Hanover area firefighters union raises money for the community

Harrison Jones, Hanover Evening Sun
·2 min read

A local firefighter's union has stepped up to raise money for charities in the community.

The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 2045, also known as the Greater Hanover Area Professional Firefighters Association, usually raises money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association as part of the IAFF's national "fill the boot" campaign.

This year, in addition to fundraising for the MDA, the union members also wanted to give back to local charities in their own community, said IAFF 2045 fundraiser coordinator and Hanover Area Fire & Rescue firefighter Jay Lalley.

Firefighters of the IAFF 2045 union pose for a photo with representatives of the charities they raised money for while they present the checks to the charities, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, at Hanover Area Fire & Rescue's Wirt Park firehouse in Hanover Borough. Front row, from left: firefighter Steve Kaiser, Christy Lucas of Roots for Boots, IAFF 2045 president Howard Billig, Michelle Fox of Olivia's House, Jack Corriere of the Rice Family Foundation, and firefighter Jay Lalley. Back row, from left: firefighter Adriel Garibay, firefighter Bryan Sponseller, firefighter Tim Tyler, Captain Joe Wysocki, Gene Hagenberger of New Hope Ministries, EMT/FF Bryan Bankert, and firefighter Steve Buhl.

In doing so, the union selected four local charities they wanted raise funds for, Lalley said.

The selected local charities for this year's fundraiser were:

In addition, the union raised money towards a planned Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association fallen firefighters memorial in Harrisburg.

Through several fundraiser drives, the union was able to raise $2,900 for each of the local charities, on top of the roughly $5,800 for the MDA boot drive, said Lalley.

The effort to raise money for local charities is planned to continue, Lalley said, and they are looking to rotate charities between years to help as many local organizations out as they can.

While volunteer fire departments thrive on fundraisers, fundraising isn't a typical part of the job for paid firefighters like Lalley. Despite that, Lalley is thankful that the two municipalities have allowed the firefighters in Hanover and Penn Township to raise money for the charities in some of their downtime on the job.

"I'm very thankful that our employers, the borough and township, allow our staff on shift to do boot drives," said Lalley, who noted firefighters still respond to all emergency calls without delay while taking part in fundraising activities like the boot drives.

"Hanover is a really good community," said Lalley, "and we'd like to see these things stay in the community."

Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for The Evening Sun. Contact him at hjones@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Hanover, Pa. firefighters union raises money for the community