Colusa Fire hosting Cinderella Project to support local youth

The Colusa Fire Department and the Colusa Firefighters Association are now hosting The Cinderella Project to honor Cindy O’brien – the mother of one of the department’s volunteers – and the support she provided to the students of the Colusa Unified School District.

“The goal is to simply continue doing what she always has, seeing needs in her community, and filling those needs,” said David Avera, engineer for the Colusa Fire Department.

According to a statement released by the department, O’brien was a generous and kind hearted soul that worked for the students at Burchfield Primary School.

“She recognized the needs of students that were unable to participate in activities due to financial hardships that we all face,” the statement said.

“She recognized that students needed extra help with food, clothing and other school related items that families occasionally struggle to provide. Her generous nature and her position within the school system allowed her to see the struggles first hand that the rest of the community doesn’t always recognize.”

Avera said the department has already begun working with schools in Colusa to find specific needs of children within the district.

“This could be clothing, coats during the winter, school supplies such as paper, pencils, binders, backpacks, etc.,” said Avera.

Other examples of specific needs in the project include sporting equipment, funds to pay for field trips, expenses related to school club memberships and funding for college exploration.

Avera said the department will not be collecting any items, but will be collecting monetary donations to fund the project through the Colusa Firefighters Association website.

These tax-deductible donations can also be made to any city of Colusa firefighter.

“We wanted the community to see that their donations stay local, and that they will be making a huge positive difference to the children in Colusa,” said Avera.

Avera said the department plans to keep this project going year round, as long as it receives continuous support.

“Cindy wanted to make sure that all students have the same ability to participate and feel like they are a part of the community we are trying to build,” the statement said.

For more information or to donate, visit https://colusafirefightersassociation. com.