Raleigh firefighters get "thank you" gift

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A huge thank you gift was given to the entire Raleigh Fire Department Monday.

Two Raleigh men, Rally DeLeon and Josh Royster, spearheaded an action drive, raising more than $8,000 in just one week to send every Raleigh firefighter and his or her spouse on a date night.

The date night includes; free tickets to see the new movie "Fireproof" opening nationwide this Friday, free childcare for two hours and free dinner from Chick-fil-a at Triangle Town Center.

"Fireproof" is a love story that addresses the strain first responder's career can have on marriage and family life. Statistics show it can be as high as 70 percent.

Royster and DeLeon believe in marriage and want to do whatever they can to give back to those who service the public.

"The idea behind this is just showing the firefighters of Raleigh that we care about the fires in their lives away from the fire station as much as we care about the fires their putting out in our own," Royster said. "Whether it's taking us out of a car or a burning building."

DeLeon, operator of the Triangle Town Center Chick-Fil-A was motivated by his strong belief in marriage.

"They (firefighters) serve us 24-7 and Chick-Fil-A Triangle Town Center wanted to give them a free meal, time with their spouse, kind of recharge," he said.

Division Chief J.F. Warner knows how tough a firefighter's job can be on his or her family.

"It's just hard to explain," Warner said. "I heard a good saying I think one time, 'if you're a part of the team we don't have to explain it and if you're not we can't explain it'. "That certainly comes to fruition somewhat as we deal with our families and the general public. Certainly support like this makes us feel really good and we really appreciate the support we receive."

For more information or if you'd like to support a firehouse in your community, visit DeLeon and Royster's website.

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local/state, barbara gibbs

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