Firefighters Raise $3,136 for Haiti

In the early hours Friday morning, Scarsdale firefighters ran a "Fill the Boots" drive for victims of the earthquake in Haiti.  From 6:15 to 8:30 a.m. the firefighters collected cash donations at the Scarsdale train station.

By 10:15 a.m. the tally was in: The grand total of $3,136.52 – collected in just over two hours – will be contributed to the American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.

"The people of Scarsdale helped us Fill the Boots with their generous donations at the train station this morning," said firefighter Mike Dwyer, an Edgewood resident. 

"It's important to do what we can to help," added Dwyer, who is a member of Union Firefighters Association of Scarsdale, Local 1394, which organized the event.

The American Red Cross had already collected nearly $35 million as of Thursday night, including $5 million through a mobile donations firm called mGive, according to the New York Times. 

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the White House blog have both strongly endorsed the Red Cross campaign.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with the relief effort, call the Westchester office of the American Red Cross at (914) 946-6500 x200 and ask for the volunteer division.

If you couldn't get to the train station but would still like to donate, go to www.redcross.org, or call 1-800-Red Cross. You can also text the word "Haiti" from your cell phone to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

If you or someone you know is organizing a plan of action to help quake victims in Haiti, let us know and we will spread the word.