I have always been a little jealous of people who have intricate, creative, and homemade Halloween costumes. Maybe it’s because as a kid, I frequently had the plastic costumes you would wear over your clothes with a plastic mask pressed against your face, hoping the elastic string wouldn’t break.
I wish I could say that I did better with my kids, but with the twins, we have taken the easy route.
They have dressed as a pair of pumpkins, as ketchup and mustard, and as M&M’s. They were cute, but the costumes weren’t too complex and didn’t require a lot of work from Mom and Dad.
This year, the boys are excited to go as firefighters. I saw the costumes in the store two months ago and immediately decided this was the way to go for Halloween.
Nearly every day, they walk to a local fire station to see if the engine, the tower, or the ambulance are in their bays. They also love to see if the “fire chief” is at the station. Several of the firefighters know their names and they have climbed into the driver’s seat many times.
Their costumes also are special to me because my grandfather helped start the volunteer fire department in my hometown. I also served as a volunteer firefighter there for several years.
Fire service runs in my family. I have had five uncles and five cousins serve. One of my cousins became the family’s first full-time paid firefighter many years ago with he joined the Urbana Fire Department.
This is a fun costume that my family will enjoy, but I know that serving as a firefighter is not a laughing matter. There is risk involved anytime they are called to the scene of a fire or accident.
Improvements in equipment and training have helped to reduce the number of deaths over the decades. Unfortunately, every year when I attend firefighter memorial services, some new names have been added to the list of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
That’s one of the reasons I started awarding $5,000 college scholarships to the children of our fallen heroes. This includes not just firefighters, but the children of police officers, paramedics, and members of the military who lost their lives in service to our country and communities.
I wish you much fun this Halloween, but rather than asking for candy, I’m asking for your help in identifying families that would benefit from this scholarship. I know there is some skepticism of elected officials, but this is no trick. And if you can help me, it would be a nice treat for someone whose parent is no longer there to take them trick-or-treating.