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Pierce and Harley-Davidson Rev Up Commitment through Full Throttle Campaign
Companies join forces to raise money, honor fallen firefighters and their families
Pierce Manufacturing, Inc. and Harley-Davidson teamed up to provide a truly inspirational fundraising effort for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Pierce, a fire apparatus manufacturer located in Appleton, WI, developed the concept of establishing a fundraiser to benefit the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. In January, Pierce and Harley-Davidson, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, launched the 3-month Full Throttle Support campaign. The companies created a nationwide sweepstakes to give away a custom, one-of-a-kind 2009 Fat Boy Firefighter Special Edition motorcycle. Entrants could make an online donation of $10 at nfff.fullthrottlesupport.com and receive a sweepstakes entry for the give-away. All money collected during the event went to the Foundation, which honors America's fallen firefighters and offers programs of support for their survivors. The sweepstakes closed with a preliminary check presentation at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis on April 25. The winner of the motorcycle was not revealed until the final check presentation ceremony on May 21 in Washington, D.C. At the conference, the two companies of Pierce and Harley presented a check totaling $100,000. Oshkosh Corporation, parent corporation of Pierce, presented an additional $25,000, directed toward the Foundation's scholarship program, which provides secondary education and job-training assistance to the spouses and children of fallen firefighters. In a press release, Oshkosh executive vice president and president of Fire & Emergency Production Wilson Jones said, "The enthusiasm for the Full Throttle Support campaign has been inspiring, and we are so proud to be able to present to NFFF a check for $100,000 before the program is even over." For survivor Tina Hauk of Hanna City, IL, the highlight of the FDIC event was getting to meet Jones. "Standing there looking at the bike and seeing the word 'Remember' written on the Maltese cross made me feel like I was going to start sobbing, and then he came up behind me. He was so humble. He and Bill Davidson (Director of Motorcycle Product Development at Harley-Davidson) are making it possible for our children to go to school and finance their education," she said. Her reaction to the bike itself was as equally positive: "There's always been something about a Harley, but this was the most beautiful bike I've ever seen." Hauk spoke at the ceremony on May 21, 2009 at the D.C. Fire and EMS Department, Engine 3 firehouse in Washington, D.C. She spoke about the impact the Foundation has had on her life and the lives of countless other survivors. "They gave me my life back," she said. The Full Throttle Support Campaign captured the essence of the fire service family: brotherhood, giving back to the community, and hope. The total amount raised through the campaign, $135,000, showed how the fire service community was willing to rise to the challenge presented them. Their efforts have given hope to survivors, who benefit from the Foundation's programs, namely the scholarships, which can be so vital to a single-parent household. Winner of the motorcycle, Brian Vickers of the Westlake Volunteer Fire Department in Houston, Texas, had a surprise all his own. Vickers donated the $1000 he received from a grant-writing textbook project to the Foundation. Vickers, a 16 year fire service member, is also CEO of Vickers Consulting Services, which specializes in strategic financial planning and grants, a company that has garnered $120 million in grant awards for its clients. Vickers said he never expected to win the motorcycle, but knew his money would be used well. "It's really great that this sweepstakes helps such a worthy cause which is why I entered in the first place," he said. National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Executive Director Ron Siarnicki presented representatives Wilson Jones of Pierce and Steve St. Thomas of Harley with awards for their companies' involvement with the campaign. The awards bore miniature replicas of the National Fallen Firefighter's Memorial in Emmitsburg, MD. The success of this campaign was so overwhelming that Pierce and Harley-Davidson have committed to donating another motorcycle next year. They are also creating a second bike for Pierce Manufacturing employees, who were excluded from the sweepstakes this year. Details about both new bikes will be released later this year.
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