IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) — Organizers of the fourth annual Orange County Bomberos cornhole tournament fundraiser say the upcoming event is critical in providing scholarships to low-income youth pursuing careers in the fire service.
Founders of the organization met while working with the Orange County Fire Authority. The OC Bomberos officially became a nonprofit in 2020. The president and co-founder, Gabriel Flores, said they've awarded 40 scholarships so far.
The foundation for the nonprofit comes from teens who once had no direction, single mothers who struggled to make ends meet, sacrificing for their families and a passion for sports fueling a strong work ethic.
"I had no clue where I was going. I'm the first person in my family to go to college," Flores said.
The vice president and co-founder of the nonprofit, Andrew Robles, shared how his mother reacted to the cost of his first cadet uniform. Her look said it all, but she never complained and somehow, made it work.
"I remember seeing the look on her face of like, 'How am I going to pay for this?'" Robles said.
Lee Nishanian joined the nonprofit as secretary in 2022. He said he wanted to give youth pursuing a career in the fire service the guidance sports gave him.
"My motivation to play was, making sure, you know, my grades were right and you know, I was behaving at home, otherwise my parents wouldn't let me play sports," Nishanian said.
Much of the funding comes from donations and their annual cornhole tournament at Hangar 24.
A $1,000 scholarship in May came as a relief to Nathaniel Guerrero and his parents. Guerrero is a cadet with the Orange County Fire Authority.
"They had already told me that they wanted to pay for it and so this helped a lot. Just knowing that they weren't gonna have to do that and I was able to pay out-of-pocket, the remainder," Guerrero said.
Classes aren't cheap.
According to Rio Hondo Community College, certifications in the region for a basic fire academy run about $5,000. The cost of an education to become an emergency medical technician was $2,000. Staff with the Orange County EMT said the cost of their paramedic school was $14,000.
One crew said they often saw the need for financial aid in the communities they served and courses they taught.
It wasn't uncommon for them to see students nodding off because they spent the previous night working to made ends meet.
"We find out that they're trying to provide for their family, for their parents because they have to work a graveyard shift, or they're working two jobs and they're still trying to pursue their own career," Flores said.
Scholarship applicants must be OC residents, have a minimum 2.5 grade point average and have completed prerequisites for their programs.
Next comes the guidance — mentors giving back the help they once received.
"We see a lot of ourselves in them. How we grew up and if it wasn't for somebody basically pulling us by our collar and mentoring us and showing us there's a different path in life, like, our lives could've been a lot different," Robles said.
Check-in for the cornhole tournament is scheduled for noon Saturday. Anyone wanting apply for a scholarship, register for the event or make a donation to the nonprofit can click here.
