Good News! Newsletter

The good news page of this website will feature success stories about interaction between human beings creating positive memories that can never be taken away. Previous Issues Oakland Firefighters Random Acts has been busy. We invite you to go to the web site and see the updated version. The internet address is: www.ofrandomacts.org. It contains a lot of the photos and stories of what we have been up to. Thank you to the members who have sent in requests and have created some positive memories for yourselves and others. Keep them coming! Put February 8th, 2003 on your calendar for the Second Annual Random Acts Awards and Dinner Dance. MC Mel Andrews will be back with more surprises. Our Cabo San Lucas raffle winners, Ray and Sheri Banks are enjoying their week in the Mexican sun as this is being written. On June 29th, 2002 the U.S. Postal Service dedicated their new Heroes Stamp at the Oakland Coliseum prior to an A's vs. Giants game. Larry Sampson sang the National Anthem and our firefighters were recognized for all that they do in front of a packed stadium. A September 11th, 2002 memorial program created by firefighters is now under way. It will be held in front of Oakland City Hall starting at 11:00 am and will feature some of our USAR personnel and equipment. They will be on hand to meet with the citizens they serve. It will conclude at 1:00 pm. The evening portion of the program will begin at 7:00 pm with an uplifting message that will celebrate the incredible diversity of the City of Oakland; the second-most diverse city in the United States. Larry Sampson, a former Castleer, will perform with the Castlemont Castleers. The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir is also planning to appear. Dennis Richmond, Channel 2 Anchorman is scheduled to MC the evening. We are inviting the entire City to join us and remember what took place on September 11th, 2001. We are seeking sponsorship for 3,000 candles to be passed out and lit during the program. Everyone is invited to participate in the creation and presentation of our expression of solidarity with the citizens of the City of New York. Please join us in making this a memorable evening. If you have any ideas and would like to help, please call us at (510) 597-5034 or visit our web site and click on "Contact Us", then send us an e-mail. And, finally, we would like to invite any retirees who would like to participate in our program, post positive information about charities close to their hearts, or have information about upcoming events to contact us via telephone or the internet. We would be happy to post your information on our website. Random Acts has been very active since our last issue thanks to the many requests we have received. Without your help, there could be no Random Acts. So please, keep making a positive difference in the lives of others and send in more request forms for a Random Act of your own! 1,000 Boxes of Cereal to Oakland's Hungry Many Oakland firehouses participated recently in helping Mom Green help others. Mom feeds many needy people every month, folks who otherwise would go without. A lot of these people she helps are children. Well, Mom put out a request for cereal, and the OFD came through for her in a big way. She couldn't believe her eyes when over 1,000 boxes were delivered to her door. Special thanks to George Wells - 25 Engine, who was able to get 300 boxes donated by General Mills and to 18 Engine and 27 Engine for helping collect and deliver all the goods to Mom. Nice going! The cereal was then distributed by Mom to the Mandela House, Project Help, East Oakland Youth Center and many other needed organizations that help to feed Oakland's hungry. 200 Water Bottles to Champ Camp On June 15th, 2002, Random Acts donated 200 water bottles to the campers at the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation's Champ Camp. Every year, young burn survivors from all over California attend this esteem-building, inspirational, totally fun summer camp located on the Wonder Valley Ranch, outside of Fresno. If you want to experience something very rewarding next summer, you may want to consider becoming a camp counselor at Champ Camp. Some OFD Champ Camp Counselors who would be more than willing to share their experiences with you and point you in the right direction for getting involved include Keith ("Flash") Flashberger - 21 Engine, Robert ("Jester") Lipp - 20 Engine, Jenny ("Sugar") Ray - 12 Engine, Bao ("Big") To - 18 Engine, and Tracy ("Squishy") Chin - 13 Engine. Get involved with Champ Camp next summer!!! Books Donated to Franklin School Franklin Elementary School, in Oakland's Eastlake District, is the pilot school for Random Acts of Reading, a novel (no pun intended!) program dreamed up by James "Gravy Pockets" Smith, 16 Engine to bring literacy and a love of reading to young people. Each month, Oakland firefighters donate 30 minutes and read their favorite children's stories to a classroom full of young people. On June 25, 2002 Hanns Detlefsen - 18 Engine, a Random Acts of Reading volunteer, purchased and donated 25 new books for a second-grade class he had been reading to. The kids in this class were all ESL (English second language) students. Every kid in the class received a new book to read. Keep up the good work, Hanns, and all the other Random Acts of Reading volunteers! Backpack & CD Player Donated Recently, members of Station #20 joined with Randy Kirschner, 3 Engine in assisting a burn survivor living in their district. Last year, Raul Alcala was asleep in his East Oakland home when he awoke to smoke and flames. Instead of rushing out of the house, he began to search for the baby son of his roommate, who had already escaped. Raul was caught in an explosion, and Raul was burned over 80% of his body. The baby and mother perished in the fire. After spending many weeks in a burn ward, during which time one of his legs and one his arms was amputated. His face and torso were also severely disfigured. After