Loves Park Fire program offers once-in-a-lifetime experience to critically ill children

LOVES PARK, Ill. (WTVO) — Loves Park Firefighter Capt. Kara Schneider said the thing kids most look forward to when meeting her is a ride in a fire truck.

That’s why the fire department is taking part in a new program, to offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences to critically ill children.

“Project Fire Buddies is an organization that’s run by firefighters. It’s a not-for-profit organization that provides once-in-a-lifetime experiences to critically ill children,” Schneider said.

The nonprofit was started in 2016 and has helped over 700 children nationwide. Last year, the organization expanded its participating departments by over 500%.

Loves Park Fire became the first in the area to join the program.

“We’re hoping to help as many kids as we can get. So this is why we’re really trying to push this is because We really want to get out there in the community. We want to be involved with these kids, this life,” Schneider said.

The fire department has hosted fundraising events for Project Fire Buddies, but is looking for local children in need of a morale boost.

“That can be anything from helping them with a birthday celebration or Christmas just to kind of lighten up their holidays and things that can help them feel celebrated even when they’re going through a critical illness,” said Loves Park Fire’s communications manager, Alyssa Thompson.

Schneider also said she hopes the involvement from the Loves Park Fire Department will start a Stateline-area movement.

“We’re hoping that maybe our involvement will kind of bring everybody else and maybe some of the neighboring departments that may have an interest in it that maybe they’ll see this and they’ll get involved as well,” she said.