felt led that we needed to do something for kids. It just kind of evolved from that. I was kicking it around and praying about it. It just kind of come to mind about Tri Star and we talked about it. We went out and toured it and it was like a no-brainer after that. It just evolved that way.”
Last June, as part of the fundraiser Marathon VI: Lots for Soldiers, Carpenter ran his own marathon around Grand Lake St. Marys.
The proceeds for that race went to Lots for Soldiers, a non-profit organization that builds homes for veterans, and Corey and Tasha Stoker were the beneficiaries from that race.
Carpenter was previously going to run the half-marathon in September during the Grand Lake Marathon, as well as a marathon last December and one coming up this December, but various injuries have set him back.
He is hopeful that he can run one in June however.
One of Carpenter’s favorite things
about the scholarship fund is that it will generate scholarships for as long as the fund is around, even 100 years from now.
He said that there will be what’s called an “eternal sheet” which scholarship recipients will receive that lists the name of every business, organization or individual that’s ever donated to the campaign.
“It’s [the sheet] going to have where they were from and we’re hoping that when the kids see the 99.5% of this money is all local, we’re hoping that those kids will be inspired by that and then raise their families here locally,” said Carpenter. “On that eternal sheet, if someone decides to join this mission, they can have us put “In memory of ...” because it could be that person’s grandchild or great-grandchild will look back at that and say, ‘Wow, my grandma or great-grandma helped provide my scholarship.’”
Recently, Carpenter said, through all of their fundraising efforts, they eclipsed the $300,000 mark for total money raised.
“When I say we, I don’t mean Barb and I, I’m talking about everybody that’s contributed to this thing,” he said. “We’ve even had checks as far away as Florida.”
Carpenter thinks that the connections to Tri Star run deep, which is one of the reasons that the effort has had great success so far.
“So many businesses in our counties, and even beyond our counties, benefit by the kids coming out of Tri Star,” he said. “Whether they graduate from high school our graduated out of Tri Star and go right into the workforce. They come out of Tri Star with credits toward their post high school education and live in this area. Everybody can identify with it.”
Carpenter is hopeful that the goal of $100,000 can be reached by Dec. 11 and they’re well on their way.
Anyone that would like to contribute can do so.
One way is to write a check to Mercer County Civic Foundation and put “Tri Star Eternal” on the memo line and mail to the Carpenters at 2315 Eaglebrooke Circle Celina, OH 45822.
Another way it through PayPal and people can donate to his PayPal address at Paypal.me/boston2639.
Venmo is also accepted and funds can be sent to Venmo.com/ Rod-Carpenter-4.
Carpenter can be reached at 419-2369136 or by email at carpenter@bright.net for any questions or other information.