Firefighters, youth team up to raise funds during car wash
By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
OXFORD — It’s not often that washing cars can be so much fun, but for the Oxford firefighters and dozens of students scrubbing vehicles on Sunday it was a heartfelt effort to raise funds to send a deceased firefighter’s family to a memorial in September.
The Oxford Fire Fighters Union IAFF L4763 and 42 Strong – The Tate Myre Foundation teamed up to raise funds to help Shawn Goldie’s family attend the Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial event in September.
On Sept. 21, the International Association of Fire Fighters will have its annual memorial event in Colorado Springs, Colorado honoring the memory of those who died in the line of duty.
Goldie passed away in April 2023 from job-related cancer. His name will be added to the memorial at the ceremony.
After all the spraying, scrubbing, rinsing and drying at Fire Station 1, firefighters and students raised $2,886.66, according to fire officials. 42 Strong then made a donation to bring the total up to $5,000.
Joel McCormick, treasurer and operations director for 42 Strong, said he was happy with the turnout – 47 students volunteered for shifts throughout the four-hour fundraiser. Firefighters also brought their families to the car wash to pitch in with washing and drying vehicles.
“I was very pleased with the number of kids coming out for this. Anytime we put out a call for volunteers we get a good response. The kids absolutely love doing this,” McCormick said. “We want to instill into kids at a young age to give back to the community. And we hope they go through life with that sense of community responsibility.”
Goldie was a member of the St. Clair Shores Fire Department from 1997 until his retirement in April 2022, ending his career there as a battalion chief. But he was not ready to retire and joined the Oxford Fire Department, starting over as a firefighter, said Oxford Fire Chief Matt Majestic.
For anyone who did not attend the car wash fundraiser but would still like to make a donation, those can be dropped off or mailed to the fire department.