Melissa Romas can’t help but enjoy her time volunteering for the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund because, for her, volunteering is a family affair. This daughter of LAFD Captain Steve Romas may love soccer, swimming and hanging out with her friends, but the most fun she’s had lately was riding her quad at the Hook and Ladder Enduro. Now does that sound like your average 11-year-old? Melissa is anything but average.
“I just enjoy helping out,” shares this busy bee who somehow finds time between school, karate lessons, motorcycle riding and track to lend a hand every year at the Hope for Firefighters practice picnic. During this pre-event training, employees from sponsoring companies learn competitive firefighter games, such as the Suit-up and Life Net, Bucket Brigade and Hose Cart Pull. These athletic challenges are part of the event day competition each June. Winners land trophies and, of course, bragging rights. For Melissa, the highlight of training day is “seeing all the people at the picnic listen to my dad teach people the Muster.”
But the picnic isn’t the only place where you might find Melissa lending a hand wherever she can. She also donates her time at the Lane Kemper Softball Tournament every year. It’s another event that involves her immediate family giving back to what some might call her “extended family.” As she explains, “I do it with my family and they help raise a lot of money to help the families of injured firefighters.”
Although Melissa enjoys giving back to the men and women who sacrifice so much to keep others safe, she admits her biggest draw to volunteering is spending time with her father. “Because my dad is a fireman and he likes to work at several events,” she continues. “My favorite thing about working with the charity is being with my dad.”
Meeting people who are dedicated to the same goals as her father and seeing all their hard work reminds Melissa why the charity is so important. Those values plus the community of volunteers who turn every outing into a festive affair is why Melissa just can’t resist coming back year after year.
By Candace Nicholson