The North Hudson Emergency Services organization, a group of firefighters, police officers and emergency services workers from North Hudson who raised more than $500,000 in a drive last October to help the victims of the World Trade Center disaster, last week presented three checks totaling $350,000 to officials from the New York Fire, New York Police, and Port Authority Police departments.
According to Captain Brian McGorty, the president of the North Hudson Fire Officers Association, $250,000 was given to Peter Gorman of the New York Firefighter’s union, with $50,000 each going to the PA and NYPD unions.
Chief Edward Flood of the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue presented the check to Gorman of the NYFD, who will determine the amount of funds to be distributed to the victims’ families. The New York Fire Department lost 343 members in the tragedy.
Union City Police Chief Norman Bareis presented the check to the NYPD’s union representative Joe Alenjandro. Lt. Tom McGorty of the Weehawken Police Department presented the check to the Port Authority police union delegate Tom Kennedy.
“We were able to make the presentations with all the funds going directly to the victims’ families,” said Brian McGorty. “Rather than dealing with administrative hassles, we decided to give the money right to the unions. They know better how to handle it and distribute it.”
McGorty said that approximately $150,000 of the total raised by the drive was already distributed to the families of victims that lived in the North Hudson area.
“We didn’t want to be exploitive, so we kept the names anonymous,” McGorty said. “This was the only presentation where pictures were taken.”
McGorty said that the three associations were very appreciative of the efforts made by the police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel who raised the money during the weeklong drive in October.
“They were really overwhelmed with our efforts,” McGorty said. “Day in and day out, these people are receiving little gestures here and there. Everything is coming from the heart. From the major contributions from corporations to the little kids who raised money by selling lemonade, every thing counted.”
McGorty added, “We can raise the money to buy a kid a baseball glove, but we can’t give the kid his father back to play catch. So we really had mixed feelings. We were doing some good, but it’s still a tough time.”
McGorty thanked Glen Michelin, the president of the North Hudson Firefighters Association, and firefighter Lenny Calvo, who helped to organize the drive.
The organization also presented T-shirts designed by Weehawken native Joe Rovito. The T-shirts were also sold as part of the drive and nearly 3,000 were sold.
“All in all, it was a wonderful experience,” McGorty said. “It was a great example of cooperation, how people can all work together in a time of need.”
McGorty said that there are still some families in the North Hudson area that have yet to receive their funds. “We still have some families that should receive something shortly,” McGorty said. “This will give us a sense of closure on the drive, as well as a sense of pride.”