E40FDNYL35
10-17-2002, 09:44 AM
Joke: "Why is it so expensive to fight a fire in Tribeca?" asked amateur comic and retired New York City Firefighter Billy (Bingo) Denis.
Punchline: "Because they make us use bottled water."
Bada bing. ...
Denis, who worked at Ladder Co. 126 in South Jamaica, is one of six firefighters who will be performing in a comedy benefit to raise money for the Thomas R. Elsasser Memorial Scholarship Fund, Oct. 25 at the Colden Center for the Performing Arts at Queens College.
Thomas Elsasser, a 19-year FDNY veteran and member of Ladder 104 in Brooklyn, died of leukemia in 1990, just three weeks after he was diagnosed. Two years after his death, the fund was created in his honor. The money raised goes to families of firefighters whose deaths were not in the line of duty, and who are not entitled to many of the benefits provided to families of firefighters who die on the job.
"If a firemen dies in the line of duty, they will get taken care of by the city by getting a pension and health coverage. If a fireman dies of natural causes, an illness or an accident, the family will only get one year of health coverage with no pension," said Denis, a close friend of Elsasser.
Aiming for 50G
Denis started doing the comedy fund-raisers three years ago. His shows have raised $12,500 in the past two years, and he hopes next week's event will sell out and net $50,000 for the fund.
Rosalie Halversen and her daughters, Melissa, 10, and twins Sarah and Jennifer, 5, are beneficiaries of the fund. In 1997, Halverson's husband, Firefighter James Halversen, was slain by a thrill-killer who shot him while he was jogging near his home in Centereach, L.I.
"The word fabulous doesn't even describe the purpose of the fund," Rosalie Halversen said, "It is like having a second family to turn to."
Tom Butler, spokesman for the Uniformed Firefighters Association, whose organization represents 9,000 firefighters from New York City and oversees the charity, said the Elsasser fund fills a gap because the city doesn't have a program to provide assistance to the families of firefighter who die of causes unrelated to the job.
The host of the show will be Brian Kilmeade of TV's "Fox & Friends." He will be joined by professional comics John DiResta and Joey Kola.
Tickets are $30 for the 8 p.m. show, and will be available at the door, or order in advance by calling the box office at (718) 793-8080.
Punchline: "Because they make us use bottled water."
Bada bing. ...
Denis, who worked at Ladder Co. 126 in South Jamaica, is one of six firefighters who will be performing in a comedy benefit to raise money for the Thomas R. Elsasser Memorial Scholarship Fund, Oct. 25 at the Colden Center for the Performing Arts at Queens College.
Thomas Elsasser, a 19-year FDNY veteran and member of Ladder 104 in Brooklyn, died of leukemia in 1990, just three weeks after he was diagnosed. Two years after his death, the fund was created in his honor. The money raised goes to families of firefighters whose deaths were not in the line of duty, and who are not entitled to many of the benefits provided to families of firefighters who die on the job.
"If a firemen dies in the line of duty, they will get taken care of by the city by getting a pension and health coverage. If a fireman dies of natural causes, an illness or an accident, the family will only get one year of health coverage with no pension," said Denis, a close friend of Elsasser.
Aiming for 50G
Denis started doing the comedy fund-raisers three years ago. His shows have raised $12,500 in the past two years, and he hopes next week's event will sell out and net $50,000 for the fund.
Rosalie Halversen and her daughters, Melissa, 10, and twins Sarah and Jennifer, 5, are beneficiaries of the fund. In 1997, Halverson's husband, Firefighter James Halversen, was slain by a thrill-killer who shot him while he was jogging near his home in Centereach, L.I.
"The word fabulous doesn't even describe the purpose of the fund," Rosalie Halversen said, "It is like having a second family to turn to."
Tom Butler, spokesman for the Uniformed Firefighters Association, whose organization represents 9,000 firefighters from New York City and oversees the charity, said the Elsasser fund fills a gap because the city doesn't have a program to provide assistance to the families of firefighter who die of causes unrelated to the job.
The host of the show will be Brian Kilmeade of TV's "Fox & Friends." He will be joined by professional comics John DiResta and Joey Kola.
Tickets are $30 for the 8 p.m. show, and will be available at the door, or order in advance by calling the box office at (718) 793-8080.