Glock to Donate $100K to SOWF

SMYRNA, GA  – GLOCK, Inc. will make a $100,000 donation to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) during the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in Tampa, FL, May 17-19. GLOCK, Inc. Vice President Josh Dorsey will make the presentation to SOWF in the GLOCK exhibition booth (#404) on Wed., May 18, 2011 at 3:00pm.

During the past six years, GLOCK will have donated $600,000 to SOWF, a non-profit organization providing college scholarships to the surviving children of Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps special operations personnel killed in combat or training.

“GLOCK is proud to contribute to organizations such as SOWF, which play such a vital role in providing aide to the families of America’s fallen heroes,” said GLOCK Vice President Josh Dorsey. “GLOCK, Inc. has a long-standing tradition of supporting those that put themselves in harm’s way.”

Accepting the donation on behalf of SOWF will be Col. John T. Carney Jr., the founding father of Air Force Special Tactics and the current President of SOWF; Edie Rosenthal, Public Relations Director of SOWF; and former SOWF scholarship recipient Melinda Petrignani.

“GLOCK’s continued support to SOWF over the past six years demonstrates their commitment to supporting the families of wounded and fallen special operations personnel,” said Col. John T. Carney Jr., SOWF President and CEO. "With more than 500 children in our program who have yet to reach college age, this gift helps us assure those widows or widowers that the foundation will be around when that young girl or boy reaches college age.”

Melinda is one of more than 800 children of fallen special operations personnel that the SOWF has assisted. Her father, Army Ranger Private First Class Michael Ruddess, was killed in a training accident in 1986 when she was only eight months old. Through the financial assistance from SOWF, Melinda graduated from DePaul University in 2008 with a degree in Business Administration. In Sep. 2010, Melinda joined SOWF where she works with families and students as a Financial Aid Counselor.
GLOCK, Inc. donates more than $500,000 each year to causes that benefit those who put themselves in harm’s way to defend the freedom that Americans enjoy.