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DALLAS – Army Sgt. Erick Castro,
24,
of Santa Ana, Calif., has been selected as a grant recipient of the Fallen
Patriot Fund, established on April 16, 2003, by the Mark Cuban Foundation,
to help families of U.S. military personnel who were killed or seriously injured
during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Castro
and his fiancée Elizabeth received $15,000 from the Fund to assist with living
expenses after he lost his left leg at the hip when the armored personnel
carrier he was in was ambushed near Fallujah, Iraq, on August 25, 2003, and a
rocket-propelled grenade tore through his leg.
Sgt. Castro was assigned to the 43rd
Combat Engineer Company, 3rd Armor Calvary Regiment out of Fort
Carson, Colorado.
"I would like to thank the Mark Cuban
Foundation for all it’s doing for our fallen soldiers and their families,” said
Sgt. Castro. “After I got injured, my fiancée had to quit her job to help me
out and for a year my salary was the only income we both had. This grant is
going to help me get back on my feet financially, especially that now that we
are going to be new parents.”
About the Fallen Patriot Fund
The fund has approved more than
$875,000 in grants to 47 families across the United States since its inception.
Donations are still being accepted and can be made at any of the 5,700 Bank of
America banking centers; through the Web site at www.fallenpatriotfund.org, or
mailed to the Fallen Patriot Fund, c/o Bank of America Private Bank,
TX1-492-19-09, P.O. Box 832409, Dallas, Texas, 75283-2409. Additional
information and grant application may be obtained through the Web site.
Since April 16, 2003, donations have
been received from 48 states, Canada and Italy. In addition, the Bank of
America Foundation will match employee donations dollar for dollar from gifts of
$25 up to $5,000.
Financial resources are vital to
enhancing the sustainability of the family unit who has suffered a loss because
its loved one sacrificed him/herself for freedom. Within that group, grant
recipients will be selected in accordance with criteria established by The Mark
Cuban Foundation. All proceeds will be disbursed. The Mark Cuban Foundation is
a tax-exempt 501(C)(3) organization, contributions to which are tax deductible.
Please contact a tax advisor for further details on charitable
contributions.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Gillian Breidenbach (Bank of America) 214.209.3122
Gillian.M.Breidenbach@bankofamerica.com
Dawn Holgate (Mark Cuban), 214.658.7170 (office)
214.878.2867 (mobile)
dawn.holgate@dallasmavs.com
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