My name is Gonzalo
Pazmino. I am a fireman with the Chicago Fire Department. I was born in Ecuador, and at the age of 18
months I immigrated to the United States with my parents. I went to school in the states and became a
citizen at the age of ten. In 2007 I returned to Ecuador on vacation and
met the 2nd chief to the biggest city of Ecuador which, is the city
of Guayaquil. The chief stated that the
firemen of Ecuador were in bad shape, especially the fire departments in remote
areas, and that they were in need of a lot of help. I was greatly impacted by this and told him
that I would bring what I could in my luggage every time I came to visit and
donate it to firemen.
The chief guided me on a tour of firehouses and introduced me to other chiefs in Ecuador. Upon my return back to the United States, I started to call different fire departments and organizations for help. To my dismay, I was continuously turned down. One of the firehouses that turned me down was able to provide me with a reason for their decision. I was told that all their equipment was being donated to an organization called Hearts in Motion and that I should contact the founder of the organization, Karen Scheeringa. I called and explained what I was doing and without hesitation she informed me that she was more than willing to donate to my cause. I drove to Indiana to see Karen personally and from that point on Hearts in Motion has tremendously helped me and my cause for Ecuador.
Apart from donations I knew I wanted to go further with my cause. In 2008, I asked a group of Chicago Firemen to help by traveling with me to Ecuador to train Ecuadorian Firemen. From that point on, other firemen from other departments in the United States have joined our team. I travel with approximately 6 to 10 firemen from Chicago and other departments from other cities, 3 to 4 times a year. These firemen have families and other responsibilities of their own. They selflessly give their time and dedication for this cause
While on one of my training missions, I was taken to an orphanage in mountains of Ecuador. As a fireman that has seen so much in my line of work, the images I witnessed during my visit to the orphanage were life changing. The living conditions and the poor nutrition these children were living with were heart wrenching. From that point on I decided to do whatever I could to help this and other orphanages, as well as special need schools. This experience motivated me to start organizing fundraisers. The first two fundraisers I organized were comedy shows at Joes on Weed Street in Chicago in collaboration with The Mikey O Comedy Show. Last year I did my first Dance for the Kids Gala. All the proceeds went towards buying essentials such as, play ground sets, school supplies, and equipment.
In 2009 during our first fundraiser, I met a group of hard working professionals, Sandra Maldonado, Migdalia Al-Shboul, and Freddy Flores. This group wanted to help with the cause. They have helped from organizing fundraising events to establishing us as a non for profit organization, which known as Firefighters Hearts United.
In 2010 Hearts in Motion went to Ecuador with a medical team to do surgeries, such as cleft palates and other crucial operations. With the acquired donations, containers, crates full of medical supplies, firefighting equipment, ambulances, fire engines, and fire trucks have also been sent.
To know that lives have been saved through the training of firemen, the donations of equipment to fire departments, and by providing kids with the essential needs to be able to succeed and live with basic necessities, provide my fellow firefighters and myself with great satisfaction. We have a great passion for our cause and what we do.
Directors /Volunteers
Sandra Maldonado American Family Insurance
Migdalia Al-Shboul Miggy’s Braids
Freddy Flores UBM Elevator Solutions, LLC
Firefighters and Paramedics
Engr Luis Cordero Pm George Bedon FF/Pm Thomas Serbin
Engr Juan Sotomayor FF Pt Nee FF/Pm Johnny Musa
FF/Emt Eric Troken FF/Pm Terry Reilly
The chief guided me on a tour of firehouses and introduced me to other chiefs in Ecuador. Upon my return back to the United States, I started to call different fire departments and organizations for help. To my dismay, I was continuously turned down. One of the firehouses that turned me down was able to provide me with a reason for their decision. I was told that all their equipment was being donated to an organization called Hearts in Motion and that I should contact the founder of the organization, Karen Scheeringa. I called and explained what I was doing and without hesitation she informed me that she was more than willing to donate to my cause. I drove to Indiana to see Karen personally and from that point on Hearts in Motion has tremendously helped me and my cause for Ecuador.
Apart from donations I knew I wanted to go further with my cause. In 2008, I asked a group of Chicago Firemen to help by traveling with me to Ecuador to train Ecuadorian Firemen. From that point on, other firemen from other departments in the United States have joined our team. I travel with approximately 6 to 10 firemen from Chicago and other departments from other cities, 3 to 4 times a year. These firemen have families and other responsibilities of their own. They selflessly give their time and dedication for this cause
While on one of my training missions, I was taken to an orphanage in mountains of Ecuador. As a fireman that has seen so much in my line of work, the images I witnessed during my visit to the orphanage were life changing. The living conditions and the poor nutrition these children were living with were heart wrenching. From that point on I decided to do whatever I could to help this and other orphanages, as well as special need schools. This experience motivated me to start organizing fundraisers. The first two fundraisers I organized were comedy shows at Joes on Weed Street in Chicago in collaboration with The Mikey O Comedy Show. Last year I did my first Dance for the Kids Gala. All the proceeds went towards buying essentials such as, play ground sets, school supplies, and equipment.
In 2009 during our first fundraiser, I met a group of hard working professionals, Sandra Maldonado, Migdalia Al-Shboul, and Freddy Flores. This group wanted to help with the cause. They have helped from organizing fundraising events to establishing us as a non for profit organization, which known as Firefighters Hearts United.
In 2010 Hearts in Motion went to Ecuador with a medical team to do surgeries, such as cleft palates and other crucial operations. With the acquired donations, containers, crates full of medical supplies, firefighting equipment, ambulances, fire engines, and fire trucks have also been sent.
To know that lives have been saved through the training of firemen, the donations of equipment to fire departments, and by providing kids with the essential needs to be able to succeed and live with basic necessities, provide my fellow firefighters and myself with great satisfaction. We have a great passion for our cause and what we do.
Directors /Volunteers
Sandra Maldonado American Family Insurance
Migdalia Al-Shboul Miggy’s Braids
Freddy Flores UBM Elevator Solutions, LLC
Firefighters and Paramedics
Engr Luis Cordero Pm George Bedon FF/Pm Thomas Serbin
Engr Juan Sotomayor FF Pt Nee FF/Pm Johnny Musa
FF/Emt Eric Troken FF/Pm Terry Reilly