The American Freedom Ride Trailer
An open letter to the families and friends of the fallen
Dear Friends,
Each signature on the truck and trailer, whether from citizens or police and fire personnel along the journey, or from the firefighters and police officers in the New York and Washington, D. C. areas, was obtained with the promise that they would be used for this purpose of raising funds to help send the children of their fallen brothers to college. Although the truck has been actively involved in this process since it's return to Southern California in November, the trailer has not.
As of this date, the trailer that was used to transport the bears to New York (together with the signatures and messages of hope that it holds as a result of our efforts) has been withheld from further use. This occurred despite an understanding that it would be available upon return for use in fund raising related to the American Freedom Ride Scholarship Fund at the American Heritage Education Foundation. At this point, Raising Hope must disclaim any involvement with the trailer and notify all concerned that we have not endorsed, nor have we granted permission for any attempt, by any person, to raise monies with the use of the signatures secured during The American Freedom Ride and/or The Great Big Teddy Bear Hug.
We would like to extend our sincere apologies for any consequence that this unfortunate situation may have on the scholarship fund. Please know that Raising Hope will do all that it can to minimize the potential negative impact and that we will continue to use the truck for the purposes to which it was dedicated.
Sincerely,
David Haglund
President
Raising Hope
Phone: 909-943-2773
Fax: 786-551-0700