The nine days of exhausting fundraising, passing boots, helmets and buckets to motorists and pedestrians throughout North Hudson, looking for donations to help the victims of the World Trade Center terrorist tragedy have come to an end.
The members of the North Hudson Emergency Services Charity Fund have counted up the donations and were astounded with the results. The generous people of the area have given more than $450,000 to the fund.
And that total is not final. There are other fundraising events scheduled for later this month. Pledged checks had yet to be collected.
"We’re leaving the account open for a little while, because the money is still coming in," said Brian McGorty, the president of the North Hudson Firefighting Officers Association. "The generosity has been overwhelming and unbelievable."
Now comes the task of determining where the money goes. Members of the fundraising organization, which included firefighters from the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, police from several communities, emergency medical service workers and civilians, met Wednesday to discuss distribution options.
"Definitely, our first priority was to make sure that we give the money directly," said Glen Michelin, the president of the North Hudson Firefighters Association. "We didn’t want the money going to funds that use the money for overhead costs. We want to cut out the red tape and be as direct as we can."
Michelin also said that a good portion of the collected funds will go to the civilian families from North Hudson. They have a list of 11 victims whose families in North Hudson might need assistance.
"We think that there’s a greater need for the families of the civilians, some of whom don’t have insurance or benefits," Michelin said. "We would like to get them the money as soon as possible. Their need seems to be greater than those of the professionals who suffered, because we know that the professionals are being taken care of."
"We know that there is nothing that can bring back a life," said Firefighter Lenny Calvo, who helped organize the event. "But we are helping the best way we can."
McGorty said that he wanted to insure that local residents who lost loved ones would get a majority of the funds.
"I think it’s only proper that it should go to civilian community that we serve, the families in North Hudson," McGorty said. "Then, the portions will be distributed equally among the New York firemen, police and Port Authority police that were lost."
McGorty said that if possible, they would like to write the checks directly, but realizes that it could be difficult.
"We’re making contact through our unions to make sure that the money will go directly to the families," McGorty said. "We’re taking the proper steps."
Both union leaders agreed that the efforts in the boot drive really brought the entire department – and other emergency service personnel – together.
"I really think that it clearly had a galvanizing effect on all of us," McGorty said. "We all shared a common loss and then rallied for a common goal. I think we all have a better appreciation of each other. It brought home the whole sense of family and it was a wonderful thing to see."
"I think we were all able to put everything aside," said Michelin, who has been embroiled in some heated confrontations over contract negotiations in recent years. "It brought a lot of people together that might have been on the same page before. I think we perhaps knocked down some barriers that were there."
Michelin said that he was among the 40 firefighters who volunteered their services to help with the rescue mission at Ground Zero.
"When you see it in person, then see it on TV, the television doesn’t give it justice," Michelin said. "It was incredible devastation. I think seeing it spurred us all on, that we wanted to do something to help. It’s something that is going to sit with me for a long time."
What McGorty will take is the stories of generosity, like the five North Bergen youngsters who sold lemonade to raise money and donated more than $100 to the cause.
McGorty had the five youngsters, 10-year-old Emily Colon, nine-year-olds Ryan Baluja and Erika Cruz, eight-year-old Leo DeJesus and seven-year-old Anna Colon, read a letter of thanks that they had written to the emergency workers during a ceremony last Sunday night at the Fireman’s Memorial Bell in Weehawken. The ceremony was a way for all to remember the attacks and draw the fundraising drive to an official end.
"It was really unbelievable," Michelin said. "I don’t think anyone would have imagined a number like $450,000. It was exceptional circumstances that brought out an exceptional response."
Calvo said that families who might need help from the fund should contact them.
Anyone who cares to make a donation to the fund can write to the North Hudson Emergency Services Charity Fund, P.O. Box 911, Union City, NJ, 07087-911. Make the checks out to the NHESCF. They will accept donations through the end of the month.