Calendar featuring female first responders helps burn victims

250 calendars quickly sell out

Image courtesy Florida Today.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A dozen female first responders have joined together on a photo calendar whose sales are benefiting a camp for young burn victims, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.

Through the 2017 calendars, which features 10 firefighters and two police officers, plus related fundraising efforts, they raised $11,000 for Camp Amigo. That organization provides week-long camping experiences for burn survivors ages 7 to 17 from throughout the state.

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"This was in our heart," said firefighter Theresa Acker, a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters Brevard Firefighters Local 2969 and one of the coordinators of the effort.

"We're firefighters, and Camp Amigo is for burn kids," said Acker, who is featured on the July pages of the calendar, which sells for $20.

In addition to firefighters who are members of the Brevard County local union, the calendar includes women who work as firefighters for Cocoa, Malabar, Melbourne, Palm Bay and Titusville. There also are Indialantic and Melbourne police officers featured in the calendar.

All are members of the organization Women Behind the Badge.

Six of them were at a ceremony Friday at the firefighters' union hall in Rockledge to present the check that represented their 2016 fundraising work to Rusty Roberts, who runs Camp Amigo.

Roberts said the camp, which serves about 50 campers a year, "changes kids' lives and changes their families," through the positive experiences.

The women in the calendar each had a two-page spread with two photos for their designated month. The photos feature them wearing and holding firefighting or police gear.

Kevin McSparron, of HKM Photography in Melbourne, volunteered his time to do the photography for the project.

"When they approached me with the idea, I didn't hesitate to say yes," McSparron said.

He said the calendar models had great personalities and enthusiasm for the project, which made shooting it "really fun."

"Each of them had an idea for the image they wanted for the calendar," McSparron said, and he worked with them to achieve it.

McSparron said the first run of 250 calendars sold out quickly, so more were printed.

Women Behind the Badge has done other fundraising work for Camp Amigo before, but this is their first calendar.

Firefighter Lorne Phillips, who featured on the October pages in the calendar, said the women in the calendar were "super-proud" to participate.

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Firefighter Pamela Rudnicki, featured on the September pages, said when people are told about the calendar and learn that it benefits Camp Amigo, "they say: 'what a great cause.' "