Hi, I'm Kelli, a new team member...

I am new to the WPI Firefighters' Fund and very excited to be involved in its third annual Chili Cook-Off! Working for its corporate sponsor, I am lucky enough to have a job where I get the chance to help organize events that help others.

One thing I have already realized is that a lot of work goes into organizing these events! It is June and our chili cook-off is not until October, but we are already making flyers, sending invitations, and lining up vendors and advertisers.

This past Saturday I attended a chili cook-off in Dallas, and although it was a hot summer day, that did not stop the chili fanatics from coming out. Everyone seemed very excited about attending our upcoming cook-off, so I really do hope to see them there.

On a side note, although I always had a huge amount of respect for our nation’s firefighters, I am in awe of just how much they do for us. I was astounded to learn that many of them are actually volunteers. I recently read a quote that said, “Most people want to get away from trouble. When you’re a public servant, you’re going toward trouble.” We should all feel grateful to have these firefighters risking their lives and offering their time to help others.

I am proud to take part in the Fund and help organize this year’s Chili Cook-Off, and am looking forward to the event!

List your event!

Did you know that the web has tons of events listings? Well of course, you did, but I didn’t know about these listings until a couple of years ago.

Since I have my own event every October, I decided to mix it up with the people that manage these listings, and I am now on every kind of event listing you can imagine – some just for women, some just for cowboys, some for the state of Texas. I even entered my event on one that is all about international events – because, well, my event is an international event to someone – somewhere.

It's Chili Time!

OK, it’s finally time to get everybody I can think of involved in our annual fundraiser, the Stop, Drop, & Roll Chili Cook-Off!

I’m really excited about some of the events we have scheduled for the cook-off...we have beauty queens, we have clowns, we have musicians, we have chili teams forming, we have a bouncy house that looks like a fire truck, and we even have some big name participants. ESPN, Budweiser, & BNSF Railways are getting involved...have I impressed you yet?

Mark your calendar—October 13, 2007—and get your details at http://www.wpifirefightersfund.org/.

I love getting ready for the Stop, Drop, & Roll Chili Cook-Off—let the craziness begin!

Always thinking of others...

I received a request today from a fire chief of a small volunteer department in West Texas unlike any other that has come my way since first delving into the world of helping firefighters.

The fire chief had placed an application for a grant with my organization in February 2007. His VFD’s radio tower was knocked out in an ice storm in January, which meant a “lack of communication” for the firefighters – a completely unacceptable situation in the world of first responders. The department needed $6,000 to make repairs and get communications back on line. However, the request came in right after we disbursed what we had left from 2006 fundraising efforts, so we couldn't help them.

He called just to let me know that the State Department of Health was going to provide the funding to get the radio tower up and running again! He asked for me to ensure that his application was completely withdrawn because “there are so many VFDs that are in need.”

I love these guys/gals – they are always thinking of others.

Getting the word out

Advertising…not a skill set I’ve yet been able to master.

I’m contemplating the best way to reach the general public for the WPI Firefighters’ Fund Chili Cook-Off, our annual fundraiser. The big daily newspapers are too expensive for my budget, and the small local newspapers seem to be hit and miss—I tried them last year, but I don’t think they generated much response.

I am thinking about using a billboard this year, something that people will see almost every day for 4 weeks prior to the event. Now for the next step: location, location, location.

An unacceptable cost

According to an article on www.firechief.com, the National Institute of Standards and Technology recently studied the annual cost of addressing and preventing firefighter injuries in the US, and they estimated that the cost is between $2.7 and $7.8 billion. The National Fire Protection Association puts that estimate even higher—at about $16.7 billion per year—by including a variety of indirect costs, such as

• labor spent investigating firefighter injuries
• the cost of training firefighters
• physical fitness and wellness programs
• the amount fire departments pay in medical insurance for firefighters
• court settlements to injured firefighters

With either estimate, these are staggering numbers—but I can’t help wondering, what percentage of the $16.7 billion is from the costs associated with court settlements to injured firefighters? And why would injured firefighters even need to go to court in order to receive a settlement? Why are they in the position of fighting for their benefits? Hmm, looks like the attorneys win again…

A ringing endorsement

Amazing what an endorsement from the right person can do for your non-profit. I was fortunate to receive such an endorsement just last week from Kay Granger, a Congresswoman for the 12th District of Texas in the U.S Congress. Representative Granger wrote a letter on behalf of our humble little group, encouraging others to give. OK, that might not impress you, but I am telling you it really helps open doors—I have seen it happen. Corporations that I have repeatedly tried to approach for support (with no success) suddenly become very interested when I attach this endorsement. I am not much of a political player, but I will take this one every time.