Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson Co. Salutes Two Jefferson Co. Volunteer Companies On International Firefighter Day

Hanover and Kent receive endowments from the foundation

Tomorrow (5/4) is International Firefighter Day - a day to recognize & honor the sacrifices firefighters make to ensure that their communities & environment are as safe as possible. Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson Co. have three endowments that directly benefit two volunteer fire departments in western Jefferson County.

Richard Tevis Heck served as a firefighter in Jefferson County for over 50 years. Thirty-three of those years were with the Hanover Volunteer Fire Company. In order to give back to the fire company he served in, he & his wife established the Richard Tevis Heck/Ruth Irwin Heck Fund for the Hanover Volunteer Fire Company. Each year, grants from this fund are made to the fire company to help them fulfill their mission of keeping the Hanover community safe.

Two of endowments at the Foundation that benefit the Kent Volunteer Fire Company. Here's more about them:

To help support the operations of the fire company, the Ladies Auxiliary was created in 1981. This group held fundraisers to help with equipment purchases & other needs of the department. In 1996, the auxiliary decided to create the Ladies' Auxiliary of Kent Fire Department Endowment Fund. Then treasurer Laura Boldery said about the new endowment, "In the past, just about any time the firemen needed something badly, we found a way to help them. We wanted to somehow continue to do this with the money we had saved, so we decided to establish the endowment at the Community Foundation."

The next year (1997), the James T. and Jennie P. Ford Endowment for the Kent Volunteer Fire Company was established. James Ford was a farmer from the Kent area, & wanted to help the Kent community while also creating a legacy for himself & his late wife. Because of his forethought and generosity, over $60,000 has been granted back to the fire company since the fund's creation in 1997.

Thank you not only to the volunteers of these two fire departments, but to ALL of our volunteer firefighters in Jefferson County! We salute & THANK YOU for keeping us all safe in times of emergency!