Community, friends and family

Car wash, other efforts, raise funds for young burn victim, By Elora Kalish Central Valley Roasting marshmallows is a great American pastime. Fifteen-year-old Julia Young and her friends did just that on a recent Saturday night in a patch of woods near the Village of Harriman. One cup of gas later, tragedy struck. Julia and her friend, Alexandra Weireter, suffered burns that required them to be airlifted to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. Alexandra, who suffered burns on her face, neck and arms, is expected to make a full recovery. But Young, with 65 percent of her body severely burned, is now lying in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Maria Ferrari Children’s Center in Westchester. Julia’s medical bills are soaring. Her father, Jerry Young, works for a small catering and café family business in Clifton, N.J. The family couldn’t afford medical insurance, and so like many other Americans, made the difficult choice to live without it. Now, Young shakes his head and wonders, “How we’re going to afford (this), I have no idea.” His wife, Michele, sits vigil at Julia’s bedside, hoping her daughter’s body sees no infection. At a minimum, they are looking at a four-month hospital stay. This will be followed by many more surgeries and many more nights in a hospital. The ordeal will not end before four years have passed. The medical bills will keep growing. Susan Francella, a mother of two who had never met the Youngs, was watching Channel 12 news on Sunday, March 22, when Young’s story played. Her heart broke. Something must be done to help this family, she thought, and said as much to her husband, Joe, president of the Central Valley Fire Company. Joe went to the firehouse and shared the story with his fellow firefighters. They sprung into action, deciding to hold a car wash to raise funds to help with Julia’s medical costs. They received donations from area businesses. Staples donated the printing of the pictures for the publicity signs. Home Depot supplied wood for the signs. Walmart donated buckets and sponges. On the day of the event, exactly one week after the Francellas’ initial conversation, Cosimos Restaurant, Jay’s Deli and Danny’s Market all sent food to help fortify the 20 or so volunteers who washed and dried cars and collected money roadside. Another volunteer firefighter, Larry Amanuel, and his wife, Nancy, supply greenery for use in movies, and are currently working on a Meryl Streep film being shot in Brooklyn. They shared the Youngs’ plight with others working on the set and collected $1,000. Don Guerri, another Central Valley firefighter who works as a union contractor, did the same at his job site, also collecting $1,000. By the end of the day, 150 cars were washed. Many more people had stopped to place their dollars in roadside collection buckets. The total collected for the day was several thousand dollars. Fundraisers are being held in Passaic County, where the Youngs are originally from. Jerry Young’s sister-in-law is making ribbons, white with a rose in the center, to symbolize love and support. Teachers are paying to dress down on Fridays. Police and firefighters are doing their part to raise funds. These two communities, touched by the same tragedy, are doing what they can to help. “Community, friends, family, so much support going out, it’s wonderful,” Jerry said. “When this is done, we’re not going to forget.” Donations are still being accepted. Checks may be made payable to the Central Valley Fire Company, with Julia Young in the memo line. For more information, call Joe Francella at 914-403-3988.