I just received the packet from St Cloud. They have two benches available at their Lakefront Park, located on the path out to the fishing pier with a view overlooking the lake. I reached out to FlaDiver and caught him in San Diego. He and his family are there for Brandon's memorial service with the Navy which is happening today.
I am forwarding the packet from St Cloud to him as it also includes the memorial plaque application which I want them to notate. FlaDiver and I will reconnect when he gets back to FL later this week and determine who will submit the application, etc. As soon as the application has been submitted and approved by the County I will set up a donation channel for the project.
Thanks again to all that have committed support for this. I'll start a spreadsheet for donations based on the posts in this thread and John W's recommendation. If anyone wants to donate but not comment publically, please send me a PM.
In reply to hobiercr :
Thank you for leading the way on this.
Ok, I've just done a quick calculation, and based on what people have committed to plus dean1484's generous offer, we are well over the goal. There are some people that have committed but did not provide a $$ or a % based on John W's formula ($22.5/per piece). If 11GTCS, ProDarwin, and Danny Shields, could drop me a note and let me know their $$ amount I can have a total added up.
If we go over the necessary amount, we could make a donation with the balance or I am open to any other ideas.
In reply to hobiercr :
Very kind of you to take lead on this. Thank you.
In reply to hobiercr :
Sorry, been a Monday and I haven’t been able to check the forum until now. PM just sent and thanks for taking the lead on this.
I'm in for two spots if they're still available. Appreciate all those who have been coordinating this effort.
hobiercr said:
If we go over the necessary amount, we could make a donation with the balance or I am open to any other ideas.
donation to veterans org or his favorite charity would be appropriate and appreciated. Thanks for grabbing the reins, Hobie!
AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:
hobiercr said:
If we go over the necessary amount, we could make a donation with the balance or I am open to any other ideas.
donation to veterans org or his favorite charity would be appropriate and appreciated. Thanks for grabbing the reins, Hobie!
Should reach out to Fladiver64 about this.
In reply to dean1484 :
I will as soon as he is back in town.
I touched base with Michael today. He and his wife are working on the wording for the memorial plaque and they will submit the bench application to the county. he will let me know as soon as it is approved and I'll send out requests for the donation $$. Thank you to all who have contacted me.
Michael and I spoke about where to donate any extra funds after the bench expense. He would like the funds to go to a group that trains service dogs for veterans and/or one that supports Gold Star families. If we have enough $$ I would like to support both.
If you have already commented, I have you on the spreadsheet. If you have not yet commented but you would like to donate funds for this memorial, please drop me a PM. Please include your screen name and your real name as the PM system just sends the message with no identifier.
In reply to hobiercr :
I went ahead and sent you a PM as well. My forum emails tend to get lost in the shuffle so I sent you my work email.
In reply to hobiercr :
I'm in. Where can I send the money?
In reply to yupididit :
This goes to you and anyone else interested in supporting this cause. No need to send money yet but please send me a PM with how much you would like to donate, and so I have your email, screen name, and real name. As soon as we have an approved memorial bench application with the County I will email everyone in the spreadsheet with options to send the $$.
I talked with the county today and will submit the application tomorrow. There is no formal approval process, they will approve or deny application on the spot. The only denial is in appropriate wording on plaque or inappropriate reason, neither of which applies here. Plaque will read
Brandon Scott Keyser
USS Abraham Lincoln
16 Nov 2001 - 31 March 2023
I will pay for this tomorrow when I drop off the application.
Any extra money can go to :
https://donate.k9sforwarriors.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app20013a?df_id=4060&mfc_pref=T&4060.donation=form1&NONCE_TOKEN=BBA0DBE0AFD1F14D8632F28906B04164
or
https://donate.fallenpatriots.org/give/199325/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsIejBhDOARIsANYqkD1GwTaucY0zFyftQfz___2lUvRyPi3IHaPPspRzrzxulGdENqL2UgIaAioPEALw_wcB#!/donation/checkout
Thanks to everyone who has made this possible, it is hard to express the gratitude of myself and my wife for the outpouring of support.
wawazat
SuperDork
5/15/23 5:41 p.m.
I'm terribly sorry for your loss. I've been kind of out of things due to my own personal situation.
PM sent.
Starting to send emails about where to send donations. If you don't get a message from me by the end of the day, please reach out to me.
Thank you!
Got the email and replied. Thanks for coordinating!
Got the email. Money sent! Thanks again for taking charge on this.
OK. All emails have been sent. AnthonyGS, Matthewmcl, 84FSP, FlaotingDoc, BoxheadTim, XLR99, Tim Suddard, Scotty Con Queso, DirtyBird222, and Dean1484, I messaged you through the PM system. Everyone else got an email directlt to the email they provided.
If you do not get a message, please reach out to me and we'll connect.
Thank you all again for supporting Mike and his family through this.
-John
In reply to hobiercr :
I didn't receive an email at either address. Do you want me to shoot you another PM?
