Firefighters spread donations to area charity groups

Coming off a very successful boot drive earlier this month, the Leamington Firefighters’ Association was proud to provide some of their proceeds to two worthy charities on Thursday, The Salvation Army and Toys 4 Tots. 

Cheques were presented to both organizations just prior to the puck drop at the Flyers/Chargers game December 14 at Highbury Arena, with Salvation Army Leamington receiving $15,000 and Toys 4 Tots receiving $3,000. 

Asked why these charities were chosen by the Firefighters Association, Captain Roger Elliott said, “They are local and give us the best bang for the buck.” 

Lorne Bradt of Toys 4 Tots indicated that the monies would be used towards gifts for teens as this age group doesn’t receive as many donations from the public as compared to what is received for younger kids. 

Bradt, a former Leamington firefighter, was part of a group that started collecting for Toys 4 Tots in 1989 and wanted to give out a big “thank you” for the funds.

Jerry Sleiman, a former captain with the Leamington Fire Department, accepted the cheque on behalf of the Salvation Army as they were busy manning the Christmas kettles around town. 

Sleiman shared that the money will all stay local and will help stock the food bank over the next little while.

In addition to those two charities, other charities to receive funds were The Bridge Youth Resource Centre ($1,000) and Leamington Crisis Unit ($1,000).