Why we do what we do.
Our Mission
The Brandon P. Kuster Memorial Foundation was established by the family and close friends of Brandon Kuster. Brandon attended Gateway Senior High School where he played football and was an honor roll student whose enthusiastic attitude enriched the lives of those around him. One of Brandon's greatest passions was for Pitcairn's Camp B. As a camper, counselor and member, Brandon embodied the true spirit of Camp B. In the summer of 2008, Brandon lost his life as a result of a tragic accident. The Memorial Foundation serves to honor Brandon's memory by giving back to the community and programs that Brandon loved so much.
The Memorial Foundation has three purposes:
The first is to endow and award an annual scholarship to a senior student at Gateway High School who best personifies the academic, leadership and sportsmanship qualities that Brandon exhibited.
The second is to create and/or financially participate in projects to improve the quality of life for youths in the Pitcairn/Monroeville and surrounding areas.
Last, we offer support to families who have experienced tragedies like ours.
About Brandon
Brandon had many passions. Number one on the list would be spending time with family. The first thing he would ask every Sunday morning was "who's coming over today". The next thing he would ask was "what time does the race start" Brandon loved NASCAR. If he wasn't watching NASCAR that meant that his beloved Carolina Tar Heels were playing. Brandon loved the Tar Heels and hoped to someday attend the University of North Carolina. Brandon was the ultimate fan, he stood by the Pittsburgh Pirates even though they never had a winning season during his lifetime.
Brandon also could be found in the kitchen where he loved to cook. Even at 3am in the morning you might find Brandon baking brownies for his sister Roni and cousin Gabby. When he turned 14 his interests turned to golf. For an entire year Tiger Woods monopolized the Kuster's TV. Then at age 15, Tiger was replaced by Brandon's new found love of hunting. Brandon earned his Pennsylvania Safe Hunter's License and against his mother's wishes bought a crossbow and dragged his dad into the woods to turkey hunt. If it was summertime that meant the pool or the trailer located in Conneaut Lake. Brandon acted as the activity director at pool in his backyard always organizing a game with his brother Justin and all of his cousins and friends. Brandon wouldn't celebrate his birthday anywhere but the trailer with a day of fun at Firemen’s Beach or out on his Uncle Ron's boat and then off to Red Lobster in Meadville. This is only a small sample of Brandon’s interests. With your help we would like to continue adding to this list. You can easily do this by visiting the guest book and sharing your memories of Brandon with us.
During Brandon's Eulogy, we were asked not to remember Brandon as the boy who died at camp, but as the boy with the beautiful smile.
The story behind the cloud heart.
The picture below was taken by one of Brandon's cousins on the day that he died. The cloud was pictured hovering directly over Brandon's house. We believe this cloud was Brandon's way of telling us he would always be looking over us.
BPK Staff
About Us
The Brandon P. Kuster Memorial Foundation was established in January of 2010.
Along with the staff, we have countless volunteers whose service and commitment not only make this day possible but help us keep Brandon's memory alive everyday.
Officers
President
Justin Kuster
Vice President
JJ Hartin
Secretary & Treasurer
Gabby Kuster and Veronica Kuster
Staff Members
Darlene Kuster
David Kuster
Ron Kuster
Lisa Kuster
Rob Kuster
Lynn Kuster
Bill Kuster
Lynn DiLiscia
Judy Doughty
Barbie Kuster
Zack Hartin
Tyler Hartin