Ontario Fire Fighters Work Hard for Charity

September 25, 2008 – The members of Oakville, ON Local 1582 have conducted fundraisers throughout the year to support national and local charities. The local has raised $5,200 for MDA and more than $719 for Halton Women’s Place, an organization offering shelter and crisis assistance to abused women and their children.

Local 1582 fire fighters are longtime supporters of Halton Women’s Place, and this year helped the shelter host a fundraiser at the Oakville drive-in theater. Before the movie (“Mama Mia”), fire fighters squeegeed car windows in exchange for a donation to Halton Women’s Place.

The $719 raised will go toward buying a new home for the shelter which is currently housed in an area strip-mall.

The weekend before Labor Day, Local 1582 fire fighters staffed the entrances and exits of a local strip mall to fill–the-boot for Jerry’s Kids. In three short hours, fire fighters raised $5,200.

“Our community’s citizens are strong supporters of their fire fighters,” says Carmen Santoro, president of Local 1582. “And, they also understand the importance of MDA’s mission. That is why they were willing to give so much in such a short amount of time.”

Santoro says that the Oakville fire fighters are planning more fundraisers for both charities in the next few months.