Firefighter charities boost sporting goods stores
VFC splits $20,000 between two shops on items for holiday donations to people in need
Jamie Olson and a few of his buddies did some Christmas shopping in June.
Olson is a Vancouver firefighter and he was one of the lead organizers Tuesday for a dozen or so members of the Vancouver Firefighter Charities (VFC) visiting The Sports Exchange on Burrard Street and Abbies Sports on Main and splitting $20,000 in purchases between the two shops.
The VFC will give out baseball gloves, footballs, hockey nets and other gear to families in need during the holiday season. They would normally go on their buying trip in the fall, but realized that smaller businesses such as Sports Exchange and Abbies were struggling right now because of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
“We’re very fortunate as firefighters to continue to work, to continue to get paycheques and help support our families,” Olson said. “There’s a lot of these smaller businesses that are on the brink of closing. They worry about putting food on their table.
“We have the finances to help them out. It’s an awesome feeling to be able to help out businesses in the community where we work.”
You can imagine what firefighters are going through on the job right now. You can imagine how busy their lives are outside of work. For instance, Olson and his wife Danielle have a nine-monthold daughter named Joelle.
With all that’s going on, there was that group of firefighters on Tuesday, on their days off, donating their time.
“It was tough on me and the others in my crew when COVID started, because there was so much we didn’t know about then,” said Olson, who has been on the job for 4½ years. “Were we going to go to work and catch it? Were we going to bring it back to our hall? Were we going to bring it back to our homes?
“Our department has been very good about giving us information and keeping us up-to-date about what’s going on and what to expect and on safety measures and PPE (personal protective equipment).
“We talk a lot in the fire department about adapting and overcoming, and that’s what we’ve been trying to do.”
Looking at the VFC, one could argue that going above and beyond is standard for firefighters. The VFC raises a portion of its funds internally, through a payroll donation program. According to VFC executive director James Docherty, 87 per cent of the 800 or so firefighters are donating and that is expected to raise $180,000 for this fiscal year.
There was 77-per-cent participation in that program this time last year, says Docherty.
In addition to their own community-based programs such as Sports for Kids and Snacks for Kids, the VFC supports a number of organizations, including the B.C. Children’s Hospital and the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation.
Here’s a more telling tale: a posting went up among the VFC members, asking for volunteers to help with the trips to Sports Exchange and Abbies. Olson says the positions were filled in five minutes.
He says they turned down volunteers for the shopping spree, wanting to limit participants in a bid to be cognizant of physical-distancing measures at the two stores. He added the group included a chief, firefighters who were part of the recent class hired in January, and various seniority levels in-between.
“It’s a culture that is instilled right away when you get hired on,” Olson said. “It’s not just about your four days on, four days off. It’s also about the extra stuff and it’s never a hard time to get members to come out and do these events.”
Docherty, who’s been a firefighter for seven years, added: “We don’t just go and punch a clock. This is a lifestyle. This is about the community we serve. No firefighter ever turns it off.”
Sports Exchange owner Ben Ludwig admitted to being emotional about what the VFC visit meant to him.
COVID-19 has hammered his business, as it has for so many. Sports Exchange does a lot of sales related to baseball and softball. Ludwig says they’ve sold only 10 pairs of baseball cleats this spring. They’d normally be in the 700 range.
“I was looking forward to this from the minute they contacted me to say they were coming,” he said. “This changes things for us. It helps me to keep paying my guys. I can pay some bills. I can worry a little less for a little while longer.
“When it is announced that (amateur) hockey is back is when the stress can start leaving my body. Until then, there will be stress.
“And just about everyone in town is in the same position. Just look at the restaurants. All the small businesses are in tough. I want everyone to be OK. I worry that some guys won’t be able to make it through this.”