Today, as we lay to rest young Tomasz Kaczowka, we come together as a community one last time, and hopefully begin to put this tragedy behind us.

But it’s not going to be that easy. That was obvious yesterday after Michael Chiapperini’s funeral procession passed the West Webster Fire House. Even well after the last bus had rounded the corner toward the cemetery, people still hadn’t started to disperse.  Our hearts were still bursting with love for these men that we needed to express.  There were still so many more tears to be shed.  We did not want this feeling of community — of family — to ever end.

And if any positive has come out of this awful event, it is that it has drawn the greater Webster community much closer together. My friend Kathy Saunders summed it quite well yesterday, when she said, “Even though Webster’s grown so big, it still feels like a small town.”

These last few days, as we all wrestled with the same feelings and sense of purpose, we were no longer strangers. As shoppers passed in the aisles of Wegmans, they nodded to each other. Dozens of Barry’s Old School Irish patrons stepped up to help with final preparations for the candlelight vigil. People are performing random acts of kindness for perfect strangers, first responders or not.  Everyone is being just a bit more patient and understanding in everything they do and with everyone they meet.

And because we all feel this strong bond with our community, and our fallen heroes, everyone wants to do something to help honor our two family members.  In my position as a blogger, I have been fortunate to have the important role of communicating information. Being able to write blogs and post regular updates on Facebook has given me a purpose, and has helped me work through my grief.

In many ways, the terrific Facebook page Prayers and Support for Webster Firefighters does the same for everyone else. It is a public place to express grief, post photos and videos, and give thanks, and it will make you cry. If you haven’t discovered it yet, please check it out. But in the meantime, here’s a sampling of some of the postings you’ll find there, which come from all over the country:

My daughter (Rochelle) works at Applebee’s here in Concord, NC. While working tonight she was talking with a customer who ordered a Labatt’s blue. She said “You don’t happen to be from up North are you?” The man answers “Yes, from Syracuse.” My daughter tells him we are from Rochester/Webster area. “He says, so you know all about the WWFD?” “Oh yes, ” my daughter says. The man says, Do you see the person over there?” He is pointing to another customer with our EMT uniform on. He says, “Here is $50.00. Don’t tell him where it came from.” — Melanie Secore DiBenedetto

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I am a member of the Selden FD from Selden, NY on Long Island and just returned home tonight. Words cant even describe how humbled I am from the generosity and kindness from the people of Webster. Every where we went people thanked us for coming “to our town”. Hugs handshakes and even some tears were exchanged. To the two anonymous parties who paid our meals I can’t thank you enough. As I look back I still feel that wasn’t necessary. I wish I could been able to thank those people in person. Now I want to thank the Town of Webster for allowing my brothers and myself to be apart of honoring two heroes “Chip” and Tomasz. It was an experience I will never forget. The love and support shown to the West Webster FD from that town was amazing. I wish I could have visited your town on better terms. Some of us are planning to visit another time on better terms. Thank you again! And to my fallen brothers “Rest easy brothers we got it from here.” — Jonathan Barnett

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I work at a Wegmans…for the past several days, I have personally witnessed several instances of kindness. When a fireman wearing a west Webster coat would be in line buying groceries, another customer would pay for them. When one of them was in line for coffee, i saw an employee jump in front of him to pay….I’ve seen random customers walk up to volunteers and give them hugs…the eyes of more than one of us welled up with tears.. — Lynn Watterson

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Living in West Webster at this moment reminds me that humanity is kind and caring and our community is incredible! I am so touched by how people have paid for hotel rooms for complete strangers many out of the town first responders, and family, food and bottled water donated non stop from many businesses and individuals, people gathering for candle light and a moment of silence, standing ovation to first responders entering places, but most of all hugs and understanding by many that this has affected so many within our community and beyond! — Kim Corpus

Finally, I leave you with three videos which I made from yesterday’s funeral procession.

The first is a slide show of the photos I took at the procession. The second is a video of the procession itself.  The third is a short video of comments from some of the people at the procession about why they decided to attend.

If you’d just like to see a Facebook gallery of photos, click here.

Here are some details about today’s events:

Funeral services for Past Chief Mike Chiapperini will be held today at Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Road, at noon. Attendees are encouraged to car pool as much as possible. The general public should utilize the parking lot at Schroeder High School, or if filled, the east end of the Webster Town Center, 1028 Ridge Road, Webster. Buses will be provided on a continual basis to Schroeder. Overflow parking will be available at Thomas High School, 800 Five Mile Line Road, with transportation to services provided.

There will be no public procession to the cemetery at the end of services, but community members are invited to join their friends and neighbors as we line the procession route from Schroeder to the cemetery on Maple Road in West Webster.  I found out about this effort from Debbie McCabe, who wrote,

Bystanders can wave banners/flags or simply show their support by lining the procession route.  Parking could probably be found at the movie theater, the Visiting Nurse Service, or Abbotts.  Timing is somewhat tenuous at this point, however 1:15 – 1:30 is a reasonable estimate -the memorial service is slated to start at noon and the procession will make a final pass by the firehouse before heading to Maple.

Immediately following the funeral today, the Webster Police Department is hosting a lunch reception at the Webster Thomas High School Field House, 800 Five Mile Line Road.  The reception is OPEN to the PUBLIC.  Food service starts at 2:15 PM.

I have been unable to find out whether the PD still needs help serving or cleaning up after the lunch, but a lot of people are just going to show up to be on hand if help is needed.

So much is happening so fast this weekend. Reports are coming in fast and furious about funeral arrangements, volunteer opportunities, businesses stepping forward to provide goods and services, hotel rooms being paid for, random acts of kindness of all shapes and sizes.

