More Good Days

My dad is Kurt DeGroote. He started Project Fire Buddies and whenever he talks about Project Fire Buddies, he doesn't like to have his name included. He just wants to be about the kids.

We are run a hundred percent by the heart of our mission. We're not just a one and done charity and what better people to honor than the most vulnerable in our communities.

Young children that are battling critical illnesses. It's the whole reason I started this is because we wanted to help more. There's a need and now we're able to fill that need.

I thought I knew what bravery was.

I thought I knew what giving back was.

I thought I knew what sadness was until I got into PFB. Honestly, it's made me a better public servant, a better father, a better husband, and just an overall better human being.

Just seeing those smiles on the good days, you know, when they've been through so much, and just to see that little bit of sunshine and those smiles, you know, even if it's just temporary for a day or two, that's what keeps me going.

More Good Days is, it's not just for the kids, it's for everyone. More Good Days for the siblings, the parents, the staffers, the volunteers, the firemen. We're trying to put positivity back in the world and there's no better way to say that we're just trying to make more good days.

They have helped me and Raya in so many ways. When they first come to your house, they're gonna bring her a bunch of presents. So you name off what she needs and we'll get it.

What firefighters see on a daily basis is awful. And to see them smiling, playing games with the fire buddies is a whole another experience and it's beautiful.

They drew a mystery reader at the kids' school and due to our work schedules we couldn't go. The fire buddies stepped in and were mystery readers for a third grade classroom. You couldn't ask anyone to do that, but three grown firefighters decided to show up and read a book to a bunch of third graders and did it without hesitation.

We're establishing relationships from the very get go, and we don't know how long we're going to be with those families from the beginning. It's important for us to build those relationships in the initial visit, maintain those relationships as long as we possibly can. That's what sets us apart from all the other charities is those long term, long lasting relationships.

Within two months, she was an active fire buddy. They had the New Lenox Fire Department just basically stopped by, firetrucks blaring down the street like a whole brigade. It was really cool just to get immediate support.

We're gonna turn the lights and sirens on and we're gonna come down your block and everybody in your community is gonna come outside and they're gonna want to know what's going on. They're going to come out and they're going to see the proverbial heroes honoring the true hero of the community, which is your child.

Fire Buddies cares about my family and they want to know my kids names and where we live and come to my house and get to know us and that's really important to me.

I think them knowing that we're here for that support and seeing that we recognize that the troubles that they're going through and we recognize the extra work that they're going through and we're there to help support that, you know, kind of gives them that little bit of relief.

It's more of a family than you could ever imagine.

It brings smiles to their faces and bring happiness to their lives.

Just seeing the kids' faces light up when the fire trucks roll up and, how happy they are to see, the firefighters and everybody who's out there for them.

And now when I see them, know, it's hugs from every single one of them, like they were my own children.

Joy is contagious. Good is contagious. Helping is contagious. It's also empowering. Empowering knowing that you can help someone else.

Project Fire Buddies is a movement. It's needed. It's unique because we cannot fix what these families are going through, but we can make sure that they don't go through it alone.

Getting through and helping out these children, that gives me a sense of purpose.

The child was smiling, laughing, couldn't believe that there was a bunch of firemen in the house there to play with them. It's almost hard to describe how you feel after that first visit and it doesn't get old.

That feeling, that fullness that you feel in your heart when you do a little bit of good, oh man, it just motivates you to just wanna do more.

But as we continue to grow, mean, I guess the possibilities are endless, you know?

I've seen it all, especially, I mean, fire calls, emergency calls, you know, when you have that mother, that father carrying that limp kid to you and running to you and all they know is to hand it to you and expected and you're trained on how to fix it. Those are the rough days.

Project Fire Blades was kind of like my escape from.

I kind of make it my mission and my goal to just do whatever I can from this day out.

Being able to be a small part in providing more good days to families that really need it the most is an honor and a blessing.

There's more good days for these kids out there. It's something to look forward to for these kids.

Maybe it's a hard day today, but there's gonna be more good days down the road.

Our job as human beings is to leave the place a little bit brighter than we found it.