Meal of Thanks to Honor Local Fire Heroes

It's a normal afternoon at High Point University, as students in the cafeteria chat about their Thanksgiving break plans. Kim Groomes, a junior, looks sullen and not excited about the conversation."I'm not going home to see my family because Fred (her boyfriend) only has Thanksgiving day off from the station and I want to spend it with him, so I’m stuck alone until and after then. "

As families across the nation give thanks and sit down for Thanksgiving dinner, it is important to remember that thousands of civic officials such as firefighters will be listening to the station radio instead of sitting next to their loved ones this holiday season.

A Meal of Thanks

To show their gratitude, High Point University's Phi Mu Fraternity decided to cook their local fire heroes

a meal of true thanks.

Vice president of Phi Mu fraternity, Leah Wilson, said," I loved when we first walked up to see their faces. They were totally stunned when they saw fifty girls coming their way. I didn't specify how many of us there were at first. They were definitely happy!"

Just as the girls were setting up the food for the eager fire fighters, the alarm went off.

According to Leah Wilson, "It was hysterical when they had to leave because they had a fire to put out! Seeing them in action, really put into perspective how much they just give up. I mean they literally put their time with their families aside, to be able to respond to calls like that at the drop of a dime."

PREPARATION

Organized by Holly Smoot, president of Phi Mu fraternity, and Leah Wilson,the hopes of providing such a dinner were first discussed early in the semester.

"It took quite a bit of planning and preparation. I had to first contact the fire department headquarters and then this particular one. It was hard to get a hold of them at first."

Ms.Wilson is referring to Station 1 located on Centennial St, in High Point North Carolina. She first called the fire department headquarters and from there worked with the community service department which directed her to Cheif King We at Station 1. The girls prepared three different lasagnas, salads, stuffing, casseroles, cranberry sauce, bread rolls and of course, turkey.

A GREAT RESULT

After dinner the firemen then took the girls on a tour of the station and let them take a ride in the fire trucks. At one point they actually all experienced what it would be like to hear a fire alarm in the night.

Overall, the girls said they had a great time. Holly Smoot said, "I'm glad we were able to reach out to the community through this event. I feel like they were most appreciative. This was the first time we had ever done anything like this as a chapter, but I hope that we can continue to incorporate things like these that can have more meaning for the girls."

The girls plan to continue to work with Station 1 and hope to make their meal of thanks an annual event. Leah Wilson sums it up, "I think they really liked us and appreciated our time! I imagine that we will be partners for a while!"

Related Links

Created for Firefighters by a Firefighter

Phi Mu