National Law Enforcement and Firefighters Children's Foundation Sends Emergency Grants to Families of First Responders Lost in the Line of Duty

NEW YORK, Dec. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Law Enforcement and Firefighters Children's Foundation (NLEAFCF) has sent out $5,000 emergency grants this week to three families of New York-area first responders recently lost in the line of duty.

The checks went out this week to help with some of the immediate needs of the families of Inwood Fire Department (IFD) Ex-Chief Joseph Sanford, Jr. and NYPD Police Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.

NLEAFCF provides special need grants and college scholarships, throughout the country, to families of law enforcement and firefighting personnel lost or permanently disabled in the line of duty. Though deeply touched by the outpouring of support for Officers Liu and Ramos' families, the Board of Directors of NLEAFCF noted that typically first-responder families suffering losses do not receive such a groundswell of public support as their situations do not receive national media attention.

In the aftermath of 9/11, NLEAFCF Founder Al Kahn recognized that "many families across America have little support in surviving the immense impact of a line of duty loss. Especially over the subsequent years as the children of these fallen heroes grow up and any limited emergency funds have long since disappeared. There was a clear need for an organization that could be there to help all these families over the long haul."

In 2002, Kahn formed the NLEAFCF which provides emergency grants and college scholarships to the full range of fallen first responders including those serving in a volunteer capacity as Joseph Sanford, Jr. did. 

Ex-Chief Joseph Sanford, Jr., of Long Island's Inwood Fire Department died on December 23^rd from injuries sustained battling a house fire in the neighboring community of Woodmere in the early morning hours of December 19^th. The volunteer firefighter, aged 43, is survived by his wife Jackie and their 19-year-old daughter Janisha, who is a student at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University in Brookville.

NYPD Police Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were shot and killed while on duty in Brooklyn on December 20^th. Officer Ramos, 40 years old, left behind a wife, Maritza and two sons, Justin, a college sophomore, and Jaden, a 13-year-old middle-school student. Ramos' partner, 32-year-old Officer Liu, who was just newly wed this past September to Pei Xia Chen, was looking forward to having his own family.

Since 2006, the NLEAFCF's Scholarship & Grant Program has provided over 225 college scholarships and special need grants to individuals from line of duty families and law enforcement and firefighter organizations across 29 states.   

Each year since 2001, NLEAFCF hosts more than 1300 children and family members of fallen heroes from the New York City Police Department, New York City Fire Department, Port Authority Police Department, Wounded Warriors, America's Camp and other local law enforcement and firefighting teams for a hot breakfast and a front row view of the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The National Law Enforcement and Firefighters Children's Foundation (NLEAFCF) is dedicated to helping the children of law enforcement officers and firefighters lost or permanently disabled in the line of duty.  When the ultimate sacrifice has been made by a first responder, the Foundation believes it is our responsibility as a society to ensure that their children achieve their full potential as active citizens and thriving members of the community.  Through grants, college scholarships and family-friendly events, the NLEAFCF serves the needs of these children across the country regardless of how long ago or how recent their loss.  The Foundation's long-term commitment is a promise to the people who defend and protect us, a major investment in our nation's future and in tomorrow's heroes.

For more information on the NLEAFCF visit http://nleafcf.org/; connect with us on Twitter https://twitter.com/nleafcf; Facebook https://www.facebook.com/NLEAFCF; Instagram http://instagram.com/nleafcf/; Tumblr http://nleafcf.tumblr.com/

Contact: Carolyn Stone [email protected]  212-981-5165, cell: 516-506-9467

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SOURCE National Law Enforcement and Firefighters Children's Foundation

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http://nleafcf.org