First-responders honored at recognition dinner
WAYNESBURG — Greene County first-responders, including police departments, fire departments, emergency medical services agencies and the 911 center, are vital organizations responsible for the safety and protection of area residents. With each call for help, these service workers, some of them volunteers, put their lives and well-being on the line to serve the community.
To honor the county’s first-responders, the Rotary Club of Waynesburg and the Lions Club recently co-hosted a dinner at Waynesburg University’s Benedum Dining Hall. More than 150 people attended the dinner with 17 of the area’s 24 first-responder organizations represented.
“Time and again, the men and women of these organizations step up to protect our community without any recognition,” said Joy Eggleston, president of the Waynesburg Rotary Club. “The mission of the event was to honor these organizations that mean so much to us all, to thank them for all they do and give us a chance to reflect on what our communities would be without them.”
The idea for holding the initial first-responders dinner came from Rotarian Dave Cumberledge, whose son Brian is a Waynesburg firefighter.
“Dave planted the idea of honoring our first-responders sometime last year,” said Eggleston. “In the past two years, we had several horrific fires. One on Richhill Street took the lives of two children. Another in Avalon Court was very severe, so we decided to seek a way to honor the brave men and women who put their own lives and safety at risk to help others.”
To help finance the dinner, the co-hosts initiated a fundraiser without knowing how successful it might become. Williams, an integrated natural gas company with operations in Greene County, came through as the event’s sponsor with a $5,000 contribution. Eleven other donors made contributions of $500 or more.
“The fundraiser was so successful, we co-hosts were able to make a $2,500 contribution of our own to the annual First-Responders Greene Ride, a motorcycle tour through Greene County meant to raise funds for a needy resident afflicted by some malady such as cancer,” said Eggleston.
The 2011 ride beneficiary, 2-year-old Sydney Willson, attended the banquet, and her father, Patrick, thanked the group for helping his daughter, who has been fighting Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, for the past year.
Peg Blair, incoming president of the Waynesburg Lions Club, opened the program. State Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Eighty Four, who was unable to attend because he was still in legislative session in Harrisburg, sent a video recorded tribute and message for the first-responders.
A moving video, produced by the Waynesburg Volunteer Fire Department as a tribute to their 85th anniversary this year, brought to life the risks faced by first-responders each time they answer a call. Beth Barnhart compiled the video, set to a song titled “Don’t Call Me a Hero” by Jeff Batson.
“The video may have a lot of Waynesburg Franklin Fire Department footage, but anyone in the room can imagine their own fire department in these scenes,” said Jeff Marshall, Waynesburg Franklin VFD chief.
Rob Schiffbauer, volunteer firefighter at the Carmichaels/Cumberland VFD, also contributed a video. Using a helmet camera he wore, he captured footage of actual fires, car accidents and other emergencies.
At the buffet dinner catered by the Waynesburg University Food Service, each of the first-responder organizations were presented with a free-standing, flame-shaped award. Solobay’s office, represented by chief of staff Sharon Willison, also presented each of the organizations with leather-bound citations. The Greene County commissioners, represented by Pam Snyder, and the Rotary Club, represented by Archie Trader, also gave additional citations.
“My big challenge at the event was to make sure each organization would feel equally special because they’re a team that works together to keep our community safe and protected,” said Eggleston. “In the future, we would love to see the First-Responders Dinner become a recurring event.”
Honored Organizations:
Bobtown VFC/EMS
Carmichaels Borough Police
Carmichaels / Cumberland Township VFC
Center Township VFC
Clarksville VFC/EMS
Crucible VFC
Cumberland Township Police Department
EMS Southwest
Graysville VFC
Greene County Emergency Management
Greene County Sheriff Department
Greensboro/Mon Township VFC/EMS
Jefferson VFC/EMS
Morris Township VFC
Mount Morris Medical Squad
Mount Morris VFC
Nemacolin VFC/EMS
New Freeport VFC
Pennsylvania State Police-Waynesburg
Rices Landing VFC/EMS
Richhill Township VFC/EMS
Wayne Township VFC
Waynesburg Borough Police Department
Waynesburg/Franklin Township VFC