friendsofrigby.org/</p>

The need for fire safety and awareness on college campuses across the country has become more apparent in the past decade with numerous instances of preventable loss. Using the passing of close friend Daniel H. Rigby in such an accident as motivation, The Friends of Rigby Foundation, Inc. seeks to establish a network of financial and organizational support to educate and assist students at colleges and universities across the country.</p>

Five years ago, Daniel Rigby passed away during a fire in his off-campus apartment in Georgetown.  Since his passing in October 2004, two of his classmates and his brother, Patrick, established the Friends of Rigby Foundation, Inc. to honor his memory and promote fire safety for students living off-campus in the DC area.  Each year in April, the Friends of Rigby organize the Run4Rigby at Georgetown University.  Support has increased over the past few years from students, administration, residents and leaders of the DC community alike, the foundation has significantly expanded.  Accordingly, the Run4Rigby has evolved into Rigby Weekend, with a Black-tie gala, "Rigby Ball", held the evening of the run at Thunder Grille in Union Station.  Like the Run4Rigby, the Rigby Ball has also significantly increased, both in attendance and donations.</p>

The primary objective is to build a connection between local firefighters and students to provide such necessities as fire inspections, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers in the hopes of increasing fire safety.</p>

A secondary goal of the Foundation is to establish a new scholarship in Danny’s name at his alma mater, Bergen Catholic High School, and to establish and maintain a similar scholarship at Georgetown University. Both scholarships seek to reward underprivileged students who gain admission to Georgetown University and Bergen Catholic but require financial scholarship assistance. The scholarships will support one student for four full years of education at Bergen and at Georgetown. As the endowments grow, we will seek to support one student per year at each grade level. The scholarships will be awarded based on completion of various financial forms such as the FAFSA, acceptance to the schools indicated, completion of the provided forms, a(n) interview(s), and any other measures deemed necessary by the Foundation.</p>

The Date of this years 5K Run and Gala is Saturday, April 10, 2010.