When I heard the story of the Hudson Volunteer Fire Department, a small town department in The Middle of Nowhere, Indiana, it reminded me of a story my father told me long ago, a long-forgotten allegory I could’t quite recall. There was a child, an old man, and a starfish… maybe lots of starfish? The flint of a memory wouldn’t spark. But it was there, somewhere in my childhood.
The important letters make their way to my desk. There’s no real system for this, that would be far too efficient. This letter had been sent to Dave Welch, president of Chive Nation. He handed it to me after lunch and said I should give it a look. It was from 23 year-old Rescue Lieutenant, Justin Pence. His volunteer fire department in Hudson, IN, was on life support, it had lost most of its funding and teetered on the brink of closure.
It’s a familiar story. As property values in small towns across America erode, funding for municipal services get cut, fire departments first, then police. They are all forced to do a lot more with a lot less until, eventually, they dissolve; their services outsourced to nearby towns who suddenly inherit larger coverage areas. Emergency response time increases. When life is most fragile and seconds matter, this is not good. To be blunt, volunteer fire departments across the country are getting creamed.
Hudson, IN, was just a 30 minute drive from my hometown in Ft. Wayne, IN. I was going home.
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UPDATE #1: $10,000 in a hurry. Justin just texted, “The entire department is watching in complete disbelief. This is amazing.”
UPDATE #2: $15,000 in one hour! Half way home. Chivers are changing lives in minutes flat.
UPDATE #3: $25,000 in under two hours. Story is flying around the internet…
UPDATE #4: $30,000 in 2 hours!!! Another goal decimated. Crowds gathering at the local bar in Hudson to watch the campaign live. Unreal…
UPDATE #5: $35,000!!!
UPDATE #6: $45,000 – Just back from dinner and we jumped $10,000? Chivers, the stage is yours.
UPDATE #7: $50,000. Amazing.
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