Mooresville K9 Officer Jordan Sheldon’s work isn’t over, despite his untimely, tragic death earlier this year.
In fact, he will continue serving communities – and his brothers and sisters in blue – for many years to come, thanks to an endowment scholarship that his family announced yesterday.
But to get the scholarship up-and-running, Jordan’s family needs the community’s help.
The Officer Jordan H. Sheldon Memorial Scholarship will aim to benefit two candidates a year for Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) at Mitchell Community College. “Jordan was always hardworking, determined and (delightfully) stubborn,” his brother, Carson Ledford, said. “He graduated from UNC Charlotte with a degree in Criminal Justice and then went on to pursue his law enforcement certification.”
While Jordan excelled in BLET – earning the Top Marksman award and the highest score on the state exam for his class – the course was still demanding for him. “It requires mental and physical work, including outside of the actual course time,” Carson said, adding that it’s no different than having a full-time job. “He worked as much as he could, and our parents also helped, but we know it was a struggle.
“Our hope is to alleviate that struggle for someone else with a passion for service like Jordan,” Carson said. “It is in that way we feel he, too, would be excited about this scholarship.”
An endowment scholarship awards monies from interest that is earned on a principal sum. That means Jordan’s legacy can continue to make an impact for decades to come, Carson said.
It also means the scholarship will need a hefty principal sum upon which to draw interest.
The goal is to raise at least $50,000. “Given market performance and other factors, that should give approximately two $1,000 scholarships per year – a figure we feel is meaningful towards the total cost of BLET,” Carson said. “A huge thank you to everyone who has gone above and beyond to raise funds for the scholarship thus far.”
Know of someone in the community who would like to partner on the scholarship or contribute to it? Reach out to Carson at CLedford768@aol.com.
One thought on “Fallen K9 officer’s legacy will continue to serve communities and the thin blue line”
Jordan Sheldon was honored with the officer of the year award. Officer Sheldon Paid the ultimate price serving his community. It’s very sad to say that during the presentation ceremony everyone present stood up when the award was presented except for officer Tionne Coulter. She sat in her chair while everyone stood and clapped in his honor. She’s an embarrassment to the department and the uniform.