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Tag: donations

  • Holiday police program benefits needy Citrus Heights families

    Citrus Heights police holiday referral program
    Officer Dave Jones, left, joins a team in delivering bags filled with Holiday Referral donations last year. Photo courtesy, CHPD.

    Updated Dec. 16, 5:44 p.m.–
    Kicking off the season of giving, the Citrus Heights Police Department announced it is again partnering with the community this year through its annual Holiday Referral Program — a community-involved effort created to help families who experienced a hardship over the past year.

    “Our goal is to give [in-need families] a very nice holiday Christmas along with presents and a Christmas meal,” said Police Support Services Manager Sandy Maraviov. She called the annual program “fantastic” and said 90 adults and 314 kids were helped last year, after being referred by community members.

    Now in its seventh year, police said the program has brought together dozens of business groups, churches, schools, and residents to help donate food, household items, toys and clothes – with donations again being sought this year. The Department said in a recent news release that it “[relies] heavily on the community to help make the effort a success,” and encouraged local businesses to place donation bins in their lobbies for collecting new toys, clothes and other items.

    Last year, police and City officials helped personally deliver donated items, which included 65 turkeys. The same day, 13 lucky students were also given free gift cards and were taken on a trip to Walmart for CHPD’s annual “Shop with a Cop” event.

    [From last year: Police hand out ‘holiday cheer’ to Citrus Heights families, kids]

    To be considered for the program, referred families must have “experienced a hardship or critical event in their life over the past year that has caused a significant change in their financial abilities.” Maraviov said citizens or businesses wishing to take responsibility for assisting a referred family this season can also request to “adopt a family” for the Holiday program.

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    Donations will be accepted inside the police department until Dec. 21, at 6315 Fountain Square Dr. Drop-off hours are between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Items must be unwrapped, and used or expired items will not be accepted.

    Those interested in volunteering or adopting a family are invited to email holidayreferral@citrusheights.net, or call (916) 727-5500. Referral applications are available at www.CitrusHeightsPD.net.

  • Firefighters hit streets for local burn fundraiser, safety fair

    In an effort to raise funds for burn survivors, hundreds of firefighters from across the state will be out seeking to fill boots with donations at the intersection of Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane this weekend during the 21st annual “Fill the Boot for Burns” fundraiser in Citrus Heights.

    Fire fighters in street, sign. Charity event in Citrus Heights. Photo by Luke Otterstad
    A sign on Sunrise Boulevard alerts drivers to be on the lookout for fire “fighters in street” for the upcoming boot drive.

    Reporting donations totaling over $100,000 last year, the local four-day fundraiser is one of several dozen “boot drives” across the state that together raised over half-a-million dollars last year for the Firefighters Burn Institute — a Sacramento-based nonprofit which helps provide treatment and recovery programs for burn survivors, as well as host burn-related training and kids camps.

    Weather permitting, the weekend fundraiser will also have a safety fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, featuring a “Jaws of Life” car-cutting demonstration by Metro Fire, a live helicopter landing, fire truck and ambulance displays, clowns, face painting, vendor booths and more, according to an event flier.

    The Citrus Heights Police Department will also be supporting the firefighters’ effort, according to CHPD Sergeant Mike Wells, who said officers will have a patrol vehicle and one of their new three-wheeled Trikkes on display during the safety fair — along with “a K-9 officer and his partner (dog) on site for the community to meet.”

    Tyler Craft, a firefighter-paramedic with Metro Fire Station 21 in Citrus Heights, said he’ll be one of two firemen helping “raise” attention to the fundraiser by serving as a “basket-sitter” atop an extended ladder truck at the intersection for “72 straight hours.” He called the endurance test “nothing close” to the grueling pain burn patients endure.
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    Craft said all “boot” funds collected will go directly to the burn institute, which was founded by firefighters in 1973 after a Sacramento plane crash killed 22 people and burned many others. The Institute has continued in its mission to support research and benefit burn survivors through the years, notably giving $2 million toward the new UC Davis Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center, named in recognition of the Institute’s contributions.

    “The Firefighters Burn Institute here in Sacramento has seriously put Sacramento on the map for burn care,” said Craft, commenting that burn survivors fly in from all over northern California for care. “It truly is a premier burn center.”

    —
    “Fill the Boot for Burns” charity event
    When: Thurs. – Sun., Feb. 12-15, 2015
    9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    Where: Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane, intersection

    Safety Fair:
    When: Saturday Feb. 14
    11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
    Where: Sunrise Mall parking lot (Sunrise/Greenback)

    Safety Fair Flier: Safety-Flyer-2015.pdf