New York-Sept. 7…First Responders Children’s Foundation (FRCF), the national 501-c3 organization dedicated to serving the children of U.S. first responders, which includes firefighters, police officers, paramedics, EMTs, and 911 dispatchers, today announced that Universal Music Group Nashville raised $176,281.62 through its annual Parade of Trees charitable holiday initiative to help further FRCF’s mission. 

Please see scholarship “reveal” video here. 

FRCF provides children of first responders with scholarships, bereavement grants, scholarships, mental health counseling, emergency hardship grants, disaster relief, and community engagement programs. The Parade of Trees initiative auctions “Once in a Lifetime” VIP experiences (fly-aways, VIP concert experiences, exclusive merchandise and more) from country music’s biggest stars. It also features decorated trees by each artist specific to their style or album on display at Gaylord Opryland Resort during the holiday season. 

Money raised by Universal Music Group Nashville’s Parade of Trees is directly supporting four scholarship winners this year: Ava Broneer, the daughter of a California Highway Patrol Officer; Elizabeth Mukes, the daughter of a Ventura Fire Department Officer; Maya Gaucci, whose father is a disabled New York State Police officer, and Mia Hill, the daughter of a Fort Wayne Fire Department Officer. 

“First Responders Children’s Foundation is enormously grateful to Universal Music Group Nashville and its star-studded Parade of Trees artists for helping ease the financial and mental health burdens experienced by far too many first responder families,” said First Responders Children’s Foundation President and CEO Jillian Crane. “These children watch their parents head into potential danger each and every day, and, tragically, many suffer the loss of a parent through line of duty deaths. These funds will go directly toward providing scholarships and mental health services for children whose parents serve as the backbone of public health and safety in America.” 

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ABOUT FIRST RESPONDERS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION (FRCF) 

First Responders Children’s Foundation is a national foundation that provides programs and resources that address the specific needs of children of first responders. The Foundation focuses on critical areas, including scholarships, financial assistance grants; bereavement assistance, mental health counseling for children; disaster relief; and community engagement programs to foster positive relationships between first responder agencies and the communities they serve. FRCF was founded over 21 years ago in response to 9/11 when 800 children lost a first responder parent. Additional information about FRCF can be found at www.1stRCF.org and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @1strcf.

Bill O’Reilly
212-396-9117
bill@oreillycommunications.com