Strongsville Fire Department and We Care Bring Holiday Joy to Appalachia

STRONGSVILLE, OH - On Dec. 9, the Strongsville Fire Department did something it's been doing for nearly three decades, but it wasn't putting out a fire or pulling the neighborhood cat from a tree. The firefighters got together and loaded up a truck for the We Care organization, which brings much-needed goods to poverty-stricken areas of Appalachia.

We Care was founded in 1989 by Terry Evans. She was doing volunteer work for another organization at the time. Her 25th high school reunion brought her back to the area of Whitesville, West Virginia. During her stay in her old home town, she was continually struck by the blatant signs of poverty and disrepair throughout the town. She ventured a little further out and found that in several towns throughout Boone and Raleigh counties, the poverty was endemic.

When she returned home, she was motivated to do something. So she founded We Care and began collecting donations for shoes, coats, food, anything that could help the people of that region. The residents of Strongsville were generous in their support, so Evans got a tractor trailer to store all of the items in...only she was one woman and there were some heavy items to be lifted.

Luckily, one of her friends knew someone at the Strongsville Fire Department and asked if their firefighters wouldn't mind, maybe, loading up a tractor for a good cause? The department agreed and 27 years later, the partnership continues.

For the last several years, the department has even sent one of its former chiefs to drive the tractor trailer down to West Virgina. For the past few years, that honor has fallen to former chief Jeff Branic. In fact, Evans just returned from her trip down to West Virginia to oversee the distribution of the donated goods.

"I got to visit in a couple of schools and churches, where the donations went. I got to see how different Christmas is to those people there, where they don’t have a lot," she said. "There’s not any recreation in the area for the kids. Families and friends mean so much to them at this time of year when we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. They’re so grateful for what they have."

It's the need and the gratitude that partly leads to Strongsville Fire's continued partnership with We Care. Current Fire Chief Jack Draves said that, "Unfortunately, in our line of work, you sometimes see people at their worst. Especially when a fire rips through a house and destroys everything, you are sympathetic to need. Knowing the history of this particular region, the area is struggling to survive, and I know that I feel a need to help those people. I would venture a guess that everyone who helps this program feels the same way."

This year, We Care focused on getting coats and shoes to the kids in the Appalachia region. To help with the effort, Draves sent out a letter to local schools and asked them to contribute coats to the cause. Saints Joseph and John, Muraski and Chapman all responded with massive drives. Saints Joseph and John sent a massive donation of 13 or so garbage bags full of coats. Muraski and Chapman both sent several garbage bags each full of coats. It was a big haul for We Care.

With so many donations, We Care needed the extra muscle from the Strongsville Fire Department more than ever. Evans says she's extremely grateful to the Strongsville Fire Department. She couldn't stop gushing over how wonderful the men of that department are, regardless of their participation with We Care.

"They are the most loving, compassionate group of people that I’ve ever worked with. That’s not just our program. They’re a great group of people up there," she said.

Evans said that even though her organization has been able to contribute so much to the children and parents of Appalachia, she still sometimes wishes the organization was larger, more capable of soliciting donations and inspiring volunteers. She thinks part of her problem is media, it's part of why she agreed to participate in this story.

"To know your impact can reach beyond this area….it’s important," she said. "There’s a lot of people with a disability that we service that it’s so important for us to reach out to. For some of them, a coloring book, or a new pair of shoes, may be the only gift they get."

Photos from City of Strongsville