Collier 100 Club helps raise money for first responders impacted by Ian

Reporter: Claire Galt Writer: Matthew Seaver
Published: Updated:
First responder home damaged by Ian. (Credit: WINK News)

First responders were tasked with keeping us safe during Hurricane Ian, but many of them were faced with destruction themselves. That’s where the Collier 100 Club steps in.

They are a club of volunteers who raise money for first responders affected by natural disasters.

Whether it’s from FEMA or insurance, we all know by now that getting help can take a while. The Collier 100 Club is able to get first responders the money and help they need within just 24 hours.

Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said that turnaround makes all the difference. “We absolutely have deputies that are still not back in their homes. Homes are still uninhabitable. Some have lost them completely. And so they’re struggling to rent. And that’s very, very difficult today. They’re struggling to get back some sense of normalcy in their family when they’ve lost all their belongings. Very, very difficult. And that’s why when when someone contributes to the 100 Club, you’re really contributing to help the first responders who help you every single day.”

The Collier 100 Club doesn’t only help first responders affected by Ian. It helps them with any and all situations that may come up.

Within the next month, the club will have distributed $350,000 to affected first responders and their families.

Paul Pernak and John Pepitone are driver engineers with the Naples Fire Department, and both lost their homes during Ian. They said every day is a challenge, and every bit helps.

“I pay my mortgage, and I sit outside my house, and I look at my house, and I can’t even live in the house, you know, we have, we shower in the RV. And I have one toilet in the house that, you know, there’s it’s me and four girls, so my wife and then three daughters,” said Pernak.

“That helped a lot, you know, with groceries and fuel and everything like that to get us through. They were a big help. And it’s great. And I’m fortunate enough to be able to get that check and help us out,” Pepitone said.

The Collier 100 Club helps all first responders, from firefighters to police to Florida wildlife officers.

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