P.O. Box 901, Prosser WA 99350 /wspmemorialfoundation@gmail.com / 360.597.4411

Washington State Patrol Memorial Foundation

Fiscal Year Update - 10/01/2024 through 9/30/2025

 

We, the Washington State Patrol Memorial Foundation, are entrusted to preserve the memory of Washington State Patrol fallen officers and to provide assistance to active and retired Washington State Patrol employees and their families in times of need.

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The Washington State Patrol Memorial Foundation (WSPMF) was created in 1982. We have provided more than $2.5 million in financial assistance to Washington State Patrol employees and their families. 

 

All proceeds from the annual memorial dinner are placed into our Fallen Scholarship Fund to provide assistance for the children and spouses of our fallen officers to attend up to four years of college. The WSPMF has assisted ten children of our fallen officers with their college expenses.  We have five additional children to assist in the future.

 

Christian Frink, son of Steven Frink, who died in the line of duty on March 22, 1993, graduated from Western Washington University in 2012. 

 

Megan and Jim Saunders, children of Trooper James Saunders, who died in the line of duty on October 7, 1999, both attended the University of Washington. Megan graduated in 2018. Jim graduated in 2021. Megan has continued her education and is currently attending Gonzaga Law School.

 

Emily, Erin, Kailey, and Kyle, children of Detective Brent Hanger, who died in the line of duty on August 6, 2015, attended Western Washington University, University of Washington, and Skagit Valley College. Emily, Erin and Kailey have graduated. Erin is currently attending veterinary school in Scottland. Erik is currently attending Western Washington University. Kevin is currently attending Whatcom Community College.

 

Gedeon and Olivia, children of Trooper S. Renee Padgett, who died in the line of duty on September 4, 2018, are both attending Washington State University. 

 

The WSPMF has provided a total of $35,580 to Erik Hanger, Gedeon Padgett Lagasse and Olivia Pagett Lagasse to attend college this past year.  

 

The scholarship program for WSP employees, their spouses, and children is in its 34th year. The WSPMF awarded seven new scholarships and five renewable scholarships to families of the Washington State Patrol in the last fiscal year. Our scholarship assistance this year totals $12,000 and we were able to help 12 individuals with their educational expenses.

 

This year was the second year that we offered the Farrington Scholarship Fund Scholarship. The WSPMF was gifted a lot of property in Shelton back in the 1980s. The WSPMF executive board voted to sell the property in 2023 and use the funds from the sale to create a scholarship in the name of the property donors, for a trade school applicant. This is a one time, $3,000 scholarship, offered each year. Unfortunately, we did not have any applicants for this scholarship this year, so the funding will be placed back into the fund.

 

In May, we escorted the Gadd family to Washington D.C. for Police Week to honor Trooper Christopher Gadd. We were able to fund the trip for one of his detachments. Thanks to a generous donor, his second detachment was able to attend with us. In total, we had 60 attendees travel, including the WSP Honor Guard, executive and command staff members.

 

While much of the assistance provided by the WSPMF is confidential in nature, the WSPMF is proud to disclose its involvement in the following activities:

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·       The 43rd annual WSP Memorial Foundation dinner was held on April 12, 2025, at the Northern Quest Casino & Resort in Spokane, WA. We had 560 attendees at the dinner and through donations, our live and silent auction, we were able to raise $68,628.42 for our fallen scholarship fund.

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·       Our 2nd annual Ride to Remember event was held on June 14, 2025. We had 26 participants who made five stops over the 6-hour ride. We ended the evening at Corks & Taps in Prosser with a pizza dinner and raffles. During this event, we were able to raise $1,850.00.

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·       This year was our first official year hosting the 26th annual Jim Saunders Legacy Golf Tournament on August 15, 2024, at the Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick, WA. We had 31 full teams golf and ended the day with a taco bar dinner. During this event, we were able to raise $13,385.15 for our Fallen Scholarship Fund.

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·       The 3rd annual Memorial Miles event was held at the WSP academy in Shelton on September 27-28, 2024. This event was a 24-hour march to honor our 33 fallen. During the 24 hours, we raised $5,368 in donations and participants walked over 1,004 miles.  

 

The WSPMF currently has 615 contributing members, donating at least $10 per month. We have 518 supporting members, donating $5 per month. To be a voting member of the WSPMF, you must contribute $10 per month or $5 per pay period. This minimal deduction goes a long way toward helping WSP families in times of need. If you would like to be a contributing member of the WSPMF, or would like to increase your monthly donation, please request the form from Megan King at wspmemorialfoundation@gmail.com or (360) 597-4411.

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The 44th Annual Washington State Patrol Memorial Foundation Dinner will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at the Ilani Resort & Casino in Vancouver, WA. Please join us to honor our officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. Dinner tickets will go on sale January 1, 2025, at https://www.auctria.events/2026wspmfdinner.