I know that a lot of people rely on my blog to report on what’s happening around town, and I have been trying my best in the last few days to do that.  But if I wrote a blog each time I heard about another wonderful thing happening in our community this weekend, I’d be posting three blogs an hour.

So what I will try to do, instead, is post updates on my Webster Blog Facebook page.  I know that not everyone is on Facebook, so I will try to gather some of the more important notes into a blog tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, I do want to bring a few things to your attention:

Click here to read the beautiful story in this morning’s D&C by Tiffany Lankes about yesterday’s calling hours.

Click here to see the Prayers and Support for Webster Firefighters Facebook page, which has become a clearinghouse for requests for donations of time and goods.

And you gotta see this: 13WHAM is preparing an end-of-year retrospective, and has posted a preview of the part about the Webster tragedy.  It is very moving. See it here.

I just found out about another great way people can help show their support for our fallen firefighters. Debbie McCabe sent me this email:

I have been made aware of another avenue for the Webster Community to pay their respects to Lt. 7Chiapperini. Community members have been requested to line the route of the funeral procession that will take on Sunday from Schroeder High School to the cemetery on Maple Road. Bystanders can wave banners/flags or simply show their support by lining the procession route. Parking could probably be found at the movie theatre, the VNA, or Abbotts. Timing is somewhat tenuous at this point, however 1:15 – 1:30 is a reasonable estimate -the memorial service is slated to start at noon and the procession will make a final pass by the firehouse before heading to Maple.

I will be there.

Please continue to let me know of other ways people can help — especially non-monetary ways — so I can pass them onto the community at large.

P.S.  I also just saw an email from Principal Glenn Widor at Webster Thomas High School which touched my heart and I wanted to pass along:

The Webster Central School District family is keeping the loved ones of Lt. Michael Chiapperini and Webster Thomas graduate Tomasz Kaczowka in our thoughts and prayers following the tragic events on Christmas Eve.

 At the request of Lt. Chiapperini’s and Tomasz Kaczowka’s families, our district is honored to open its doors to the community – and the nation.   This weekend, both high school buildings will provide a place for our community to gather, mourn, and begin to heal, following the unthinkable events that occurred just a few days ago. We salute Webster’s fallen heroes – Lt. Mike and Tomasz — and the legacy of public service and selflessness they leave to their loved ones and our community.

 This Sunday, Webster Thomas is hosting a meal in the Field House after the funeral service for Lt Michael Chiapperini at Schroeder. 

Wegmans is donating all the food. (Wow.) A follow-up email indicated that he had a tremendous response to his call for helpers to set up and clean up, but this would be a great chance to gather with people from all over our town, the state, the nation, and the world, and start to heal.

email me at missyblog@gmail.com

Click on the photo to see Mike Chiapperini’s obituary.

Today begins a very sad weekend for Webster, as we bid goodbye to two of our family members. If you would like to attend the calling hours and/or funerals, here are the details:

* Calling hours will be held for both firefighters at Webster Schroeder High School this evening for firefighters, police and first

responders. Webster community members will have a chance to pay their respects tomorrow (Saturday) from noon to 3 pm and 6 to 9 pm, also at Schroeder.  Parking will probably be limited, so people are encouraged to carpool, and a shuttle bus will be running regularly from Webster Thomas High School.

* Funeral services for Mike Chiapperini will be held at Webster Schroeder at noon on Sunday.

* Tomasz Kaczowka‘s service will be held on Monday at 10 am at Saint Stanislaus Church on Hudson Avenue.

Click on the photo to see Tomasz Kaczowka’s obituary.

Many Webster residents have offered to open up their homes to firefighters expected to be flying in from all over the country to attend the services.  But arrangements are being made through the fire district to house everyone in hotel rooms, at no cost to them.  Residents are welcome to join that effort by “donating” a hotel room. Many others have already done so, as you can see on this Facebook page.

Naturally, many other fund-raising efforts have sprung up in recent days as we all try to come to terms with our grief.  I don’t for a second think I know about all of them, but here are a few which have come to my attention:

This from Hegedorns:

Hegedorns Market has been serving the Webster community since 1953.  We feel an obligation to help provide for the families of the injured and fallen heroes of the West Webster Fire Department.  We have setup an avenue … at the cash registers at our store to donate.  While we have set a lofty goal, no amount of money can bring back a loved one or fully heal a devastating injury.  But as we have said, we feel we need to help in any way that we can.  Thank you.

This from Pizzeria UNO:

We’ll be hosting the ‘Dough Raiser’ at UNO this Friday through Sunday, December 28-30. Guests who would like to participate in the fundraiser can either go to our Facebook page (Uno Chicago Grill Webster) and print off a voucher, or ask for one at the host desk when the arrive. Up to 20% of their check from dining in or ordering take out will go directly to the West Webster Volunteer Firemen’s Association.

 And of course, you can also donate directly to the West Webster Firemen’s Association through their donation page.  They are particularly asking people to do this in lieu of flowers for the funerals.

Finally, I have had a few question from people who would like to donate time or service rather than money. For that, I quote from the D&C’s Flavors of Rochester blog by Tracy Schumacher:

The Hampton Inn at 878 Hard Road in Webster will be hosting a number of receptions for visitors in town as well as any family members that may want to gather. They will be held 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to noon Saturday; 10 a.m. to noon Sunday; and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday. These dates and times came from a great Facebook Page called Prayer and Support for Webster Firefighters…The hotel welcomes volunteers to help serve, as well as donations of food or beverages. The phone number to call to volunteer and/or donate is (585) 671-2050.