Tewksbury Youths Honored For Clearing Fire Hydrants After Storm
Two Tewksbury Youths shoveled snow for hours to help out their neighbors.
The Tewksbury Fire Department and School Department have honored a brother and sister for their work in clearing out fire hydrants after the February blizzard.
After the snow fall of the Blizzard of 2013 (Nemo) stopped, two Virginia Road residents took to the driveways and fire hydrants of their neighborhood and began clearing snow. Alexander Sousa, age 11, and his sister Sierra Sousa, age 9, shoveled for hours according to neighbor James Duffy.
“They worked hard to shovel out their neighbors and they located and shoveled out the fire hydrant near our house” according to Duffy in an email to Tewksbury Firefighter Richard Hamm, manager of the Fire Department’s Adopt-A-Hydrant Program.
“I know the positive interaction with Police and Firefighters as kids has had a long lasting positive effect on my own kids so I appreciate anything you & the TFD can do for Alex & Sierra,” Duffy went on to say in his email.
On Friday, Feb. 15, Alexander and Seirra were presented with Certificates of Appreciation “in recognition of the generous act of helping others in the community by clearing snow from neighborhood driveways and fire hydrants after the Blizzard of 2013.”
The certificates were presented with the cooperation of School Committee Chairperson Kristen Palimeno, Ryan School Principal Kevin McIntyre, and Trahan School Principal Donna Mooney. Alexander’s 6th Grade Teacher at the Ryan School, Mrs. Charlaine Melly, allowed Chief Michael Hazel and Deputy Chief Albert Vasas to present his certificate during a break in their classroom activities. Trahan Principal Mooney and Sierra’s 4th Grade Teacher Mrs. Jennifer Cote joined Chief Hazel and Deputy Vasas for her certificate presentation.
“These are great kids and we at the Fire Department certainly appreciate the time and effort Alex and Sierra put in to help their neighbors and the community” said Chief Hazel. "There are about 1,500 fire hydrants in Town and the Water Department does a great job of maintaining them. Our Adopt-A-Hydrant Program supports that effort by engaging the community’s help in keeping fire hydrants visible and accessible throughout the year."
Information the Adopt-A Hydrant Program can be found at the Fire Department’s website www.tewksbury.net/fire.
Dave
12:18 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Awesome job! Kids like this give me real hope for the future. Positive reinforcement from the town goes a long way and these kids will remember this forever.
Bob
12:27 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Great kids with equally great parents! Way to go!
Winston McDavon
12:57 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Disgrace to the town. Not the children, but people should be hired to go out and do this to EVERY fire hydrant. Despicable.
Bob
1:17 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
No Winston, people in the neighborhoods should do it as these kids did! It is your house it may save!
Dave
3:57 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Winston go away! Your negativity is what is despicable!
DaveR
12:19 pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Sure just raise taxes to pay for it . Have Sheriffs dept and bring inmates to do it. "It takes a villiage" as some people say
TewksTownie
4:31 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Wow...Winston, you sir, are the disgrace. These kids went out into their neighborhood and helped out their neighbors shovel out their driveways during the worst snowstorm that they've probably ever seen. This man did a pretty good gesture to make those kids feel good about their hard work. I bet you're the same kind of person that is angry about having to pay taxes to PAY THOSE PEOPLE. You're a joke. Get off of here and have a good night. You're the disgrace. And you're despicable. These kids did a great deed and you need to diminish their acts. Great job to Mr. Duffy for getting these kids recognized for their hard work!
TewksTownie
4:48 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Feel free to comment back because you have made an @$$ of yourself. These are young kids that have been taught well by their parents. They have been taught the benefits of hard work. Apparently you have not.
TomH
6:46 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Kids who shovel the hydrants are people Id want as neighbors when they're adults
Mary
7:58 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Kudos to these children that did this for their neighbors. Their parent's upbringing should be commended too. A little hard work for a child never hurt. It makes for better adults! Thanks for your help!
Winston McDavon
7:58 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
TewksTownie- I can tell you must not have read my comment correctly, I tried to dumb it down but I can now see it did not work. How based on a text comment can you conclude that I don't work hard? I work 50 hours a week, most week I work overtime. I want my children to learn and have a great future and shoveling fire hydrants is not the way. I pay my taxes and don't mind it at all. Taxes were created for a reason and I believe that reason is no longer in tact. I would gladly pay town workers to get all of the hydrants shoveled out instead of 3 of them on one single street. I don't have time to shovel. I am a hard working executive so before you come to conclusions get your facts straight you dunce. It is despicable that people will talk down to others with no prior knowledge of a person
Thad Castle
8:04 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Pay people to Shovel out fire hydrants? How many fires are there in Tewksbury? 1 a month? Let the snow melt and give these kids credit for something else that will actually help this town.
Winston McDavon
8:26 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Thad- clearly you don't know much about the town because many houses have set on fire this year. And I hope yours is next so that while your waiting for the snow to melt you can blame the lack of kids in your neighborhood for clearing the hydrants. You'll have plenty time to think while you stand outside watching the firefighters shovel out a hydrant with your $300,000 townhouse burning in the back
Pat Myhione
12:51 pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Sounds like a threat. Are you an arsonist?
That Guy Who Is Meh
9:54 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Where have my taxes gone