Saugus Police and Fire presented a check for $10,000 to representatives from Dana Farber Cancer Institute Thursday, following last month’s successful Breast Cancer Awareness event at Kowloon Restaurant.
Firefighter Anthony Arone, one of four SPD and SFD members who helped pull the October fundraiser together in just a few short weeks, said being able to donate so much to the institute meant a lot to members of both departments.
“We have a couple members of our department who (the cause) kind of kit home for,” Arone said. “I mean, at this point (breast cancer) has touched everybody in one way, shape, or form, so when it comes to awareness and treatment and things like that, anything we can do to promote awareness in a positive way, we’re going to try to do that.”
Held at Kowloon’s newly-launched drive-in movie theatre, Saugus Badges for a Cure drew a crowd of nearly 200 people and offered a selection of performances by the Honor Guard and official Boston Bruins national anthem singer Todd Angilly, performances from three local comedians, and a number of raffles.
“Given the circumstances of this year and how bad it was, this was one of the most awesome things to come out of (2020),” said Saugus officer and co-organizer Domenic Montano, who spoke on behalf of the Police Officers Union. “I’m proud of not only my partners who helped me with this event, but I’m proud of the fire department and everyone who came to help out.”
He said he was surprised by the response the fundraiser received, and added that this year’s event, which was the first joint one held by both departments, raised more money than the police department’s previous two fundraisers combined, which he partially credited to being able to work alongside other enthusiastic members of SFD who believed in what they were doing.
“It was incredible. Anthony reached out to us and asked how we would feel if the fire department participated, and I said, ‘you know what, with everything else going on, let’s do it. Let’s join forces,’” Montano said. “I think that was really great. We get along really well and he has great ideas, so we play off each other really well.
“This was a team effort.”
Arone said none of it could have been done without the help of Kowloon or other local businesses that donated to the event, adding that the process was a true community effort.
“Kowloon is so good to us,” he said. “They donated the space, which is a huge help, and they never ask for anything in return.”
Montano added that he’s excited for other upcoming fundraiser events the department has planned.
“Obviously if a pandemic isn’t going to stop us, nothing is going to stop us,” he said.
