Hunk-A-Claus Comes to Harrah’s Masquerade This Friday Night!

By Sheri M Bleuler McKee~NOLA’s Party Girl

This Friday night, December 9, 2011, Harrah’s Masquerade is heating up the holidays by hosting the Hunk-A-Claus Holiday New Orleans Fire Fighters “Look HOT” Calendar Signing! Come warm up to the city’s hottest heroes in Masquerade from 8 till 11 p.m. Instead of Santa Claus, the ladies can sit in the lap of Hunk-a Claus and have their picture taken. The New Orleans Fire Fighters will have their calendars for sale and the guys will be there to sign them personally just for you while getting down to the tunes of The Wiseguys!

Fans love to get their calendar autographed so the hometown hero’s try to participate in as many events as possible. Fans can purchase a calendar online at www.hotNOLAfirefighters.com , and find event listings along with a full list of retailers that carry the calendar.

In August of 2006, The New Orleans Fire Fighters Foundation was formed by a group of businessmen to provide additional financial support for firefighters and to create partnerships with other foundations. Now celebrating the 5th Anniversary of the New Orleans Firefighters “Look Hot” Calendar, the foundation hopes to raise $40,000-$50,000 from 2012 calendar sales, which will help purchase multiple thermal imagers that cost approximately $10,000 per unit. A thermal imager translates infrared radiation into a viewable image providing a heat picture at fire scenes, providing “sight” to firefighters inside burning buildings.

“It is a proven fact that thermal imagers save lives and they are an invaluable tool for firefighters,” said New Orleans Fire Department Superintendent Charles Parent. “During these tough economic times we are grateful to have these lifesaving tools made possible by the sale of the firefighters calendars and it is our hope that one day each NOFD fire engine will have an imager.”

“The foundation has raised more than $200,000 over the past four years, which has helped purchase uniforms and thermal imagers for our city’s firemen,” said New Orleans Fire Fighters Foundation Board Member Gayle Dellinger. “Due to the lack of city funding, I created the calendar. After Katrina, 80% of the personnel lost everything personally and I felt it was an unnecessary burden to require them to purchase their uniforms for a City of New Orleans job. I wanted to help in a way that lots of people could support, not just a few wealthy donations. I put together a production team, that’s been together for 5 years now, to create a firefighters calendar which New Orleans had never had before, and we raised $75000 in the first year…calendar sales plus some donations received from all over the country and even internationally. In 2010 the Firefighters Foundation took over the sponsorship as a 501c3 organization, www.supportnofd.com . The 2012 calendar will be a special keepsake for anyone who appreciates iconic and longstanding New Orleans food venues and images combined with the city’s own hot and spicy firefighters.”

The 2012 calendar is the first time the New Orleans Firefighters “Look HOT” Calendar has had corporate sponsors. They’d like to thank Baumer Foods, Betsy’s Pancake House and Ye Olde College Inn for providing financial support. They also received kind donations from Rouses Supermarkets, Abita Beer, Lucky Dogs, Drago’s, Roman Candy Co., Southern Candymakers, Lakewood Golf Club, Randazzo’s King Cakes and Napoleon House. The additional support will boost the profit potential for 2012. This year’s goal is $50,000 and the calendar has raised $200,000 to date from the first 4 years.