Project Fire Buddies Seeks To Help More Families In Need

OAK FOREST, IL — Project Fire Buddies, an Oak Forest start-up, is spreading across suburban Chicago quickly, and the group is asking the public to help them find more buddies in your area.

Project Fire Buddies is all about creating relationships with families battling the mental, physical and emotional fight of childhood cancer and other illnesses.

The fire buddies say it all began in December 2016, when a child who was battling cancer developed a high fever. A group of Oak Forest Firefighters answered an emergency call, later transporting the child to the hospital for life-saving treatment. The experience touched the group of emergency officials, who gathered more firefighters who wanted to help families in similar situations.

Fast-forward to 2021, and the non-profit organization that began over four years ago has expanded nationally. The buddies send fire trucks and firefighters to hang out with kids, pass out gifts on holidays, help get equipment for children with special needs and much more.

Project Fire Buddies has even given some children the opportunity to visit sporting events and meet famous people and allowed children to connect with each other.

"Do you know a child who is struggling with disease and needs a reason to smile? Project Fire Buddies wants to hear from you," Project Fire Buddies shared on its Facebook page. "Healthcare privacy laws are important, but they make it hard for us to find kids in need."

Project Fire Buddies currently serves the communities of Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Palos, Orland Park, Midlothain, Markham, Lockport and New Lenox.

If you have a family in mind, head over to this link and fill out a form, inviting the fire buddies to make a family you know smile. Learn more about Project Fire Buddies on its website, here.

Have the fire buddies touch your life in any way? Tell Patch about your experiences in the comments!

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