Nineteen firefighters in Moncton have mustered up the courage to do something they say is far scarier than running into a burning building — they set aside their uniforms to pose for a pin-up calendar to raise money for the Children’s Wish Foundation.
“A lot of people were kind of hesitant to get in front of a camera with basically no clothes,” said Bryan Dubé.
But he said it’s worth swallowing his pride to help make dreams come true for sick children across New Brunswick.
The money raised from the sale of the $20, 14-month calendars will be donated to the New Brunswick chapter of the Children’s Wish Foundation, and will help grant the wishes of 48 children across the province this year.
“I’ve got three children myself and fortunately none are sick, but with our job we help a lot of people who are, we do see a lot of sick kids and it’s heartbreaking,” said Lonny Gelinas.
This is the first time in five years the calendar has been produced, and the first time ever that three female firefighters have taken part in the photo shoot.
“My first thought is that I was very hesitant, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to put myself out there, but when I found out what the cause was and that it was for the Children’s Wish Foundation it was without a doubt something that I wanted to do,” said Wendy Barton, one of only three women in the department.
“It is an inspiration for a lot of girls out there. I think we are role models for a lot of them, and if they can see us in there and are a young girl or an adult, you can see that you can do it too if you put your mind to it,” Barton said.
It took the crew about three months of grueling training and dieting prepare for the photo shoot.
“I basically didn’t eat for two months,” said Gelinas. “It was exhausting actually, but given what these kids go through it was just a small pain for a greater benefit.”
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