Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE - Syracuse Fire Department and a local designer are selling symbolic T-shirts to help raise money for the public safety personnel in New York - EMTs, firefighters, police officers, etc.
And the Syracuse Fire Department wants other area fire departments to join in the effort.
"This is something we'd like to see as many fire departments take part in as possible," said David Butler, of Butler Design Agency, Syracuse. Local fire departments can contact the Syracuse Fire Department about helping to sell the shirts and raise the money.
"It's just a great location for distributing" the shirts, Butler said of selling the shirts at the fire stations. He said the Syracuse Fire Department is excited about the shirt sales and firemen are hustling to help raise money for the personnel in New York dealing with the aftermath of Tuesday's terrorist attacks.
The shirts are white and red. "It's a patriotic look," said Butler. "It's our colors." The artwork is symbolic, he said, and the shirt reads "One Nation Under God" with the date Sept. 11, 2001. "It's a real symbolic shirt. ... There's nothing negative about it. ... I think it's kind of neat. It's taken off here already."
For each shirt purchased for $10, $7.50 will go toward helping the public safety personnel.
He said they are already 400 orders behind and have taken in $5,000, having just gotten started.
The idea behind the shirts, he said, was from Gene and Peg Kitson. "It was their inspiration, their idea," Butler said. "From there, it became a community effort."
By other fire departments helping with shirt sales, he said, a significant amount of money can be raised.
