By Jonathan L’Ecuyer
The Gloucester Times
ROCKPORT, Mass. — The town Ambulance Department will be collecting Matchbox, Hot Wheels, and other small metal cars to donate to the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of its 15th annual EMS Day event on Sunday, May 16.
The toy cars will be handed out by the troops to children living in the war-torn nations on behalf of the Little Wheels of Tribute organization.
Little Wheels of Tribute was created in honor of Sgt. Jordan Shay, who lost his life serving his country in Iraq.
One of Shay’s final requests was for his mom to send him small toy cars to hand out to children he met in Iraq. All cars donated are being sent to troops serving in Iraq through the help of Danvers-based Operation Troop Support.
Shay, 22, was serving his second tour in Iraq when he and Army Staff Sgt. Todd Selge, 25, both members of the Stryker Brigade of Fort Lewis in Washington state, were killed in a motor vehicle accident in Baquba, Iraq.
Shay grew up in Amesbury in a tight-knit community with his mother, Holly Shay.
For the past 15 years, Rockport emergency personnel have marked the start of National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week with their own EMS Day event.
Between 1 and 4 p.m., the town’s emergency service departments will exhibit equipment and promote some of the services they provide to residents. In recent years, the event — sponsored by the Rockport Ambulance Department and held at the Rockport Police Station, 168 Main St. — has attracted state and even federal EMS groups.
The event has attracted as many as 800 people in recent years.
The Police Department will host a “Lost and Found” auction of “odd” items, while the Fire Department’s all-volunteer crew will offer demonstrations of the “Jaws of Life” in action and the ladder truck.
On Saturday, May 15, the Police Department will observe National Police Memorial Day; police are requesting that residents and businesses lower their flags to half staff Saturday in recognition of the special day.
The Rockport Ambulance Department will be represented by several of its active EMTs. The all-volunteer Ambulance Department finances itself through user fees and an annual fundraiser. None of the equipment the department uses — including ambulances — is paid for with tax dollars, which allows the department to offer a level of service the town could not otherwise provide, Lesch said.
The event is scheduled to take place rain or shine. For more information, call Lesch at 978-546-9589. And for more information on the Little Wheels of Tribute campaign, visit www.LittleWheelsOfTribute.org or www.OperationTroopSupport.org.
Republished with permission from The Gloucester Times.