Readers glad to aid EMT’s kids
THE GENEROSITY of Daily News readers knows no bounds.
Donors to a fund The News established for slain FDNY EMT Yadira Arroyo shared reasons for their acts of charity — saying they were profoundly moved by her sacrifice as well as the five sons she left behind.
“Do you know what kind of shifts this woman has worked over the last 14 years to provide for those kids?” nurse Katie Duke, 35, who lives in Harlem and donated $150, said Monday.
“It’s unfortunate that such a tragic event has brought to light what EMTs and paramedics do.”
The News started the fund with a $10,000 donation. Roughly 1,200 readers have contributed another $47,940.
All money given to the fund will go directly to Arroyo’s children through the FDNY Foundation.
Police say a disturbed man with schizophrenia, Jose Gonzalez, 25, ran over Arroyo on Thursday with her own ambulance following a confrontation in the Bronx.
Mirthell Mitchell, a reader from Alabama, said the story had moved him and his wife, Rita, to donate $500.
“It was one of those stories that really touched us,” said Mitchell, 41, noting the couple has four children.
Sonja Hofer wrote The News that she was inspired to donate $200 after experiencing others’ generosity during her own tragedy. Her son, David Hofer, was shot and killed in the line of duty in Euless, Tex.
She said the donations that poured in helped the slain cop’s fiancée keep a home the couple had bought months before his death.
“My heart broke all over again reading about five children left without a mother,” Hofer said. Checks can be made payable to Daily News Charities Inc. and mailed to: