Firefighters support young man battling leukemia

PLAINS – The Plains Paradise Rural Fire Department has come together to rally around a junior member of their department, who is currently a sophomore at Plains High School.

In support of Franklin Reed, who has been diagnosed with Leukemia and is currently receiving treatment in Spokane, the fire department has come together in an effort to show support and raise funds for Reed.

“Everybody at the fire department is very involved with it,” Chief John Holland of the Plains Paradise Rural Fire Department said.

In several businesses throughout the Plains community, members of the department placed boots to receive donations for Reed.

Flyers have also been posted in town in an effort to get the word out and draw support for the department’s cause.

According to Holland there is no exact time frame for the fundraising campaign and he is optimistic of the support that will come forward from the community.

“We want to fill the boots,” Holland said.

Members of the rural fire department responded quickly in their show of support for Reed, spending Thursday evening preparing the boots to be placed throughout the community.

On the following day the boots were distributed to various businesses and a 50/50 raffle at Friday night’s homecoming game was used to benefit Reed.

The homecoming raffle was very successful and Holland was pleased with how successful the night’s fundraising efforts were.

“It was unbelievable. The people were very generous,” Holland said.

Shortly before the start of the competition the Plains PA announcer notified those in attendance of the 50/50 raffle, which in year’s past had raised money for the Plains Boosters Club.

After the announcement notifying the spectators that this year’s 50/50 funds would go to support Reed, donations started coming in almost immediately and they continued throughout the entirety of the football game.

By half time the crowd had raised $843, and the football fans were not done, very nearly matching their first half total in the final two quarters of the game.

When the game had come to a conclusion and the final total was announced, the funds raised by the raffle stood at $1,600.

Some of those who donated further showed their support by signing a t-shirt, which will be sent to Reed.

Donations not only came from Plains fans in attendance but from the team’s competitors.

Supporters who traveled with the visiting Troy Trojans made several donations to the raffle in their support for the local effort.

Assistance also came from the neighboring town of Thompson Falls, where the athletic director for the Bluehawks issued a challenge for Plains fans to match his donation, creating a friendly competition during the evening’s benefit.

Holland stated the department hopes to hold additional fundraising efforts and there are a couple of potential options currently being discussed by members of the department.

“We hope to maybe have a spaghetti feed or a silent auction,” Holland said.

Holland said he was proud of how his department has stepped up and showed their support for the Reed family.