The Brad Forster Memorial Fund was created in 2017 in the wake of the untimely loss of Columbus Police Officer Brad Forster. Brad’s sudden death at the age of 37 was attributed to an undiagnosed heart ailment later determined to be directly related to his service in law enforcement – something all too common that first responders and their families deal with as a result of their careers.

 

In the days and weeks after Brad's passing the Forster family, including his two young children Vince and Faith, received a tremendous overflow of support from the law enforcement community. The generosity that was shown to the Forster family is a testament to Brad's character, and it did not take long for the family to decide that they wanted to "pay it forward" and find a way to help other first responder families in their time of need. Thus began the Forster Foundation, and with it the Brad Forster Memorial Fund.

 

Hardship Assistance Grants

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The Memorial Fund exists to provide emergency financial assistance to first responder families in the form of a hardship assistance grant. A grant from the memorial fund may be awarded to a Central Ohio first responder or his/her eligible family member in any of the following situations:

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• A line-of-duty death for the first responder

• An off duty death for the first responder

• The death of a first responder's immediately family member

• Any other hardship creating a substantial financial emergency 

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If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please send a request along with contact information to assistance@theforsterfoundation.org or give us a call at 614-664-3242.