Public Employee Press

Ambulance crew rescues Christmas

Union ambulance professionals rescued the Christmas holiday itself for a classroom full of Bronx first-graders.

On Dec. 22, they showered the children, students at Community School 134 on Bristow Street, with homemade cupcakes, bags of candy, gift-wrapped action figures and Barbie dolls. A lucky child named Destiny even got a brand-new pink bicycle.

For the second consecutive year, members of two DC 37 locals — Uniformed Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics Local 2507 and Uniformed EMS Officers Local 3621 — have provided Christmas gifts and holiday cheer for children at the Bronx elementary school.

Union Santas save the day
In 2005, the locals decided they wanted to help children during the Christmas season. They looked through a pile of letters to Santa at the local post office. When they found a letter from an entire school class, they decided to follow up.

They learned that many of the students lived in homeless shelters and are eligible for free lunch at school because of their parents’ low incomes.

EMT Martin Fernandez and EMT Captain Yvette Perez, from Station 8 near Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, played the roles of Santa and Mrs. Claus. They passed out the gifts with the help of Man Wai Law, Andrea Deily and Lt. John Paul Dimon, who let PEP know of the event.

Moved by the thanks and warm hugs from the grateful children, Fernandez found himself “getting choked up.”

For Tyrek Baker, the union Santas saved the day. “This is the best Christmas ever,” said the first-grader.

— Alfredo Alvarado