This was the 10th "9/11 Day of Giving" held at Big Bill's. Store owner "Big Bill" Ficke held the first one shortly after the attacks on 9/11/2001 to benefit families of New York city firefighters and police officers and it has been an annual event ever since. In 2009, the "9/11 Day of Giving" raised $55,000, so the 2010 total set a new record.
"I am completely blown away by the generosity of our customers and also of our staff here," said Ficke. "So many people took time on a Saturday to come out and support our event, and all of our staff donated all of their time and tips. It was a great day and by the end when we were all dog-tired, we sat back and thought, 'wow, we really did something good today.'"
All funds raised on the "9/11 Day of Giving" go to the JoAnn B. Ficke Cancer Foundation, which was formed in 2009 in honor of Ficke's wife JoAnn, who died of cancer in 2008. The JBF Cancer Foundation is dedicated to helping those families who are struggling to fight the disease. For information on organizations the JBF Cancer Foundation supports, click here.