Phoenixville Fire Department raises money for cancer victim

PHOENIXVILLE — For the past three months, Phoenix Hose, Hook, and Ladder Co. No. 1 has been fundraising with its pink firetruck by allowing residents to sign the truck, as well as selling t-shirts for an effort, “Community Service Fighting Cancer.”

Andy Klotzbach, a firefighter from the department, said the cause the department joined includes local fire departments, ambulance companies and police departments wrapping vehicles in pink vinyl.

The last several months of fundraising will help a resident, Daniel Proulx-Cook, that graduated this year from the Center for Arts and Technology Pickering Campus. Proulx-Cook is battling leukemia.

“We have been collecting money that would then be given back to people right here in our community of Phoenixille that are currently fighting cancer,” Klotzbach said. “When Daniel graduated from CAT-Pickering this past year, we sent our firetruck out to show support for him, and to collect money from those attending graduation. We then wrote a check for 100 percent of the funds we collected and presented the check to Dan and his mother. Four of our firefighters graduated with Dan at CAT-Pickering, so it made it quite special to have fundraised and donated in the presence of his peers.”

On Aug. 12, the fire company presented a portion of the Community Service Fighting Cancer program to Proulx-Cook who was joined by his mother, Deborah.