durham inc.
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ANSWERING THE CALL P H O T O G R A P H Y BY K E N H U T H , H U T H P H O T O The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce honored Durham’s first responders at its sixth annual appreciation breakfast at the Durham Convention Center. This year’s event was the largest attended breakfast yet with 435 guests, and it recognized the commitment of the men and women serving Durham and surrounding areas – 15 divisions in total – including first responders from the City of Durham, Durham County, Duke University, Durham Technical Community College, North Carolina Central University and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. New Durham resident Dan Pfeifer gave the keynote speech about his experience in New York City on 9/11 as well as that of his brother, Ray, a NYC firefighter who spent months at ground zero. He passed away on May 28, 2017, from cancer caused by the toxic debris. The Ray Pfeifer Foundation is an organization dedicated to assisting 9/11 first responders, firefighters and police with medical needs not covered by insurance. Ray was also a leading force in lobbying to extend the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act through 2090, ensuring health care coverage for the 75,000 people who need, or will need, treatment for health conditions developed as a direct result of 9/11 exposure.
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1 Dan Pfeifer of The Ray Pfeifer Foundation. 2 Durham Police Department Cpl. Robert Vernola, Ofc. Jon Alcala and Ofc. Clarence Drayton, and Fidelity Investments’ Jim Connor and Krista Cavalieri. 3 Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Geoff Durham and Vice President of Economic Development Timothy Downs. 4 Durham Police Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis, Wool E. Bull and City of Durham Council Member DeDreana Freeman. 5 Durham Fire Department Chief Robert Zoldos, Driver Elaine Towner, Assistant Fire Marshal Ashley Fletcher, Assistant Chief Jody Morton, Captain Carol Reardon and Assistant Fire Marshal Brandon Link. 6 Carmella Melton, director, head of internal communications & employment brand at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
120 • durhammag.com • October/November 2019