OAK FOREST, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A group of suburban firefighters are doing what they can to brighten the lives of children who are grappling with serious illnesses.
Kurt DeGroot is the founder and CEO of Project Fire Buddies. The Oak Forest Firefighter and paramedic said he wanted to do more for kids who were going on ambulance runs.
"We transported them, we treated them, everything was done. I had that empty feeling, thinking that we could do more," DeGroot said.
Project Fire Buddies started with firefighters hanging out with children who were battling cancer.
"Playing board games, shooting some basketball," DeGroot said.
As time went on, the Fire Buddies got more creative. A 17-year-old cancer patient and soccer fan got to spend the day with the Chicago Fire soccer team. An 8-year-old with a terminal cancer diagnosis got to hang out with the Chicago Bulls.
"Zack Levine was his favorite player, so he got to warm up with Zack before the game and during the game he got to sit on the Bulls bench," DeGroot added.
Project Fire Buddies now has 14 chapters across the Chicago area and a number of celebrity friends. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson recently recorded a message congratulating a child for beating cancer.
DeGroot said that Project Fire Buddies deliveries include fire trucks and ambulances with their lights on. He told the story of a fellow firefighter who said that it was an opportunity to deliver joy. Normally, he said, when firefighters show up on a scene with their lights on, they encounter people who are frightened and in distress.
"He goes, this is the first time I can turn on the lights and sirens and we were greeted with smiles," DeGroot said.
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