Negrete Firefighter Foundation hosts 4th annual fundraiser

By BRITTANY FHOLER

Cove Leader-Press

The Negrete Firefighter Foundation hosted its fourth annual silent auction fundraiser at Campfire Bar and Grill on Aug. 17th, with a goal of raising enough money to pay to send future firefighters through the local Fire Academy.

The foundation was founded by Maria Negrete after the passing of her son, Jose, or Joe-Joe as she calls him, who died from lymphoma on July 28, 2020. Jose had been a firefighter/paramedic with the Copperas Cove Fire Department, serving with the department for over four years.

The intention of the foundation was to continue Jose’s legacy and to help support future firefighters, which it has done through scholarships that pay for the cost of the Killeen Fire Academy and EMT training. The total cost can run approximately $3,000 per student.

In 2022, the Negrete Firefighter Foundation managed to put three individuals through the Fire Academy: Tyler Williams, Delilah Jackson, Dylan Bogard, with two additional candidates being sent in 2023: Ryan McGaha and Alyssa Mariduena.

The number of young firefighters the foundation can sponsor is to be determined based on the amount of funds that were raised from Saturday’s event and other efforts the organization has held.

At Saturday’s event, there were several tables loaded with a total of 160 silent auction gift baskets. There was also a raffle for sets of tickets to the Kalahari Resort in Round Rock. For a donation, attendees could take a shot at throwing a ball at the target for the dunk tank to try to dunk firefighters. There was also a table selling snow cones and food trucks on hand serving up food for guests to enjoy.

The event, which is held the weekend of Jose’s birthday, August 18, also serves as a celebration of his life.

Entertainment included Brother Jon & Rainbow Hearts Studio, Latisha McCullough, Mariachi De Hoy, the Central Texas Belly Dancers and Daggnabbitt Band.

Jose’s brother, Gabe, shared a few words about his little brother and firefighters during the opening ceremony.

He said he mourns Jose in every season, as various things remind him of his brother and of his loss, from the draft picks in the spring to Jose’s death anniversary and birthday in the summer to football games in the fall and the holidays in winter being a time of family gathering together.

“I can only applaud my parents for channeling their grief. into something positive,” Gabe said. “You know, a lot of people would have fell apart, and I think we did for a little bit, but seeing them rise and make something bigger and further and for the greater good of the people, it  makes me very proud to have my last name on the Foundation, and I know going forward, there's going to be a continuous legacy in my brother's name. And even though I do have all these seasons of sad, I do recognize that there is some joy that comes out of this, and there's something special about putting a firefighter through and having them serve their community. Not everybody runs into a fire.”

Gabe went on to say that it is a dangerous job and requires a “special person” and “a person of character”, “high will” and “high integrity” to do that job.

Copperas Cove Fire Chief Gary Young also spoke briefly during the opening ceremony, calling Jose a “very meaningful member of our organization” and sharing that his memory continues on through the work of the Foundation.

Copperas Cove Fire Marshal Carlos Mariduena, who served in the Army under Felipe Negrete and also served alongside Jose in the fire department, also shared a message.

“To those former and future scholarship recipients and community donors, I want to talk to you about the most important attribute of being a firefighter. Firefighter attributes are loyalty, honor, dedication, selfless service, and humility. Jose was always humble, never braggadocio,” Mariduena said. “While he was younger than me, he taught me humility.”

Mariduena added that it is hard to teach humility but added that it is one of the most important traits to learn within the fire service.

“All of us go into the fire service with traits of loyalty, honor, dedication and selfless service, with the hopes that we may be slaying a dragon,” Mariduena said. “However, Jose’s trait of humility is one that we all need to emulate because without humility, we cannot fully be there for those who need us. They are usually having the worst days of their lives, and we cannot really fully be there with them without humility. We need to be the calm in the storm, and that’s why I say we need to be like Jose.”

As of press time, the total amount raised from this year’s event was not known.