GFD treats students to movie

Gallup firefighter Leighton Reynolds holds the door of the Red Rock 6 movie theater for Lincoln Elmentary students Wednesday morning. Gallup Fire Department employees and Allen Theatres joined forces to treat 200 students to a day at the movies. (Photo by John A. Bowersmith/Independent)

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Pickles and a donation from the Gallup Firefighters Association funded more than 200 Lincoln Elementary School students' day at the movies.

The association donated about $200 to the school to purchase tickets for students who could not otherwise afford to attend. The students also sold pickles this month to raise money for their late-morning viewing of "Because of Winn Dixie."

A stream of first-graders filed into the Red Rock 6-Allen Theatres shortly after 11 a.m. as firefighters Leighton Reynolds and David Martin held the theater doors for the eager movie-goers.

"Thank you, thank you," one student said to the firefighters.

Lincoln Elementary School tutor Dorothy Romero said the movie is based on a book students read in school.

"Now they can compare the book to the movie," Romero said.

It took a McKinley-County school district bus driver four trips to transport the students to the theater.

Gallup Firefighters Association President Phillip Olvera said the association's members agreed to allot a portion of their dues to donate to the school.

The association consists of 38 members and all of those in attendance at the association's monthly meeting agreed the contribution was needed. Allen Theatres provided the students' tickets at a discounted cost and the association's contribution helped to offset the remaining costs.

"Children are always our biggest fans when it comes to the fire department," Olvera said. "We just wanted to give them this blessing back."