Capt. Morrison and his family, click to enlarge
Posted 7/30/15 – Beginning this evening in Kersting Court, members of the Sierra Madre Fire Department will be in Kersting Court participating in an age old firefighting tradition, the “Fill The Boot” Fundraiser. They will be in Kersting Court several times throughout the weekend, raising money for one of their own, SMFD Capt. Chris Morrison (Ret.). Chris has been battling cancer for a couple years, and had been told he had beaten it, only to then be diagnosed with an aggressive Stage IV lung cancer which doctors say will likely leave Chris with just a few weeks to live.
Capt. Morrison has lived in Sierra Madre for nearly forty years, moving here in 1976 at the age of 13, and for more than twenty of those years, he served as a volunteer on the Sierra Madre Fire Department. He began serving on the Fire Dept. in 1992, graduated from the Foothill Fire Academy in 1993, and became a captain in 2003. His first structure fire was a single family residence near Mary’s Market, and his last was the “infamous turtle fire” (at Mayor Josh Moran’s home). He served on strike teams in Laguna Beach, Malibu, Yosemite and San Diego. He also was involved on numerous medical calls ranging from bloody noses to heart attacks, and says the delivery of a baby by his crew on one call was the highlight of his career.
He is married to Lori, and has a daughter, Claire, and made his living in the construction industry.
Chris has given to this community for decades, and now it’s time for his community to give back to him. In addition to the Fill the Boot fundraising in Kersting Court, the Buccaneer issued a challenge to Lucky Baldwin’s and Peppertree Grill to see who can raise more money for the fund. There will be boots in all three locations, so be generous at your favorite Sierra Madre watering hole this weekend. In addition, boots will be available for your donations at the following local businesses: Sierra Briganti, Mary’s Market, the Bottleshop, The Only Place in Town, G3 Academy, Poppy Cake Baking Company and Crossfit Madre.
The Boot Schedule is:
Thursday, 4pm to 6pm Kersting Court
Friday, 4pm to 6pm Kersting Court
Saturday, 8am to 11am Kersting Court
Sunday, 6pm to 8pm Memorial Park during the Elvis Concert
A Go Fund Me account has also been set up to help Chris and his family. As of this writing, nearly $20,000 dollars has been raised in about two days. You can make your online donation there by going to http://www.FriendsofChrisMorrison.com. You can also get there by going to http://www.gofundme.com/chrismorrison. Please use the power of social media to help spread awareness by sharing that link on your Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts.
A special shout out to The Kensington, which has offered to help house members of Chris’s family while they are away from their Arizona home.
A heartfelt thank you to Capt. Morrison and his family for all the time together they have given up over the years as he served his community. Know that you are receiving the countless prayers and the well wishes of an entire community in this difficult time.
And to you Sierra Madre – thanks for giving, and please – keep on giving!
Thank you Sierra Madre News Net for publishing this important message!