Community service comes easy to Sam Lobene. It’s in his blood. His father and uncle, Mike and Jim Lobene, have served the Spencerport Fire Department for decades. His late grandmother, Joyce Lobene, served as a trustee and mayor of the Village of Spencerport. Sam joined the Spencerport Explorer Program when he was 12 years old as part of the Junior Explorer Program. Now at 17, Sam is a member of the Spencerport Fire Department as a restricted firefighter (a restricted status is given to fire fighter who is only authorized to work the exterior of a building fire).
Sam is set to graduate from Spencerport High School (SHS) in June. During their final year of school, SHS seniors must complete a project. According to the Spencerport Central School’s website, this assignment is a “year-long, independent project that is reflective of the basic academic, organizational and communicative competencies required for success at the post-secondary level and is consistent with New York State’s ‘College & Career Readiness’ initiative.” Each senior must complete a written paper along with an activity or product on the topic of his or her choice.
Sam said that his advisor explained that his project should center on a topic or hobby that he enjoys.
“My advisor told me that I should write about something that I’m passionate about. And that was easy for me to do. I hope to some day be a paid firefighter. I chose to write about the history of firefighting and then decided to do a fundraiser to benefit the National Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation,” Sam explained.
As part of his research, this past spring Sam and Mike took a trip to New York City where they visited the National September 11 Memorial and Museum along with New York City Firehouses. His goal was to learn about how the events of the September 11 tragedies impacted the United States and how fire fighters were involved in the rescue efforts. He also learned about the process of becoming a paid firefighter, civil service tests, and fire companies.
“I was only two years old when 9/11 happened so I don’t remember much except that my mom and dad were very sad. As we were walking around the 9/11 Memorial, I thought to myself, that these people who passed just thought that they were going to have a regular day without realizing what the outcome of the day would be,” Sam said. “The memorial was very intense to see. I was speechless as I read all of the names of the people who died. Now I understand the dedication that the firefighters had to stay and work through the rescue efforts.”
Sam’s paper focused on the history of firefighting and how it has evolved.
Part two of Sam’s project came on Saturday, May 13 when he implemented a boot drive fundraiser in the Village of Spencerport from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Sam and fellow volunteer firefighters stood in downtown Spencerport at the intersection of West Avenue and Union Street with their fire boots in hands and collected donations from people driving through the Village.
“We were scheduled to be in the Village until 3 p.m. but we stopped early because the amount of donations we received were incredible,” Sam said.
Over $5,400 was collected during this three-hour period.
Doug Hanson is a teacher at Spencerport High School and the Senior Project Coordinator. He noted how Sam’s project aligns with the objective of the senior project.
“The senior project is designed to allow students to pursue a passion. We encourage students to complete a community-based project,” Hanson said. “Sam’s project is a perfect example of this and his fundraiser was by far the most successful senior project ever completed.”
Sam’s senior project is completed and he’s ready to walk the stage at graduation. His future plans include college – he’s set to study Fire Protection Technology at Monroe Community College in the fall. The family legacy continues.
Donations for Sam’s fundraiser for the Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation continue to be accepted. Contributions can be mailed or dropped off at the Spencerport Fire House, Station 1, 175 Lyell Avenue, Spencerport, NY 14559. Please mark National Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation on any checks.
In 1992, the United States Congress created National Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation. Located in Maryland, this non-profit organization provides resources to assist injured or deceased firefighters and their survivors in rebuilding their lives and work within the fire service community to reduce firefighter deaths and injuries.
