By Joe Jarosz
Northeast News
October 28, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The Bright Futures Fund has created the John V. Mesh KCFD Memorial and the Larry Leggio KCFD Memorial scholarships in honor of the two Kansas City fire fighters killed in the line of duty.

These annual scholarships — created by the Board of Directors of the Bright Futures Fund — will be awarded to two students at Holy Cross School, 121 N Quincy Ave., and will help ensure that students who otherwise would not be able to receive a high-quality Catholic education are able to do so. Both men grew up in the Historic Northeast neighborhood.

John Mesh, a Catholic in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph attended Holy Cross Catholic School and St. Mary’s Catholic High School. Larry Leggio was also a Catholic in the Diocese and a parishioner at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. The two died earlier this month battling a blaze in the Northeast area.

“These scholarships are but a small gesture compared to the bravery and dedication that John Mesh and Larry Leggio demonstrated on a daily basis, but it is our hope that they will help serve as a reminder to their incredible legacy in our city and the countless lives that their service impacted, including those at Holy Cross School,” Jeremy Lillig, managing director of the Bright Futures Fund, said in a press release.

The Bright Futures Fund, an independent 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization, works in partnership with six Catholic Elementary Schools and three Diocesan High Schools in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, to provide scholarship support to students and families in need. Their work provides over 750 annual scholarships to assist families with multiple children in Catholic schools and to help eradicate poverty through education and to provide students with opportunities to become life long learners and responsible citizens in their communities.

For more information about the Bright Futures Fund or Holy Cross School please visit www.brightfuturesfund.org.