Residents gathered at the East Chatham Firehouse on Sunday to raise money for Rick Newton, a contractor and volunteer firefighter being treated for Stage IV lung cancer.
Newton was diagnosed in February and a GoFundMe page, created to help pay for his treatment, raised $16,000 as of Sunday, event organizer Susie Cayler said. Newton’s campaign had raised $18,021 as of Tuesday evening.
Cayler, whose husband is a cousin of Newton’s wife, Irene, recently curated an online auction that raised over $4,000.
“I would say I’ll be happy to make $10,000 here tonight, but I know the support’s just going to keep coming for him,” Cayler said.
The firehouse was filled to capacity in the first hour of Sunday’s fundraiser, Cayler said.
“We’re waiting for people to finish eating and leave so we can get more people in,” she said. “We’re trying to keep people from getting cold.”
Newton, who sat in a section of the firehouse dubbed Rick’s Corner, was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support.
“We’re getting these donations and stuff from people I’ve never met,” he said. “It’s absolutely great.”