Christian-Baker Company

From Despair to Elation: A Volunteer Fire Co.'s Story of Faith

For nearly a decade, the Grampian Volunteer Fire Department held hoagie sales, luncheons, and other fund raising events to raise money to purchase a new fire truck.

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The department’s old truck was over 30 year’s old, and approaching mechanical failure.

As the years passed, their savings account grew, and in 2003, they reached their funding goal. Representatives of the department located an individual who promised to find them the vehicle they needed, and the committee traveled to Ohio to pay for the truck

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Time passed, and with no communications from the salesman, they grew restless. Telephone calls were made, but no calls were returned. Then, the bad news came; the salesman had fled with their entire truck payment, and the department wondered what to do next.

I was in Grampian to purchase a four wheel drive vehicle, and while the final paperwork was  being concluded, Tom Simbeck suggested that I visit  with Barbara McCracken, head of the Fire Department, to offer assistance. I drove over to the Fire Department, and met Barbara, and asked her how I could assist. She shared with me that the company had just lost $60,000 that they had taken years to accumulate, and with their grant writer leaving town and the deadline fast approaching, was at a loss for what to do next.

I offered to meet with their committee the next morning, a Saturday, and review their efforts to date on the U.S. Homeland Security grant. We met the next morning, and determined what remained to be completed for grant submission, due the next day. I offered to gather and fax to them the items needed to add to the on-line submission, and promised to present this needed information to them Sunday afternoon.

Barbara and her committee completed the grant, and forwarded it to Homeland Security by the deadline. Several months passed with no news, and then Barbara received the good news that she and  her department had been hoping for: they were being awarded a grant of $180,000 that would  help  them and  their community purchase a brand new fire truck. One that would service not only their community, but several surrounding ones as well!

As wonderful as this news was, better news approached! Shortly after receiving the new truck, as fate would have it, their was a fire at a home of one of the community members, and with the prompt response of the fire department with the new fire truck, a home, and perhaps even a family was protected. What made this final good news especially wonderful was that Barbara’s son, Scott, who was a member of the committee seeking the fire truck replacement grant, was the first family who benefitted from having the new community protecting fire truck.

WHAT WAS LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE

Several lessons were learned from this experience. First, we learned that although some salesmen are not honest, most are. Second, the development of detailed bid specifications defining the respective responsibilities of all parties will help in protecting the honorable efforts of community members seeking to protect lives and property. Third, and equally important, any of us will be, at to-be-discovered moments, be presented with opportunities to help others; all we need to do is to recognize them for what they are, and offer our time, expertise, or at minimum, a helping hand.
   
William I. Armstrong, RSBA
West Side Grant Writing & Consulting Services
bca07@atlanticbb.net