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The Hoops For Heroes initiative, with a goal of making 1 million made free throws while raising money for injured Veterans, is expected to reach the quarter-million mark – 250,000 made foul shots – soon after 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 6, at the Towle School gymnasium in Newport, NH.

Hoops For Heroes is a New Hampshire nonprofit, founded by Epsom resident Dave Cummings, the goal of which is to bring attention to and raise money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which supports injured Veterans and their families. The organization is currently helping to build a $60 million medical complex next to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Cummings, who grew up in Newport and played high school basketball at the Towle gym, said he is thrilled to be back in his hometown for No. 250,000.

“Hoops For Heroes is about our Veterans and our military, and it’s also about community,” he said. “The community spirit in Newport, generally and in terms of the town’s pride around our men and women in uniform, is inspiring. There’s truly no place I’d rather be to mark this milestone.”

Cummings began the quest on Veterans Day 2009 and has shot every day since. He has been invited to shoot No. 500,000 on the flight deck of the USS Intrepid in New York City on Veterans Day 2010, and the goal is to reach 1 million on Veterans Day 2011. To do so, he must average 1,370 made foul shots a day, and his pace is currently better than 1,410 per day.

“I’m thrilled to have the chance to share this thank you to our Veterans with as many people as possible, so this opportunity to do it in my hometown is very exciting,” Cummings said. “The support from all over the country has been incredible, and I think it speaks to our profound collective gratitude as Americans.”

For more information regarding the project and how to help, visit hoopsforheroes.com.