Spotlight: Feal Good Foundation

So, wait, you're telling me I can go hang out with my new law school buddies, drink, and have fun all for a good cause?! That is exactly what they're telling me!  


Last Friday night, Rory and I attended this fun event that Drexel's Student Bar Association (SBA) puts on every year. It is called Cocktails for a Cause, and, as the name suggests, you drink cocktails in the name of a good cause. A local bar in Olde City, called Mad River, lets the school use its facilities for the night. Then students pay a $5 cover to get in and have very stiff drinks poured for them by their professors. (Believe me when I say stiff.) All drinks are $3 and the profs are working to see who can get the most tips. All proceeds from the night go to a charity, selected by the SBA in the planning process for the event.


This year's cause was the Feal Good Foundation (I'm assuming to honor the 10th anniversary of 9/11, but I can't say for sure). Therefore, I thought it would be a nice addition to the blog if we do a spotlight feature on the organization. I also hope to make this a recurring theme any time we have the opportunity to work with or come in contact with an organization that is doing great work for our community. So, let me tell you a little about the Feal Good Foundation.


The nonprofit was founded in 2005 as a support for First Responders who had been called to help in the clean up after the tragedy of 9/11 and suffered with a health problem or injury as a result of the work. The founder, John Feal, led a crew of Construction Demolition experts picking up debris, steel, and rubble on 9/12/01. Within the first week of working on the project, 8,000 pounds of steel fell on his foot, eventually resulting in a partial amputation. After suffering through many medical visits and dealing with numerous medical bills and insurance issues, he decided that no one who had served in the post 9/11 clean up efforts should be forced into debt and inability to pay for health needs from injuries sustained in the course of their service.


The Feal Good Foundation provides eligible first responders with an initial assist of $250.00 to cover basic costs, such as food or utility bills. Then, the eligible person may apply for more assistance, which is administered on a needs basis, to help cover medical bills, rent or mortgage payments, other bills, and/or other basic needs. As the website explains, "The primary mission of the FealGood Foundation, a non-profit organization, is to spread awareness and educate the public about the catastrophic health effects on 9/11 first responders, as well as to provide assistance to relieve these great heroes of the financial burdens placed on them over the last eight years. A secondary goal of the Foundation is to create a network of advocacy on 9/11 healthcare issues. We not only advocate for Ground Zero workers, but show others how they can advocate for themselves and help others through grassroots activism."


For more information on this organization, check out its website at: http://www.fealgoodfoundation.com/mission.html