Local Firefights Bring the Gift of Giving to Island City Kids
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, December 16th, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
ISLAND CITY – Firefighters go above and beyond to keep the community safe. As firefighter for the La Grande Rural Fire Protection District (LGRFPD) Anthony Swales said, however, “usually people aren’t calling the fire department when they’re having a good day.” For the Holiday Season, however, the LGRFPD firefighters went out of their way to make sure ten Island City kids, and their families, had the best day ever during Shop with a Firefighter.
Since 2009, the LGRFPD have held Shop with a Firefighter as a way of giving back to the community. This year, ten students from Island City Elementary spent Monday Christmas shopping for their families. This is part of an ongoing partnership with the school district whereby children from needy families have the opportunity to miss a day of class and go Christmas shopping with the help of their local firefighters. As Swales described it:
“We take them shopping and we’re like, ‘ok, let’s shop for something for your mom. Well, mom likes to do this, this and this, well let’s go look at some gifts for her then.’ For the most part they have a general idea of what they’re thinking about, but we try to scope that down a little bit and pick out that perfect gift.”
After the kids got to pick out that perfect gift for their families, they were given an expected ride in the LGRFPD’s fire trucks and had a Christmas dinner provided for them. “It’s one of our favorite activities to do. We really enjoy getting out there, taking the kids on a ride in a fire truck. It’s an exciting part of their day. It’s an exciting part of the year for us,” Swales noted.
Overall, the entire experience is as much a treat for the firefighters as it is for the kids. While students have a fun day out of class and get to pick up something nice for Christmas, the firefighters can continue to give back to the community in a proactive, and frankly heartwarming, way. One example that Swales gave best summarizes the sentiment:
“Just the smiles on the kid’s faces when we picked them up. Taking them on rides with firetrucks. Just being able to go out and buy those gifts for the parents without their parents knowing what they’re getting…There was a little girl that wanted to get her mom cooking supplies. Her mother loved to cook. All she wanted to do was to buy pots and pans and utensils for her mom to be able to continue to cook. To see the smile and the happiness in her eyes when she went to pick out that perfect item and gift for her mom, it’s magical.”
