News

EDITORIAL: Week of April 19

April 20, 2012 Editorial Staff

Share this:

Recognizing our heroes

On April 27, Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band will wow audiences at Brooklyn Colleges Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts.

But, the biggest wow factor isnt the celebrities involved; its the person who the concert is being held to benefit, Army veteran Bryan Dilberian, one of Americas heroes, who lost three of his limbs in 2011 while on routine patrol in Afghanistan when an IED exploded, seriously injuring him and killing his best friend.

The Gary Sinise Foundation and New Yorks own Tunnel to Towers Foundation formed in memory of a firefighter killed on 9/11 are helping raise the money necessary to build Dilberian a smart house, so that he can go on to live his life in a home that will accommodate his special needs.

In so doing, the two organizations are helping all of us say Thank you.

Like police officers and firefighters, members of the military rush into situations where the rest of us would run away, to protect other people they likely do not know, and to preserve the American ideal of liberty.

We should all do what we can for them.

To purchase tickets to the concert, call 718-951-4500, Tuesday through Saturday between 1 and 6 p.m. or visit BrooklynCenter.com. Donations to benefit Dilberian can be made at www.tunneltotowersrun.org or sent to Tunnel Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306. Checks should be made out to Stephen Siller Foundation/Bryan Dilberian.

A family in need

Heartbreakingly, 13-year-old Henry Garcia was killed last weekend while riding his bicycle in his home neighborhood of Bensonhurst.

Now, his grief-stricken family cannot afford the cost of a funeral and returning his body to their native Guatemala.

The familys priest and parish, Father Michael Gelfant of St. Finbars, have stepped in to help the family raise the necessary funds. If you would like to contribute, send donations to St. Finbar R.C. Church, 138 Bay 20th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11214, Attn. Henry S. Garcia Fund. If writing a check, please include Henry S. Garcia Fund on the bottom. Call Father Gelfant at 718-236-3312 for more information.