American Legion Legacy Run raises more than $668,000 for children of fallen servicemembers

Working to ensure that the children of fallen servicemembers have the opportunity to attend college, The American Legion today collected donations totaling more than $668,000 for its American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund. The donations, presented during the Legion’s national convention in Indianapolis, are part of the organization’s seventh annual Legacy Run.
Money was donated prior to and during the National Commander’s Ride – an American Legion Riders motorcycle run that started in New York on Aug. 21, traveled through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan and then ended in Indianapolis Aug. 23. Additional donations came on the convention floor, bringing the final total to $668,421 to go toward funding college scholarships for the children of U.S. servicemembers killed on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001.
“It shows our commitment, our dedication and our respect to all those great warriors who sacrificed their lives for us, and it shows our commitment to taking care of those they left behind,” said American Legion National Commander Fang A. Wong, following the conclusion of the National Commander’s Ride. “This fund and what it does serve as a memory of and tribute to those men and women who sacrificed so much for our country.”
The first American Legion Legacy Run took place in 2006; the six prior Legacy Runs netted more than $2.6 million for the Legacy Fund. This year’s top donors included the Minnesota American Legion ($40,550) and Florida American Legion ($33,046), as well as the Legion Riders from American Legion Post 593 in Converse, Texas ($25,051).