A local nonprofit dedicated to the memory of a Bristol Township emergency responder who passed away held a blood drive last week to help give back to the community.
The Kenneth “SID” Hopkins Memorial Scholarship Fund was created in 2016 after Hopkins, an EMT and volunteer firefighter in Croydon, took his own life on June 30 of that year after being diagnosed with PTSD and work-induced anxiety. He was 38.
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Since its creation, the group has given away $11,000 in scholarships to students seeking education in emergency services.
“Our son is not defined by how he dies but how he lived,” explained Georgeanne Hopkins.
Kenneth gave back to the community through his emergency services his entire life. Even though it contributed to his PTSD, it also defined how he interacted with the community, Hopkins said.
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The community has supported the fund so far and Hopkins wanted to do something to give back to the community. That chance came in hosting and sponsoring a blood drive for the American Red Cross last Wednesday in Croydon. Throughout the course of the drive, enough blood to potentially save 201 lives was collected.
“It was our best event since we created the fund,” Hopkins explained.
More information on the scholarship fund can be found by clicking here.
