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First responder families privately tour OdySea for a day of fun
After going through hard times, families of first responders got some much-needed relaxation by getting a free, private tour of OdySea Aquarium.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - We all need a break, right? It’s been quite a year, and Scottsdale's OdySea Aquarium understands that.
200 Valley families of first responders that have been through trying times were given the opportunity to privately explore the aquarium on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 7.
This was also made possible through the 100 Club of Arizona, whose mission is, according to their website, "to provide financial assistance to families of first responder who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty and provide resources to."
"We want to back the community by giving back to those first responders that have sacrificed the most. Who have lost loved ones or significantly injured and give them a great day of fun," said Greg Charbeneau with OdySea Aquarium.
Angela Harrolle with the 100 Club says the families needed a moment to just take a break from the world and take it all in.
"Some of these families here today have suffered from significant injuries. Some of those families as well have lost people in the line of duty. This is a place they can actually smile, enjoy and walk through," Harrolle said.
Her husband was a DPS Officer and paramedic who died in 2008, so she says she knows what small moments like these can mean on the bigger scale.
"I would have loved to have had this opportunity when we had our challenges in 2008," Harrolle said, adding, "Everybody is just kind of in their own world and they believe what they believe and nobody can change their mind and it’s this or that, so it’s good to get away for a little bit."