Local 1826 has been asked to pass along the gofundme link if anyone would like to help an extended member of our fire family through this tough time:

On December 4, 2020, Joe Koza was at his home in Cape Coral, Florida, when tragedy struck. An electrical fire had started in the garage. Within moments large portions of the house were engulfed in flames. Thankfully, he was not in the home when this occurred, and with the help of kind strangers, he was helped to safety. The Cape Coral Fire Department was quick to respond, but with the fire damage and the resulting water damage from extinguishing the flames, the house is now uninhabitable. Everything lost. 

Joe is a Military Veteran and served in the Navy.  He has been a pillar of the community in Cape Coral since 1966, coaching little league baseball for generations of young boys growing up. As a thank you for the thousands of hours of volunteering, money, sweat, and tears, the City of Cape Coral in 1993 honored him and Mr. Saladino by naming a new baseball park Koza/ Saladino Park. 

Unfortunately, Joe’s home insurance had lapsed, making this an even more difficult recovery. Joe would like to remain living independently, so this fund was created to jump-start the possibility of making that a reality. The hope is this fund could go towards his basic recovery needs and some housing arrangement with a possible thought of a new home on the property. 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/tragic-house-firehelp-coach-joe-koza-recover