Firefighter collects donations
Published 11:15 pm Saturday, December 21, 2013
Members of the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Department presented a check for $1,500 to the American Cancer Society recently as a result of a fundraising effort envisioned by a member who wanted to support the wives and family members of fellow firefighters suffering from cancer.
In October, firefighter Joe Jarmin told Fire Chief Cedric Scott he wanted to sell pink T-shirts to fire and rescue personnel during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Fire and rescue personnel who donated to the cause were allowed to wear their pink T-shirts while at work Oct. 28-30, according to Suffolk spokeswoman Diana Klink. Also, Fire Station 1, located at 400 Market St., displayed a pink hose in the shape of a ribbon.
Klink stated in a press release that $1,200 was raised through Jarmin’s effort. That money, along with a $300 contribution from the Jeff T. Messinger Memorial Fund — which honors a former Suffolk fire captain who died from cancer in 2001 — was presented to the ACS on Friday.
Jarmin, who is also involved with the Relay for Life and Fill the Boot campaigns, has a history of cancer in his family, according to Klink.
“I am proud of the efforts of firefighter Jarmin and the entire Suffolk Fire & Rescue Family for their hard work on this fundraiser,” Chief Scott stated in the release. “We always encourage our staff to seek ways to make a difference in the community.”