Freedom Fighters Give Big to Fisher House Foundation

Team Name: Freedom Fighters

Team Members: Greg Marak, Ryan Dombrowski, Joe Parisi and Ariel Gibilaro (seniors)

Charity: Fisher House Foundation, which “provides free or low cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers.”

Now seniors at , Dombrowski and Parisi are participating in their second . As sophomores, their group raised $500 for the Fisher House Foundation and Dombrowski says they “definitely want to beat it” this year.

Though the Fisher House Foundation is based in Maryland, it is currently working on a project on the New Haven VA property. The armed forces hold a special place for Dombrowski and other group members.

“My brother is a First Lieutenant in the Air Force and most likely going to Afghanistan in the spring,” he said. “Other people in our group also have family in the military and we think the military has some of the most respected individuals and members of society and deserve giving back.”

The Freedom Fighters got a quick start to the fundraising as of the , gave a speech at the end of their banquet explaining their project. They put out a box and made $130.

Next up is collecting money by going door to door.

“We did that two years ago and found it was the easiest way to make money,” said Dombrowski. “You get to meet people one on one. We print something from the website so we can explain the charity.”

Dombrowski, who is president of the Student Council with Marak being vice president, certainly sees the benefit of being involved in a project like Big Give–and not just for his team’s charity.

“Though we are based at the high school in North Branford, if you put 60 people together, all working for different causes, we could make an impact on the entire globe,” said Dombrowski.

If you’re interesting in donating to the Freedom Fighters, contact Ryan Dombrowski at 203-500-4896 or dombrowskiryan@gmail.com.