After Fire Chief, Rod Bergin, applied for a grant from the Gary Sinise Foundation, the foundation awarded the Lake Andes Volunteer Fire Department a grant for $65,114.03 in March of 2023. The Lake Andes Fire Department used the grant money to purchase a new brush fire rig in order for the department to have a more reliable unit to better serve the fire district. The pickup came from Iverson Chrysler of Michell and the truck modifications were done by Meyerinks Farm Service and B & L Communications both of Platte.

The Gary Sinise Foundation was established by philanthropist, humanitarian and award-winning actor, Gary Sinise. Sinise has been an big advocate for the nation’s defenders for the past 40 years. The Gary Sinise Foundation serves the nation by honoring its defenders, Veterans, first responders, their families and those in need. The foundation does this by creating and supporting unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen and build communities. The foundation’s goal is to be able to serve America’s heroes and their loved ones 365 days a year.

Some of the foundation’s activities include building custom to the Veteran’s needs, smart homes for severely wounded Veterans. Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band perform concerts worldwide for the United States military and their families. Their HOPE (Heal, Overcome, Persevere & Excel) initiative provides support to those that have experienced trauma, illness, injury or loss. Their Snowball Express program aims to serve families of fallen heroes with healing activities and events hosted year-round to help families that have experienced the same loss, connect and heal together. Soaring Valor, Serving Heroes, Arts & Entertainment Outreach and First Responders Outreach are also programming that the foundation has proudly created for the nation’s Veterans as well as first responders.

The foundation has grants reserved for Fire Responder Departments including Law Enforcement Organizations, Fire Fighting Organizations, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Organizations, and Search and Rescue (SAR) Organizations. All that is needed to apply for a grant is to go to the GarySiniseFoundation.org and under the Programs tab, there will be a First Responders Outreach page. In the foundation’s last fiscal year, they received over 1300 applications and were able to fulfill 140 grants throughout all 50 states.

When asking the foundation as to why the Lake Andes Fire Department’s grant was approved, their First Responder Outreach Manager, Camden Feldman, had this to say, “The Lake Andes Fire Department had a significant need for a new Brush Fire Rig as their rig at the time of application was having severe reliability issues. The department’s budget was not large enough for them to procure a Brush Fire Rig, so a grant was their only option.” When it comes to grants for fire departments the foundation’s grant program usually provides equipment and training type grants. The foundation is proud to grant fire departments anything that will help them to better serve their community and keep them safe as they perform their lifesaving jobs.

The Gary Sinise Foundation is truly honored to be able to serve these departments and communities, which are all made possible by a grateful nation of Gary Sinise Foundation donors. The Lake Andes Fire Department would like to thank the foundation for their generous donation.