For Immediate Release: January 31, 2014 State Media Inquiries: Peter S. Carozza, Jr., President Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of CT pcarozza@aol ‐ 203‐592‐7331 Program Information: Renee Koerner, Operation Warm [email protected] – 610.388.2500 Connecticuts Unionized Fire Fighters Warm the Hearts of Needy Children with New Winter Coats West Hartford, CT – On Friday January 31, 2014, Connecticuts Unionized Fire Fighters affiliated with the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut will begin distributing brand‐new winter coats to 350 less‐fortunate children in partnership with Operation Warm, a national non‐profit dedicated to warming the hearts, minds and bodies of children in need. The collaboration of Operation Warm and the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut, the state affiliate of the International Association of Fire Fighters, has created a nation and Connecticut‐wide community outreach program that has become the largest of its kind. Together, professional fire fighters and Operation Warm have served 35,000 children with brand‐new winter coats in every corner of the US. Although Connecticut is one of the more fortunate states in the union for average family income, that does not mean that there are many families and children who fall below the poverty line and are in need of assistance especially for warm clothing in the winter, stated Peter S. Carozza, Jr., President of the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut. “On the job, fire fighters witness the sad truth that many of our citizens are in need of help and we are committed to serving these families and kids beyond the 911 call, he stated. The Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters Association of Connecticut is working closely with its affiliated local unions to identify children in desperate need of coats. Distribution of the 350 coats has begun and local affiliated unions of the UPFFA and IAFF are hoping to be on site at targeted schools to surprise children with bright, new coats in just the right size. Fire Fighters will personally fit each child with their new coat, helping them to select their favorite color and to write their name in the interior tag which reads, “Made Especially for You.” The coats, made especially for this nation‐wide program, are 100% American‐made. “This is so much more than a coat,” added Vince Fusco, President of Hartford Fire Fighters Local 760. “Beyond warmth and dignity for children, American coat production targets a root cause of poverty for so many families.” In year one of Operation Warm’s American manufacturing, fire fighters will provide 30,000 children with American‐made winter coats. The first known production to be brought back to the USA, the unique program has supported over 200 jobs for Americans. The special new coat celebration is the culmination of a national fundraising campaign led by Operation Warm and the International Association of Firefighters to warm the hearts of children across the country. Connecticuts Unionized Firefighters fundraise year round to support this and many other charities they elect to support. LEARN MORE: Operation Warm Teams with the International Association of Firefighters to provide More than a Coat - Operation Warm is dedicated to providing new winter coats to U.S. children in need and has reached more than 1.2 million children since 1998. The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) is comprised of 300,000 professional fire fighters nationally while the Uniformed Professional Fire Fighters represents 4,500 career fire fighters throughout Connecticut who are dedicated to serving their communities beyond the traditional call of duty. In 2012, the IAFF joined Operation Warm in their fight against poverty, forming a localized program, Firefighters Coats for Kids, which provides children of economically struggling families with a sense of dignity and hope through the gift of a brand‐new, American‐made winter coat. iaff.org operationwarm.org firefighterscoatsforkids.org ###
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 14:23:20 +0000
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