Teresa Siriani

Teresa SirianiBy Andres Julian Gomez & Emily Shuttleworth

Citizens count on the men and women of the L.A. City Fire Department to help them in an emergency, but may not realize that sometimes firefighters need help too.  For nearly three years, Volunteer of the Month Teresa Siriani has been lending a helping hand with fundraisers for the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen's Fund, a non-profit dedicated to helping the families of firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty.

Recently, Teresa really went the distance by donating her car to benefit Widows & Orphans.  It wasn't an easy choice and was very emotional. The car had been hers for twelve memory-filled years, and was easily her favorite out of all the vehicles she has owned. She wanted to do more than say goodbye and trade it in and being able to further contribute to her favorite cause, proved to be just the right thing to do.

"I have been a volunteer for several years now and am so impressed with the organization and every trustee, firefighter and volunteer I meet at each event. The support, both financially and emotionally, that this organization gives to the fallen firefighter's families is what keeps me coming back. It is such a worthy cause! So to think that I could give back to this special organization in yet another way, that was so easy, was truly a blessing."

Teresa first heard about the charity from her best friend Juliet Brandolino, who is the Event Coordinator for the Los Angeles Firemen's Relief Association. Teresa says after watching how much work and effort went into all the fundraising events, it was a pleasure and an honor to lend a hand.

Teresa's first volunteer assignment was for the annual LAFD Invitational Golf Tournament, helping to organize and manage the raffle, auctions and numerous other items.  Next up, the annual Hope for Firefighters food festival and contest, held the first Thursday of every June.

At Hope for Firefighters, Teresa says, "You buy a VERY economical ticket, you show up, you dine on AMAZING food prepared by the firefighters in L.A. and stroll Hope Street on a beautiful day! What is not to love about that? Because it is easy, FUN, cheap and it is for a great cause. No brain-er!"

She says she truly respects and admires the bravery and heroism of fire fighters and feels the least she could do is to volunteer to help them out. Teresa hopes that each year more people will come out in support of these events and more companies will come forward as sponsors.

As a volunteer, Teresa has now met many of the firefighter families the charity serves. "It has been very touching to hear their stories," she says. The charity "truly supports their needs for housing, clothing, and schooling. I wish everyone knew about this fund."