Fire Fighters Making A Difference

by: Erin Barnett

 

Posted: May 18, 2020 / 07:51 PM EDT / Updated: May 19, 2020 / 06:15 AM EDT

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Knoxville Fire Fighters Association is taking their support of the community beyond just fighting fires. The association is working to raise money to support many community efforts including feeding seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about the association and ways you can help here.

Despite a year full of adversity the Knoxville Fire Fighters Association was able to help unite the East Tennessee community once again. The goal behind our fundraiser has always been to help make our communities a safer place to live and raise our children. We couldn't make any of this possible though without the help of the dedicated citizens of the Volunteer State. Former KFFA President Kevin Faddis presented $134,500 in checks to local programs to cap off the year. Organizations included: Mobile Meals, St Jude, Make A Wish, Operation Warm, Learn Not To Burn Program, Ronald McDonald House, Red Cross - East Tennessee Chapter, MDA, and East Tennessee Children's Hospital.

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association President Larry McAfee delivering assistance to members of the community affected by the tragedy of house fires.

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association Former President Kevin Faddis presents $70,000 in checks to local programs. Organizations included Make A Wish - helping with the vision to grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition. East Tennessee Children's Hospital - helping to improve the health of children through exceptional comprehensive family centered care, wellness, and education. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - Leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Ronald McDonald House - to help families of young children getting treatment here locally for serious illnesses. It helps with the overwhelming expenses of being away from home and work for extended amounts of time for their child's treatment. MDA - Leading the fight to free individuals and the families who love them from the harm of muscular dystrophy ALS and related muscle-debilitating diseases that take away physical strength, independence and life.

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association  Former Treasurer Rob Cheesman presents $70,000 in checks to local programs. Organizations included Camp Phoenix - helping give children in Tennessee who have suffered from burn injuries a place where they can have fun without the fear of rejection regardless of their physical features or limitations. East Tennessee Red Cross - to help local families who's lives have been devastated by fire and local disaster relief. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - Leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Mobile Meals - to help provide meals for local seniors 60+ years old who cannot cook for themselves and have no one to prepare meals for them. Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Helping the effort to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. MDA - Leading the fight to free individuals and the families who love them from the harm of muscular dystrophy ALS and related muscle-debilitating diseases that take away physical strength, independence and life.

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association helps the fight against cancer with a donation of $25,000 to the University of Tennessee Cancer Institute.

The Knoxville Fire Fighters Association helps by donating over $1,800 to help with equipment and rebuild efforts in Gatlinburg.

KFFA Operation Warm

Sevierville, Tenn. (WVLT)-- The Knoxville Fire Fighters Association donated dozens of coats to children in foster care in Sevier County Thursday.

 

The firefighters say they wanted to make sure the coats went directly into the hands of the kids and not on a shelf. "It's going to go to all of our foster care children we have 147 in the state of Tennessee and this is going to get to them just in the nick of time," said Dr. Walt Mauldin with the Smoky Mountain Children's Home. "This is a new program that we are kind of testing. It's called operation warm, it is big in the northern states through the International Association of Fire Fighters, said Kevin Faddis, Knoxville Fire Fighters Association.

 

The Knoxville Fire Fighters Association is hoping that they can expand the program in the coming years.

Since 2018 the program Operation Warm has been a great success and we've been able to purchase nearly 1400 brand new coats and donate them to the Smoky Mountain Children's Home. We only hope that in the coming years the program continues to grow.

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association Donates $20,000 to the Make A Wish Foundation to help grant  over 30 wishes for children across the region that are suffering from serious or critical illnesses.

Former President Kevin Faddis being presented with a plaque for the first of many wishes granted from the donation made to the Make A wish Foundation.

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association Local 65 reaching out to neighbors in need of assistance after the tragedy of fire strikes home.

KFFA hosts a dinner at Station 1 with kids from the Tennessee Fire Fighters Burn Foundation, Camp Phoenix.

KFFA

Previous Benefit Concerts

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association helps Loudon County woman and her three kids after a house fire. Pictured: Former President Kevin Faddis (right), Emily Schrader (center), and L.C.S.D. Detective Jeff Russell (left)

The Fire Fighters of our nation are rated as having one of the most hazardous occupations in terms of death and injury. Working with the citizens of East Tennessee, perhaps we can change these statistics.

Former KFFA President Lloyd Strawn and Former Treasurer Steve Kidwell present a check.

Knoxville Firefighters respond to a fatal car accident on Southerland Ave

McClung Warehouse fire

Sevierville, Tenn. (WVLT)-- The Knoxville Fire Fighters Association donated dozens of coats to children in foster care in Sevier County Thursday.

Fire Fighters Making A Difference

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association helps the fight against cancer with a donation of $25,000 to the University of Tennessee Cancer Institute.

The Knoxville Fire Fighters Association helps by donating over $1,800 to help with equipment and rebuild efforts in Gatlinburg.

KFFA Operation Warm

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association Donates $20,000 to the Make A Wish Foundation to help grant  over 30 wishes for children across the region that are suffering from serious or critical illnesses.

Former President Kevin Faddis being presented with a plaque for the first of many wishes granted from the donation made to the Make A wish Foundation.

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association Local 65 reaching out to neighbors in need of assistance after the tragedy of fire strikes home.

KFFA hosts a dinner at Station 1 with kids from the Tennessee Fire Fighters Burn Foundation, Camp Phoenix.

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association helps Loudon County woman and her three kids after a house fire. Pictured: Former President Kevin Faddis (right), Emily Schrader (center), and L.C.S.D. Detective Jeff Russell (left)

Former KFFA President Lloyd Strawn and Former Treasurer Steve Kidwell present a check.

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association helps the fight against cancer with a donation of $25,000 to the University of Tennessee Cancer Institute.

The Knoxville Fire Fighters Association helps by donating over $1,800 to help with equipment and rebuild efforts in Gatlinburg.

The firefighters say they wanted to make sure the coats went directly into the hands of the kids and not on a shelf. "It's going to go to all of our foster care children we have 147 in the state of Tennessee and this is going to get to them just in the nick of time," said Dr. Walt Mauldin with the Smoky Mountain Children's Home. "This is a new program that we are kind of testing. It's called operation warm, it is big in the northern states through the International Association of Fire Fighters, said Kevin Faddis, Knoxville Fire Fighters Association.

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association Donates $20,000 to the Make A Wish Foundation to help grant  over 30 wishes for children across the region that are suffering from serious or critical illnesses.

Former President Kevin Faddis being presented with a plaque for the first of many wishes granted from the donation made to the Make A wish Foundation.

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association Local 65 reaching out to neighbors in need of assistance after the tragedy of fire strikes home.

KFFA hosts a dinner at Station 1 with kids from the Tennessee Fire Fighters Burn Foundation, Camp Phoenix.

Fire Fighters Making A Difference

Knoxville Fire Fighters Association Donates $20,000 to the Make A Wish Foundation to help grant  over 30 wishes for children across the region that are suffering from serious or critical illnesses.

Former President Kevin Faddis being presented with a plaque for the first of many wishes granted from the donation made to the Make A wish Foundation.