Outpour Of Support For OC Firefighter Battling Cancer In Laguna Niguel

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — When Laguna Niguel resident Casey Foster and her family learned that an Orange County Fire Authority Chief and close family friend was battling cancer, they wanted to do something to help.

What began as an idea for a bake sale turned into something much more thanks to the help of friends, family and a few generous local businesses, Foster told Patch.

"[It] started out as an idea for a bake sale, and turned into an incredible event with food, games, and a raffle and silent auction with 26 donated items," Foster wrote on Facebook. "The night was filled with a lot of love, all with one shared goal of supporting a friend during his time of need. We are not all fire fighters but last night, we felt the love of a brotherhood."

The event took place Saturday, with roughly 200 South Orange County residents coming out to a Laguna Niguel neighborhood to support Vincent Carpino and his family. Six different fire stations also attended the event, and multiple fire chiefs made a show of their support, Foster said.

Foster said that in preparation for the event, volunteers baked treats and created raffle baskets to prepare for the fundraiser. She told Patch that her Laguna Niguel home was used as a revolving door for donation drop-offs, and on the day of the event, more volunteers filled her neighborhood block to set-up, cook and sell goods.

"Saturday was an amazing display of what happens when a community comes together to support one of our own," Foster said. "All our efforts paid off and we surpassed our original fundraising goal by a huge amount."