Opinion: Spreading the message of a CT firefighter who knew how to make a difference

The Jim Lamarre Scholarship Foundation with the support of the Rocky Hill Fire Department and the Rocky Hill Firefighters Association will hold a memorial fundraising golf tournament on September 9 over at Tunxis Country Club in Farmington.

This is our second year doing this tournament for a Rocky Hill firefighter who had a line of duty death; we lost Capt Jim Lamarre back in March 2022 from occupational cancer.

We got together last year to honor his last wish to start a scholarship foundation for kids coming out of high school going to trade schools. Jimmy saw the writing on the wall, especially in the trades, that we were lacking young kids taking that career path, so he wanted to do something to help.

It all started with a local brewery, Still Hill Brewery, brewing a beer in Jimmy’s name, the Lamarre’s Lubricating Libation, a Double New England IPA, and giving some of the proceeds to a scholarship fund of his choice.

Jimmy chose the trade schools.

We decided to keep it going and have a golf tournament fundraiser.

We had such great success last year that everybody asked if we’re going to do it again, so this year we decided to have Tunxis Country Club be the host for the event.

There has been such an outpouring of sponsorship, donations, volunteers with all the local businesses and residents, our fire department, police department, our mayor, our state representative, and also a trade school, the Construction Education Center out of Plainville.

We are looking to give away some money to a couple recipients this year as well, in honor of Jimmy.

There was some media coverage before and after Jim passed….during a drive-by salute to Captain James Lamarre, which turned into a goodbye with him on his porch. He passed three days later.

Jimmy was a life long Rocky Hill resident as well as a 26 year firefighter and the mechanic for the fire department here in Rocky Hill.

He gave so much of himself and his time whether it was volunteering time after work for the fire department or volunteering time for fundraisers at town events, plus being a huge advocate and founder of the fire department’s current recruitment program.

And in this time, where we have lost focus on the importance of our first responders, we want to remind everyone that we all start off as regular people, but we wanted to step up and we’re just trying to do better and help each other out, plus bring attention to a lot of the inherent risks that come with everyday tasks, but especially in the fire service, and to show what the fire department gives back besides just being there as a first responder, they give back to the community as well.

Not only did Jimmy serve his community, he also served our country in the Army prior to coming back and becoming a mechanic then a firefighter, Jimmy was also Chaplin of the Rocky Hill VFW- Post 2138.

Like the saying goes, “All gave some — some gave all.”

Jimmy was the epitome of the latter part of that saying….Jimmy “gave all” and he continues to give even after his passing.

So now that I told you all about Jimmy, this is where you come in. We wanted to reach out and ask everyone for help in spreading Jimmy’s message about the impact any one individual can make.

To donate: Jim Lamarre Scholarship Fund, Fund Car42, 146 Shunpike Road, Cromwell, CT 06416.

Steve Wilson, Rocky Hill Fire Department