Beach Fire charity gives to nonprofit Foundation
The Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation received a check for $1,500 last week from the Florida Firefighter Charities Lee County fund. The check presentation occurred at Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District Fire Station #31.
“Anytime someone gets a fire fighter license plate, a certain amount of that money goes into the charity fund,” said Beach Fire firefighter/paramedic Troy Mesick, who was recently appointed vice president of the Local 1826 union and requested the money by filling out the paperwork.
According to the FFC website, one can help the local fund by purchasing a tag for an additional $20 plus a $2 processing fee required by the State of Florida. A personalized tag with the Firefighter background with a maximum of five letters/numbers is allowed on the tag. As of Dec. 31, 2006, more than 40,320 tags have been sold statewide.
Beach Fire and FMBCF have worked in tandem during the Spirit of the Holidays, along with Red Coconut RV Park and the Greater Fort Myers Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, to raise funds for children who need assistance during the holiday season.
When the groups met to begin plans for this year’s December event, Mesick and Assistant Fire Chief Tom May spoke to Foundation president Nicole Bennett. Funds must go to a 501(c) (3) community service organization, such as FMBCF.
“It’s great because it stays on the Beach,” said Mesick. “We are glad to help out anytime.”
The Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation is a local organization dedicated to working cooperatively to improve the quality of life in Fort Myers Beach and surrounding communities.
“We appreciate it because it gives us more money to offer more scholarships this year and give more donations to some of our local benefactors, such as Friends of Matanzas Pass Preserve, Friends of Lovers Key, after-school programs, the Beach school as well as the Beach cleanups, Laces for Love and Bedz for Kidz,” said Bennett. “While the last two organizations are not technically located on the island, they do a lot of work for kids on this island. It just gives us an opportunity for us to give back to our local community.”
The Florida Firefighters Charities is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established in 1998 for the following purposes:
– Provide fire prevention education to the general public.
– Offer financial assistance and humanitarian aid to members of the Florida Professional Firefighters, and the general public, who are victims of natural or man-made disasters .
– Make donations to other organizations who help the general public of our communities.