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The donation of $6,363 was presented to officials with the Norma Pfriem Center at a recent event at Bridgeport Fire Engine/Ladder 10.
Firefighters at Engine/Ladder 10 spearheaded the donations by making pink T-shirts for their colleagues to wear citywide. Every firefighter wishing to participate would pay $20 to the collection to purchase a pink T-shirt, then pay $5 every time they wore the shirt during their shift.
Competition and high participation throughout the Bridgeport Fire Department resulted in the raising of $6,363 in direct donations by firefighters in only four short weeks of fundraising, according to a statement from the Bridgeport Fire Department.
“Breast cancer is something that impacts all of our families, and has even affected members of our own family of firefighters,” said Thode. “This effort to give back to the community and fund early detection and research efforts for breast cancer is something our firemen and women enthusiastically got behind. We will continue to make efforts to be charitable in our community, and I suspect that when we do this fundraiser again next year we will easily beat our donation totals for this year.”
Dr. Donna Twist, executive director of Norma Pfriem Breast Center, expressed her gratitude for the donation.
“I am so grateful for all of the effort and generosity of the Firefighters of Bridgeport for supporting the work we do to keep our community healthy and educated about breast cancer,” Twist said. “These funds will actually be able to help our community directly – it is the equivalent of providing 50 women who otherwise could not afford it with free mammograms, which as we know can save lives."
Bridgeport firefighters were inspired to raise their own donations for breast cancer research and prevention following their participation in Bridgeport’s first annual “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” Walk that took place in Seaside Park on Oct. 23.
Click here for more information on how to donate to the Norma Pfriem Breast Center.
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