Christina Winstead loves devoting her time to the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund. The Senior Account Manager for Har-Bro, Inc. (a longtime sponsor of the charity) has been a volunteer for four years and is on the Hope for Firefighters general committee where she helps organize the annual event. In fact, it was her work on the committee that led her to volunteer more time.
She said, “I have been exposed to the Hope for Firefighters event and found it to be not only an amazing event, but a fundraiser for an awesome cause. All I wanted to know was ‘How can I get more involved?'”
Soon she began volunteering at the LAFD Invitational golf tournament. For her, giving her time is a way to show her support and appreciation for our heroes. “I am so thankful for our firefighters and their families. They sacrifice so much for us. They have all given us a wonderful gift of safety and security, knowing that they will always be there for us in our times of need,” she said. “Their families let them go each day not knowing [what] that day will hold for them. To sum it up, I am extremely thankful.”
And after all that hard work is done, she enjoys hanging out with the people she helps. She said, “I love the time we spend as a whole at McCormick & Schmick’s after Hope for Firefighters. It is wonderful to sit down with everyone, get to know the firefighters, board members, retired firemen and their families. I love hearing the stories of the individuals who benefit from this fund. It makes all of the hard work totally worth it!”
If you’d like to volunteer and have fun like Christina, please sign up online at wodff.org/volunteer.
By David Vienna