First Alliance donated $10,000 to the Rochester Fire Department on December 21, 2017 to help bring back the Clock Tower and Bell back to Fire Station #1 on Broadway in Rochester.
First Alliance's gift allowed the Fire Department to raise $100,000, in order to receive a matching grant from Alan Calvano, whose last wish was to rescue the downtown Central Fire Stations' 1899 4-sided Seth Thomas Clock and Bell. He felt it should be returned close to its original location on South Broadway where it would serve as an important gateway architecture feature to downtown.
The Fire Department had been fundraising since 2015, to match the $100,000 grant to move the Clock Tower and Bell from storage back to its original location at the fire station. In mid-December, First Alliance learned the Fire Department needed $10,000 to reach the $100,000 mark to receive a matching grant and didn't hesitate to contribute. While the donation allowed the Fire Department to receive their grant, the cost estimate for the move increased to $300,000, so there is still fundraising to be done.
First Alliance Credit Union President/CEO Mike Rosek said, "We are excited to have the opportunity to help the Rochester Fire Department reach their goal for the matching grant. First Alliance was the first credit union in Rochester, and we were founded by seven Rochester fire fighters in 1932. The firefighters that founded the credit union believed in our mission of placing members' needs first, and a commitment to giving back to the communities we serve. The Fire Department's history is our history, is part of Rochester's history, and we're humbled to a part of it."
Learn more about the history of the Clock Tower and Bell.