VFD’s fundraiser nets over $17,000

Lakeshore Volunteer Fire Department held its annual Springfest on Saturday, May 31. From bouncy houses to petting zoos to auctions, there was fun to be had for everyone.

The event, planned by Bandera local Tammy Teich, raised over $17,000, proving to be their best fundraiser to date.

“It’s a tradition that has gotten better every year,” Chief Eric Fraser said. “We are currently expanding our building, and a good portion of our proceeds will go to covering that.”

The department was grateful for the community’s contributions. Local businesses like Lowe’s Market, Spirits of Texas, Maggie Mae & Nellie Rae’s, Carquest, Boyle’s Hardware, Tripp’s Tire & Bobcat Rental, Fickle Pickle and Hyo Silver contributed prizes.

“Tripp’s provided steel chainsaws,” Chief Fraser said. “Lowe’s gave us all the food we cooked for the barbeque plates. We even had citizens donate TVs, air fryers, all kinds of trinkets.”

Because volunteer firefighters do not receive any payment from the state, volunteer fire departments rely heavily on donations to keep up with operational costs.

“Turnout gear is five thousand a person,” First Responder Melissa Fraser said. “Radios are another five-thousand dollars.”

“Just the normal operating budget is around 8090K a year,” Chief Fraser said. “With the insurance, and the upkeep, and the replacement of equipment, and the gas. So, that’s a lot that we have to raise throughout the year because we don’t have time to shut down.”

“The county is always very generous,” Melissa Fraser said. “Not just to our fire department, but all of them.”

“Over sixty percent of our calls are medical situations,” Chief Fraser said. “With these donations, we can cover training costs for our firefighters. We have a class coming up that costs 2K a person. Right now, we have ten on our team. No one takes a dime, in fact, most of us put our own dimes in.”

“Springfest is a great way to get the community out,” Melissa Fraser said. “We love this event because it helps our department, but it also allows neighbors to get to know each other that they didn’t even know they had.”

“Churches and fire departments are hubs for every city,” Chief Fraser said. “We have to maintain the trust of our community, which is why our monthly meetings discuss every penny we spend. We want total transparency. We get a lot of support, which makes this work rewarding.”

“We really owe Tammy Teich a huge thank you,” President J.R. Kimmerly said. “She did a fantastic job organizing this event.”

Lakeshore Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting another annual fundraiser, the Turkey Shoot, later this year. Details are TBD at the time of publication.