9-Year-Old Raises $1,200 For Fire Buddies, Donor Triples Funds

OAK FOREST, IL — Francesca Swartz, a 9-year-old from Oak Forest, loves to bake and wanted to have a lemonade stand to sell cookies and lemonade. She told her uncle Jon Bradford, also known as "Jer Bear," about it, and he took her to get all the supplies needed.

As the pair discussed lemonade prices, her uncle suggested she donate the money to a charity. Francesca — known to her family as "Frankie" — remembered the Project Fire Buddies program in Oak Forest, and chose to donate whatever she earned to them.

The Project Fire Buddies in Oak Forest is a non-profit organization that began over four years ago. The program is for kids receiving cancer treatment or undergoing other illnesses, by sending fire trucks and firefighters to hang out with kids. Project Fire Buddies has expanded nationally and has even given some children the opportunity to visit sporting events, meet famous people and allow children to connect.

Neither Frankie nor her family knew how much money they would generate from this afternoon activity. Frankie's mother, Bridget Zemanek Swartz, shared the lemonade stand on Facebook, only expecting few to show. Frankie raised a total of $1,200.07 for Project Fire Buddies at the Oak Forest Fire Department.

James McGovern, the president of Secureone Security Services in Crestwood, was moved by Frankie's efforts and offered to triple whatever Frankie ended up raising.

"We’ve donated to Project Fire Buddies over the years and know how important it means to the families and children they help," McGovern said. "They are 100 percent volunteer and do an amazing job for the community...her selfless act was an inspiration to us and should be an inspiration for others to get involved as the world needs more acts of kindness these days."

Frankie's mother, Bridget, said the fourth-grader is her miracle baby.

"She was born prematurely at 3 pounds and has always been a force. She just loves and loves," Bridget said. "I could talk about her for hours, she truly is a gem."

The Founder of Project Fire Buddies, Kurt Degroot, said he didn't know anything about the lemonade stand until he received a call from his former high school classmate, Bridget.

"She called me and said 'Hey Kurt, Frankie's lemonade stand is doing really well,'" Degroot said. "I knew they had heard of the project before... many kids look up to firemen, but they are the ones who are the superheroes."

Degroot said times amid the COVID-19 pandemic are tough and that this was refreshing to see. "We get stuck in the negative and it’s nice to see a little girl showing us how positive the world can be."

The organization founder said that children can truly change the world for the better and that if everyone saw the world the way a child sees it, it would be a happier place.

"The eyes of a child is really what it is. If the world starts to see things from the eyes of a child many challenges would be better," Degroot said. "They just want to have fun and love. They want to feel love and they want to give love."

For more information on Project Fire Buddies, visit their Facebook page.