By Tricia Pursell
PORT TREVORTON — Organizers hope to serve meals to more than 500 people to raise money for a long-time Snyder County firefighter who remains hospitalized more than a month after a crash left him in critical condition.
Community members and fellow emergency responders have organized an April 10 benefit dinner to raise money for Jim Herrold, who has donated thousands of hours to public service over 20 years.
The 53-year-old Port Trevorton resident was seriously injured after he lost control of his car at 5 a.m. Feb. 10 during a snowstorm. His car spun into the southbound lane on Route 11 in Shamokin Dam and was struck by a tractor-trailer.
Doug Lauver, Port Trevorton fire chief, said Herrold’s condition has improved, and he is no longer in the intensive care unit at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, but he has a long road ahead of him for recovery.
He will soon be sent to a rehabilitation unit.
“It’s one day at a time,” Lauver said.
Herrold drove ambulance for Dauntless Hook & Ladder, Selinsgrove, and was active in the Port Trevorton Fire Company and Quick Response Service.
Given Herrold’s longtime volunteerism to the community, it didn’t take much for his colleagues to combine their efforts to help him in any way possible.
In the emergency response world, there is a spirit of camaraderie, Lauver said.
“It’s very much a family, tight-knit,” he said. “When you enter a burning building, you want to be able to, and need to be able to trust the person that is backing you up. That’s where the whole family things comes in.”
The dinner will be held at 3 p.m. April 10 in the Port Trevorton fire hall, 1604 Main St.
Donations may be sent to The Northumberland National Bank, c/o Jim Herrold Recovery Fund, 245 Front St., Northumberland, PA 17857.
