A caravan of firefighting and law enforcement
vehicles stopped at County Fire’s Devore Station
Monday morning to pick up a check for
$8,000—proceeds from last fall’s 9-11 Golf
Tournament sponsored by County Fire
Firefighters—and a $700 check from the Phelan
Fire Explorers Post. The Devore stop was the
third on the first day of the Firefighters Quest
for Burn Survivors’ five-day, five-county
fundraising journey.
Early Monday morning, the caravan launched its
odyssey at the Eagles Aerie # 4181 in Hesperia,
where Ron Avanzolini, County Fire Special Events
Coordinator, is a member, and drove away with a
check for more than $5,500. Avanzolini has been
instrumental in the Hesperia Eagles’ involvement
in the Quest.
“The Eagles’ and County Firefighters’ donations
will probably be the largest contributions we
receive on this trip,” Avanzolini said.
In all, Quest officials hope to raise about
$200,000 in contributions from fire departments,
organizations and private businesses where the
caravans have scheduled stops.
The Quest caravans will involve 106 Southern
California firefighting agencies. The many
vehicles involved receive air support from Mercy
Air, especially to reach locations like Big
Bear, Lake Arrowhead and Catalina Island.
This year marks the 11th annual Firefighters
Quest for Burn Survivors. Last year’s caravan
raised in excess of $146,000, according to
County Fire Capt. Ken Lewis, coordinator of the
Quest for the San Bernardino County valley
areas.
The grassroots fundraising effort began as an
effort to aid the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn
Foundation, which assists burn victims. It has
grown to today’s five-day, five-county journey
that has now raised more than $1 million over
the years to help burn victims and their
families. Beneficiaries now include the Ruch
Foundation and the Grossman Burn Centers in
Sherman Oaks and Santa Ana, all of which provide
care and treatment for burn victims.
Quest funds also purchase wheelchairs and
provide other direct aid to families. All of the
funds collected benefit victims and families,
Lewis said, firefighters and civilians alike.
“We help them get what they need in any way we
can.”
The caravan ends Friday at Galpin Ford in North
Hills, Calif.
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