Friends And Family Host Fundraiser For Scholarship
Mahaska County Deputy moments after a reported shooting on the streets of Oskaloosa. (file photo)
Ottumwa, Iowa – The gathering of friends and family at Champion Bowl in Ottumwa on Saturday was filled mostly with smiles and laughter.
They gathered in honor of their loved one, Brian Rainey, a Mahaska County Deputy who passed away on August 11th, 2020.
The group was hosting the event and raffle to raise money for a scholarship fund for criminal justice at Indian Hills.
Rainey’s good friend Aaron Hurley and Rainey’s mother Jackie Lawrence spoke with Oskaloosa News about the fundraiser and future scholarship.
Hurley said the idea started out small, but after chatting with Rainey’s widow as to what he could to do help further Rainey’s memory the idea grew.
That’s where the idea for the scholarship came from. Hurley then contacted Indian Hills and they informed him that it would be something they could help get going.
Jackie remembers Rainey’s earlier days when he attended college as a business major. Rainey then worked at a couple of different jobs, but the example his grandfather made in the military was “the driving force there. A way for him to serve.”
Just a couple of months before his untimely death, Rainey penned a post to Facebook ‘Be a cop’.
Rainey’s mother said it brought back that he really does care. “He’s kind of a gruff individual sometimes, but he is a very caring person and does care about, you know, the world being a better place.”
Hurley, a gun store owner, was introduced to Rainey when he visited as a customer.
“I thought it was something he was pretty passionate about,” says Hurley of his friend and his career in law enforcement. “You just had to know him—a little gruff, but you know, one of the best. You just couldn’t ask for a better friend than Brian.”
“I felt like that he fit law enforcement pretty well. I mean, a lot of his morals and life fit in line with being in law enforcement,” added Hurley.
“You know, one of the best,” Hurley continued. “I told my wife that day, one of the biggest losses my life’s ever had.”
You can still donate to the scholarship fund by contacting Aaron Hurley at The Fox Hole Gun Range to make your donation.
“I just hope that maybe this can continue, says mother Jackie. “I hope somebody else had his enthusiasm.”
Written by Brian Rainey on June 1st, 2020.
Be a cop
You want to make the world and your community a better place? You want to change law enforcement and the way policing is done? You want a more diversified police force in your area? The answer is right in front of you. Become a cop and stand for something better. Put in an application, go test, and get a career out of it. It’s easy to TALK about change. It’s easy to say SOMEBODY should do something about that. Be that somebody and step up to make that change. Law Enforcement across the country is having a terrible time trying to hire cops. The number of people putting in applications and testing is half what it was ten years ago. After this year, it will be less. You won’t do it for the pay. On average in Iowa, your life is bought and paid for at 47k-63k a year. The hours aren’t great. You will see humanity at its worst. But YOU can be there to actually make a difference to somebody. YOU could be part of making the change you want to see. Protesting for a short time is great, but dedicating your life to making things better for your community is lasting.
Brian Rainey passed away on August 11th, 2020.
