With the tragedy of Sept.11 only three months past, the spirit of giving is alive this holiday season more than ever. The students at the Molinero Karate Academy located at 441 57th Street in West New York held a fundraiser recently and were able to give a total of $780 to the family of one of the victims of the World Trade Center Attack.
The school’s 22 students, most ranging in age from 5 to 10, raised the money at a Thanksgiving dinner held at the school and presented Renee Nolan, a mother of two from Hopatcong, with the check on Dec. 13.
"I hope that the students learn to appreciate their parents," said Phil Molinero. "Although we get mad at our parents, if something did happen to them, we would wish that they were still their to yell at us."
Molinero first heard of the Nolan family through a mutual friend who is a member of the First Trinity Church in Dover/Rockaway with Nolan.
Appreciating the little things
"I thought that I would see my husband at the end of the day, but he didn’t come back," said Nolan to the small group of students and their parents that assembled at the school last Thursday.
Daniel R. Nolan was a vice president at Johnson and Higgins/March McLennan, working with computers on the 97th floor of Tower One.
"They think that he died immediately from the impact of the plane," said Nolan, explaining that her husband worked on the floor that was hit by the plane.
Nolan, who has two children ages 4 and 7, remembers sitting down to have coffee with her husband that morning, something that she didn’t usually do.
"I was able to tell him I love him," said Nolan, who takes comfort in that short time they had together.
She showed the students a picture of her husband, the special flag that was sent to her from President Bush and the Sept. 11 urn given to her by New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani.
"He was a wonderful father and a wonderful husband," said Nolan, remembering that her husband used to take her 7-year-old son fishing just about every weekend.
Faith in God and the community
Nolan, a member of the First Baptist Church in Dover/Rockaway, said that she has found her faith in God to be a blessing during this time.
"I cried out to God for help," said Nolan. "That is the only thing that helps me still."
Nolan, who has put the new home that her family was having built before Sept. 11 up for sale, is grateful for the support she has been getting from the community.
"People have been reaching out and touching our lives in ways we never knew," said Nolan.
A special fund for Nolan’s two children was set up by Nolan’s parish, First Baptist Church in Dover/Rockaway.
To send a donation to the Nolan Children’s Fund, send a check to 126 Mt. Pleasant Ave. in Dover/Rockaway, N.J. 07801.