being released by the hospital, Raul's mother came from Mexico to take care of him. While recuperating, Raul would take a CD player with him in his backpack when he would go out in his wheelchair. Recently, someone stole Raul's backpack and CD player. Fortunately for Raul, Randy Kirschner had heard about what happened and decided to do something positive about it. On May 7th, 2002, Raul was invited to have lunch at Station #20 with the same crew that had responded to Raul's house that terrible day last year. After a delicious lunch, Raul was stunned when Randy gave Raul a brand-new backpack with a CD player inside. In addition, members of the Oakland Fire Department also donated furniture to replace some of Raul's possessions that were totally destroyed. Nice going to Randy and the crew at 20 Engine. You all have made a difference to someone. This really is Oakland Firefighters creating a positive event in the life of an individual through Random Acts of Kindness. Bike Donated at 3 Engine The members of Station 3 recently helped Random Acts Board Member Madge Gates perform a Random Act of Kindness after one of her young neighbors, a five year-old boy named Tay Tay had his bicycle stolen. Madge sent in a request to Random Acts, and on June 11th, 2002 a new bike was delivered via fire engine to the boy by Madge and her friends at Station 3. Woody adjusted the kid's bike seat, Carlos gave out safety tips, and the crew then donated a helmet and a bike lock for Tay Tay. This is one five year-old who believes in wishes coming true. Nice going to all! Bike Donated At 5 Engine Recently, Geremie Dean, an eleven-year-old boy living in 5 Engine's district, had his bike stolen. The crew of 5 Engine responded to an EMS call at the boy's house and was so impressed with the way Geremie handled the situation that Dave Hector made a request the next day to replace the boy's bike. The "A" Shift delivered the bike and Geremie's wish was granted. His smile was contagious when the crew presented him his new bike. Keep up the good work, "Clowns"! Family Fun Run A Success The Second Annual A's 5K Family Fun Run was a resounding success. The race, held on May 12th, 2002 at the Oakland Coliseum, was a lot of fun for all who participated. There were almost 200 runners participating, including over 60 firefighters from around the Bay Area running to support Random Acts and several other local charities. The entry fee was only $25.00, and all runners received a t-shirt, a delicious lunch, and a ticket for that afternoon's A's game versus the Toronto Blue Jays. What a bargain! Thank you to all who ran, walked, or crawled to the finish line. Thanks also to our volunteers who did such a terrific job. Also, thank you to the companies who took the time to come out and support such a great event. We appreciate it. And, lastly, thank you to the Oakland A's and Macy's for making this event possible. We couldn't do it without your assistance. Heros Stamp Unveiled On June 29th, 2002 the United States Postal Service unveiled its new "Heroes" stamp at an Oakland A's game held at the Coliseum. The stamp depicts three NYFD firefighters raising the Stars and Stripes in the aftermath of the World Trade Center collapse. Representatives of the Postal Service presented the new stamp to Chief Simon, Lieutenant Miguel, and Engineer Kirchner, while members of the OFD California Task Force 4 Team were out on the field in front of 50,000 cheering fans. Chief of Department Simon threw out the 1st pitch and Lieutenant Larry Sampson - 16 Engine, sang the National Anthem. The stamp (shown above) sells for $.45 with the extra proceeds going to families of slain and injured emergency workers who died September 11th. Thanks to all who came to the game and showed their support. A special thanks to Jim Whitty - 20 Engine, who sold tickets for this special game to Local 55 members. Silent Auction Items Needed Silent auction items are needed for the upcoming Random Acts Awards and Dinner Dance. If you have a special item you would like to donate, call Steve Miguel - 4 Engine, "B" Shift. OFD History It was right here in Oakland that a revolutionary firefighting apparatus, the aerial ladder, was invented and manufactured by Daniel D. Hayes. Hayes was a native of New York, and had served as a firefighter with No. 2 Engine Company of the New York Volunteer Fire Department and later with No. 42 Engine of the NYFD. He was a mechanical genius with extraordinary vision. He left NYFD and joined the San Francisco Fire Department as "Superintendent of Steamers" in 1866. It was here that many of his ideas sprang to life. The Hayes family home was in the Fruitvale District, and he set his "Fire Apparatus Works" at 511 5th Street in Oakland, Calif. It was here that he designed and built the first fire truck, which for years carried his name and made him famous. In 1868, the SFFD purchased a Hayes Hook and Ladder and was the first fire department in the world to put an aerial ladder into service. Many fire departments soon followed the SFFD (including Oakland), and by 1900, there were over 100 Hayes Hook and Ladders in service in the United States. By this time, Hayes was ready to retire, so he moved his family to the Elmhurst District (20 Engine) and there he took life more leisurely midst the quiet rural beauty Watch the KTOP Video! Random Acts sent a video tape to all Oakland Fire Houses last month. We hope that some of you have taken the time to watch it. KTOP did a wonderful job making the film. For those that haven't seen it, we encourage you to take 25 minutes out of your day to see what Random Acts is all about. The video is also available here on the website in Quicktime format. Random Acts would like to give a very special thank you to East Bay Blueprint & Supply Co. who performed a Random Act of their own by donating their services so we can bring you Good News! East Bay Restaurant Supply donated the metal shelves for Mom Green's garage, and Home Depot provided a discount on the the garage door.