Many heroes
News readers give $263G to cop fam
THE THREE CHILDREN of slain Officer Miosotis Familia nearly cried, and then beamed with pride, as they accepted a check Tuesday for more than $260,000 donated by the Daily News and its readers.
Twelve-year-old twins Delilah and Peter Vega and their sister Genesis Villella, 20, received the check during a presentation at the newspaper’s office in lower Manhattan.
“I’m completely overwhelmed,” Villella said as she clutched a giant replica check. “Words can’t express how grateful I am. It’s so touching that strangers can be so kind.”
The News launched the fund with an initial donation of $10,000, and generous readers boosted the total to $263, 682.
Familia, 48, was sitting in an NYPD mobile command vehicle around 12:30 a.m. in the Bronx on July 5. Without warning, a cop-hating schizophrenic man walked up to the vehicle and shot her in the head at E. 183rd St. and Creston Ave. in Fordham Heights. The 12-year NYPD veteran died about three hours later.
Police Commissioner James O’Neill thanked the readers who donated and praised Familia, who was promoted posthumously to the rank of detective.
“Miosotis was one of the people who protect the city,” said O’Neill, who attended the presentation. “She swore an oath to make a difference and she did — each and every day.”
“In the NYPD we say, ‘Never forget,’ ” he added. “It’s important that no one ever forgets. This is a sacrifice that these three kids have to bear and we have to support them. This is one way to do it.”
Daily News Co-Chairman and Co-Publisher Eric Gertler and Daily News Editor-in-Chief Arthur Browne presented the check.
“The Daily News has a tradition of trying to help families of the men of women who die in the line of duty for New York City,” Browne said. “The response is quite overwhelming.”
The money came from caring readers from across the five boroughs and around the nation. Every penny collected went directly to the Familia family.
“What is really special, what doesn’t get enough attention, is how Daily News readers look inside themselves to help in moments that are truly tragic, to support others,” Gertler said.
Familia dedicated her life to protecting New Yorkers, he added.
“So what we do is just a small part today in trying to cherish her memory,” Gertler said.