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The American Legion Riders will be coming to Franklin on June 26 as they participate in the Virginia Legacy Run, which raises money to give scholarships to children of U.S. military members who died while on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001, and to children of post-9/11 veterans who are significantly disabled.

David Scott, commander of American Legion Post 73, which is located at 935 Armory Drive in Franklin, said 100 to 130 motorcyclists from the American Legion Riders will be arriving in Franklin at about noon June 26, and they are going to gas up at Love’s Travel Stop on South Street.

He said they are going to proceed from there down South Street, turn onto South College Drive and then take that road to Armory Drive where they will go to the American Legion Post 73 building.

He said they should all be at the American Legion building by 1 p.m.

“We’re going to have 130 motorcycles in the parking lot, plus four support vehicles and their trailers,” Scott said. “And we’re going to put on a lunch for them. We’re going to feed them hot dogs, hamburgers and soft drinks and so forth. So if anybody wants to participate, in the form of donations, bring them on over, get them in to either myself or Mr. (Randy) Gunn.”

Scott invited people to come in person June 26 at 1 p.m. to make their donations, allowing them to see the vehicles and their riders.

As noted in a flyer for the 2021 edition of the Virginia Legacy Run, the first run was held in 2018. Across three years, the event has collected $87,000 in donations for the National American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund, including $25,000 in 2018, $30,000 in 2019 and $32,000 in 2020.

There have been 366 scholarships awarded since the inception of the Legacy Scholarship Fund, which provides for a needs-based scholarship designed to fulfill a financial gap after all federal and state scholarships are utilized.

The fund is professionally managed by the American Legion, and 100% of donations go into it, with interest from the principal balance in the fund being used to fund the scholarships.

In addition to children of veterans who died while on active duty on or after 9/11, children of post-9/11 veterans with a combined VA disability rating of 50% or higher are eligible to apply for the scholarship.

Success of the Virginia Legacy Scholarship Fund relies on individual and corporate contributions, and the flyer noted that the American Legion Riders have been the most dedicated fundraiser and supporter of the fund.

Those interested in donating can make checks payable to Virginia Legacy Run and mail them to Virginia Legacy Run, c/o Randy Gunn, 7518 Taw St., N. Chesterfield, VA 23237.

All contributions are tax deductible.

In addition to encouraging people to deliver their checks in person June 26, Scott noted they can also send donations to the American Legion with attention to the Legacy Fund.

The flyer stated people can also purchase a special commemorative coin to support the run.

For more information, contact Gunn at 804-271-0701 or randybbgunn@comcast.net, or contact Scott at 757-581-8924 or retireddavid@gmail.com.

To learn more about the Legacy Scholarship Fund, visit www.legion.org/scholarships/legacy or www.legion.org/facebook or www.twitter.com/AmericanLegion.