Club helps injured GV firefighter

A Green Valley firefighter got a welcomed surprise earlier this month when he received a $1,500 check from the 100 Club of Arizona, which gives money to law enforcement officials who are injured on the job.

Firefighter Nathanael Dougall, 27, was seriously injured while helping prepare the Green Valley Fire District’s annual Halloween Safehouse when a taught, 18-gauge steel wire snapped and penetrated his eyeball, going through the pupil and iris and into the lens, he said.

Dougall will be undergoing surgery to replace the cataract in his right eye, and says he doesn’t know when he’ll be able to get back to work.

The 100 Club found out about the injury, and will be providing Dougall with a check every month that he is unable to work, for up to 12 months.

“I wasn’t familiar with the 100 Club before the accident,” said Dougall, who began working with the fire district in August. “It was really touching for me; I wasn’t expecting this at all.”

The 100 Club of Arizona is a non-profit, membership-funded program with the primary goal of donating $15,000 to the families of law enforcement officials and firefighters who have died in he line of duty; $5,000 is given to any officer or firefighter who dies while off-duty.

The club’s secondary goal is to assist those who are seriously injured on the job and temporarily unable to work, providing them with up to $18,000 over a 12-month period.

Their scholarship program helps the children of fallen or seriously injured officers.

Municipal, county, tribal and state law enforcement officers qualify, as well as firefighters, state correctional or parole officers, federal law enforcement officers working in the state of Arizona and military personnel who are called to active duty through a state enforcement agency.

“Our goal is to get in as quickly as possible and to essentially provide a bridge to help the families get by financially until the benefits start kicking in,” said Matt Janton, Southern Arizona representative for the 100 Club of Arizona.

“For the men and women injured on the job, worker’s compensation isn’t enough,” he said. “This is just a pat on the back for the folks who put their lives on the line for us every day.”

The organization got its start in 1952 following the shooting death of a Detroit police officer. A local car dealer, concerned with the plight of the fallen officer’s pregnant wife, asked 100 colleagues to donate $100 to the family of the officer. The response was an overwhelming success, and the funds garnered allowed the widow to pay off her mortgage and set up an education fund for the unborn child.

There are now chapters in many cities and states throughout the country; the 100 Club of Arizona was organized in 1965 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1968.

Janton, a retired fire captain with the Northwest Fire District in Tucson, travels to public safety agencies and businesses around Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Cochise, Graham and Greenlee counties, promoting the 100 Club, which he says is not well-known in Southern Arizona.

With a small staff primarily based in the Phoenix Valley, the organization lacks the manpower needed to orchestrate large-scale fundraisers, relying on individual memberships and publicity through word-of-mouth.

Groups often sponsor events for the 100 Club, donating proceeds from chili cookoffs, bake sales and craft fairs.

“We appreciate any help we can get,” Janton said.

“Once people find out what we do, they want to help, and wonder why they haven’t heard more about us.”

Memberships range from $150 per year for an individual, to $25,000 corporate sponsorships. There are even honorary child and pet memberships for $25 per year. All donations are tax-deductible.

“As soon as I’m able to get back, I’m going to become a member,” Dougall said.

“To know that there are people out here who do this, well, this is really just the definition of serving the community.”

For more information, visit www.100club.org or call (602) 485-0100.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726