DEPEW, N.Y. (WKBW) — They say everybody loves a parade and that saying remains true even during this time of social distancing.
“Depew itself, we’re a strong, small community and it’s just—we’re going to get through this. Everyone’s going to get through this," said Todd Rzeszutek, Assistant Fire Chief, Depew Fire Department.
He saw social distancing celebrations all over social media and wanted to do the same for his tight-knit community. He lead a parade of fire trucks street by street through the entire village.
“We just want to let everyone know that no matter what, no matter what the circumstance, your fire department, your police department, your Ems workers, your nurses, your doctors, everyone, we’re there for you,” said Rzeszutek.
Early in the parade they made a stop at a special birthday party for three-year-old Joey Lauricella, whose eyes lit up as the trucks passed by.
Joey is 3️⃣ today! This wasn’t the original plan, but @DepewFire made all of his wishes come true social distancing style. 🚜🥳 @WKBW pic.twitter.com/hCsRb5CRh1
— Taylor Epps (@taylor_epps_) April 5, 2020
“A lot of these folks were just strangers. How humbling is that? Half these folks, fire department, police department all these folks are taxed more than ever and they took the time to celebrate our child’s birthday and that’s just amazing," said Joseph Lauricella, Joey's dad.
The COVID-19 pandemic is hard for him to understand. For just a few hours, Joey and the entire community got a sense of normalcy and a reason to smile and stay #BuffaloStrong.
"This is Buffalo, we rebound from anything," said Rzeszutek.
