Jumpline magazine January 2024 - Flipbook - Page 14
Dade County Assoc. of Fire Fighter Charities
14
char·i·ty
Gil Velasquez
Local 1403 Charity Chairman
you ever wanted to get a little taste of helping your Union, here’s
a safe and not too heavily committed way of doing it. Reach out
to me at Gil.Velasquez@local1403.org if you have an interest in
representing your battalion as a ‘Chairity Ambassador’.
/ˈCHerˈdē/
noun
plural noun: charities
1. an organization set up to provide help and raise money for
those in need.
My name is Gil Velasquez Jr. I have the bid on Fireboat 21/B
as Auxiliary Fire昀椀ghter and I am also the Charity Chairman for
YOUR Local 1403 Fire昀椀ghter Charities.
Your Fire昀椀ghter Charities, of昀椀cially known as Dade County
Association of Fire Fighter Charities (DCAFC), is one of these
incredible organizations that hopefully you will never have to receive help from. The reality though, is that due to the line of
work that we’re in, chances are you or someone you work with
will receive assistance from Fire昀椀ghter Charities at some point
in their career.
Fire昀椀ghter Charities is a multi-faceted, multi-layered behemoth
of an organization. Through the years it’s helped hundreds of
our brothers and sisters through some tough times. It’s helped
in sponsoring other worthy charities, as well as put on some incredible fundraising events of its own. It’s an ever changing,
always evolving and growing charity that will continue to give
back for years to come. As the new chairman of YOUR charities,
I promise to be fair, do my best, and be transparent and responsible for the decisions that this position entails.
Some of our yearly signature charity events consist of the
American Lung Association’s “Fight for Air Climb”, Casino Night,
Autism Bike Ride, “Toys for Kids” Holiday Toy Drive, Superbowl
Charity Watch Party, Breast Cancer and Veteran T-shirt campaigns, the Dewy Henry Scholarship, and countless other member participating athletic charitable events.
One of the complaints that I hear is lack of communication and
advertisement of upcoming events. YOUR Union and Charities
advertise in many ways. With so many avenues of
communication it’s a bit frustrating to hear this…..
so I have to ask……. “Have you tried to correct the
problem?” “Have you looked for us?” Facebook,
Instagram, MailChimp e-newsletter (the Weekly
Overhaul), text message, and email. Meet us
halfway. Below is a QR code with links for you to
register and begin receiving our texts and emails,
as well as our posts on Facebook and Instagram
pages. If you’re tech savvy and want to make
sure you don’t miss out on anything we share, set
your socials with alerts.
If you run into any problems registering, give
YOUR Union of昀椀ce a call (at 305) 593-6100. The ladies in the Font Of昀椀ce will be happy to help you get connected!
In addition to these communication avenues, we have
also launched our new team of Charity Ambassadors.
The individuals below will be your point of contact for any
questions regarding Charities, as well as a good source of
information for any upcoming Charity events. You’ll notice
FOUR empty slots on Batt 2, Batt 4, Batt 11, and Batt 14. If
Let’s complete this list with Assignment for each
person (Station #/Shift)
Batt 1 – Joey Parker (CR Route/B)
Batt 2 –
Batt 3 – Charlie Reid (E-30/B)
Batt 4 –
Batt 5 – Elio Roman (E-26/A)
Batt 6 – Ralph Fernandez (P-59/B)
Batt 7 – Nate Monroe Tanker 52/(C)
Batt 8 – Felipe Lay (CR Route/A)
Batt 9 – Adam Parks (CR Route/B)
Batt 10 – Dave Fernandez (R-16/A)
Batt 11 –
Batt 12 – Heather Peña (R-48/C)
Batt 13 – Kristy Sheridan (E-57/C)
Batt 14 –
I know at times the job can feel a bit mundane and somewhat
rhetorical. Regardless of what stage you are in your career…..
Don’t ever forget why it is that you joined the 昀椀re service. Don’t
ever forget how extremely privileged we are to be able to wear
the uniform. In saying that, giving back is the right thing to do!
Contribute and give back to the countless brothers and sisters
that will unfortunately, one day, need that help. My sincere ask
is that everyone wearing our uniform please give at least $10
per paycheck to Fire昀椀ghter Charities. This isn’t about politics;
this isn’t about left or right or whether you’re pro this or anti that.
Fire昀椀ghter Charities is about you and those you work with at the
昀椀rehouse. If you would like to know how much
you currently give and are considering raising
your contribution to the $10 per paycheck,
please email charities@local1403.org or you
can personally call/text me at (305)733-6445.
Remember in donating a minimum of $10
per paycheck, you will also be entered into
our $75,000+ CASH raf昀氀e at the 2024 Superbowl Watch Party.
Upcoming Charity Events:
By the time you have this magazine in your
hands, we’ll be fully engaged (or 昀椀nished) with
the collection and distribution of toys for the ‘Toys for
Kids’ Toy Drive, recruiting teams for ALA’s ‘Fight for
Air Climb’ event and organizing the BIG Super Bowl
watch party!
The 20th Year Anniversary ‘Fight for Air Climb’ is
also in full effect with registration and fundraising efforts. Local 1403 is returning as Presenting Sponsor
and has been a long-standing partner for all 20 years
January 2024 | JUMPLINE Magazine