An event to fund the scholarship, which is designated specifically for a student who shows kindness to others, will be held Nov. 2 at the Westfield Elks Lodge. Tickets are sold out, but donations will be accepted outside and all are welcome to participate in a raffle.
Kara Torres, widow of police officer Jose Torres, and their sons Chris, left, and Jay look through family photos in the room that Jose dedicated to his love of the Boston Red Sox.
WESTFIELD - Jose Torres was the type of man who would do anything for anyone, the type of man who left behind a legacy of compassion that his family is working to see perpetuated through a scholarship designated specifically for a student who shows kindness to others.
"This scholarship will be given every year to a Westfield High School student who exemplifies kindness," said the police officer's widow, Kara Torres. "Kindness is the only requirement, seeing as how Jose was such a kind and caring man. It is not based on a student's academic performance, just kindness."
Jose TorresTorres was killed on July 26 while working a traffic detail on a construction site on Pontoosic Road, leaving behind his wife, two sons, Jay, 19, and Christopher, 13, and a gift of goodness that brought together nearly 3,000 people who paid their last respects as his community mourned the loss with the family.
"It is an eternal scholarship," Kara Torres said. "Jose was a giving person to anyone that needed anything. He was always giving a dollar here and there to whoever asked or didn't ask."
The Citizens Scholarship Foundation will oversee the scholarship fund, and the student will be chosen by school guidance officials.
On Nov. 2, Torres' memory will be honored with a benefit at the Westfield Elks Lodge on Franklin Street intended to raise money to fund the scholarship.
The scholarship foundation's director, Cynthia A. Neary, said she was honored to receive the call from Kara Torres informing her of the family's intention to establish the scholarship in time for the May awards program.
"We are incredibly touched that we will be honored with Jose's memory," she said. "The scholarship will benefit students from Westfield forever. They could have picked anybody, but they made us their charity of choice."
Westfield High School guidance counselors will identify and choose each year the student most deserving of the scholarship, Neary added.
Retired police detective Susan Figy, organizer for the event, said the $5 tickets sold out in just a couple of days after it was posted on Facebook, but donations will still be accepted and a raffle to which all are invited will be held outdoors.
"We would love to have people come to the raffle tent that is outside and purchase tickets," Figy said. "We just don't have any more room inside. This is such a wonderful tribute to a person who made us all smile. He would not have wanted us to turn anyone away, but we can't figure out where to put everyone. The raffle and entry table will be outside to accommodate more people."
Raffle prizes include an iPad donated by Westfield Bank and tickets to a Boston Celtics game donated by the Amanti family, as well as gift certificates and a wide array of less expensive items.
Jay Torres said it is his hope that the scholarship recipient will "keep that same kind spirit with them in the world so that it may extend far beyond the walls of (Westfield High).
"Wherever they go, if they keep that same attitude to be kind and help others, then hopefully it will spread and inspire others to do the same," he said.
A loyal Boston Red Sox fan, Jose Torres was known for his love of the baseball team, and, while it would be nice if the scholarship recipient is also a fan, it is not a requirement, Jay Torres said.
"But, even my dad, being the devoted baseball fan he was, would still be glad if they liked another team (preferably anyone other than the Yankees!). I think he would be very proud of this tribute, not only because it will recognize those who give and help others, but also to help in furthering a student's education."