COPPERAS COVE — A local foundation held its second annual fundraising event with the goal of raising money to send aspiring firefighters to the academy.
Named in honor of the late Jose Negrete, a Copperas Cove firefighter who lost his battle with cancer in July 2020, the Negrete Firefighter Foundation held its fundraiser with family-friendly activities at Camp Triumph in Copperas Cove.
Kids and adults alike splashed in the splash zone and pool, raced around the track in go-karts or bounced up and down on the bounce houses.
The family activities were designed to promote family unity, explained Maria Negrete, Jose’s mother.
Although her son was not one to draw attention to himself, Negrete said after José’s death, he had to do something.
“As a grieving mother, I couldn’t let it go. She couldn’t just say, “That’s it,” she said as the karts went behind her. “I had to do something in a legacy for him or something in his name.”
To send a firefighter to the academy, it costs $3,000 to $4,000, Negrete explained.
With the money raised last year, the foundation was able to send three firefighters to the academy. They are Tyler Williams, Delihlah Jackson and Dylan Bogard.
The three firefighters thanked the Negrete Bomber Foundation for their support.
“I think it’s amazing,” Williams said. “I wanted to be a firefighter since I was little. Being the youngest of eight, my family couldn’t afford to train me, so I gave up on the dream several times.”
Williams is currently with the Turnersville Volunteer Fire Department while completing his EMS training and plans to work for the Manor Fire Department.
Bogard, who also plans to work near Austin, said being a firefighter is a good career to get into.
“To have a foundation to support you and host you and pay for all your stuff and all that, it’s amazing,” he said.
Jackson will have to wait a little longer before pursuing his EMT training while he recovers from an injury, though he said he hopes to work for a fire department between Temple and Austin.
“There aren’t many organizations like (Maria’s),” Jackson said. “This creates a really big opportunity for … adults who want to overcome this and can’t do it financially, and I think that’s great.”
For more information or to donate, go to Negrete Firefighter Foundation INC on Facebook. At the end of the year, Negrete said the foundation will post a link for aspiring firefighters to apply for the academy scholarships and will select recipients by the end of the year.
Applications are open to anyone within about 70 miles of Copperas Cove.
“The reason we do it is because when mijo died, it was people from Lampasas, Marble Falls, Waco, Temple, whether it’s police or fire, the EMTs, they all came from neighboring areas and escorted him on his last run. ”, said Negrete.
