The daughter of a fallen Hudson Valley firefighter who died battling a blaze was awarded a college scholarship.

The ICMA-RC Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund Board of Directors announced 30 recipients for a college scholarship. Among the 30, Rebecca E. Townes who graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes in Poughkeepsie.

The scholarships are given each year, since 2001, to surviving children and spouses of fallen firefighters, police officers and other state and local public sector employees.

Townes father, Kevin Townes, Sr., died in the line of duty while serving the City of Mount Vernon Fire Department, according to a press release from the ICMA-RC Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund.

"It is an honor to support the ICMA-RC Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund and to have provided scholarships each year to the surviving relatives of fallen public sector employees," said ICMA-RC President and CEO, Bob Schultze. "Scholarship Fund recipients deal with tremendous loss yet they distinguish themselves academically and personally to qualify for this scholarship. We wish them continued success in accomplishing their goals."

Townes, a standout for the Our Lady of Lourdes basketball team, dreams of becoming a sports journalist. She'll start pursuing a degree in communications/journalism at Dominion College in Rockland County this fall.

Since its inception, ICMA-RC Public Employee Memorial Scholarship Fund has raised over $1 million and awarded scholarships to more than 300 students across the nation.

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