Soldier's parents donate $19,610 scholarship match

The parents of Pvt. Joseph Blake, a 10th Mountain Division soldier who was killed in Afghanistan in August 2006, presented a check for $19,610 to the Watertown Noon Rotary Club on Wednesday as their matching gift to the "Pvt. Joseph R. Blake Scholarship."

It is the only named scholarship of the Rotary Purple Heart Scholarship Fund, which was established in 2004 and is managed by the Northern New York Community Foundation. Nine scholarships totaling $23,000 have been awarded to wounded warriors and/or their immediate family members.

Douglas and Joann Blake, who are from Michigan, originally had pledged to match the first $15,000 collected during the annual drive, which began in November. Their son was a member of the 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.