Now available for purchase are those memorial T-shirts that Matt McIntyre promised to produce in honor of slain Philly cop John Pawlowski.
Matt, you might recall from my column about him last month, is a Northeast Philly resident who works full-time at the Kimmel Center as a stage carpenter and part-time as an un-paid fund-raiser for the families of fallen Philadelphia police officers.
Known as "That T-Shirt Fund-Raiser Guy," Matt's title isn't one he ever planned for or wanted. But what began as a simple effort, back in 2006, to sell T-shirts as a fund-raiser for the family of slain cop Gary Skerski has sadly morphed into a bigger operation, as the city has since buried another six officers killed in the line of duty.
Matt tells me that the shirts that honor Pawlowski are Union/American-made, navy blue with a gold-and-white print. A large version of the print is on the back of the shirt; a smaller image is displayed on the front left breast.
Long sleeve shirts go for $20.00 each; short-sleeve, $15.00. After costs, 90% of the profits will go to the Pawlowski family, 10% to the FOP Survivors Fund.
Matt's among the nicest, most naturally generous people I've ever had the pleasure to meet and write about. May his big heart never, ever again be called into action on behalf of a cop's grieving family.
To purchase a shirt or learn more about how to order, contact Matt directly at unionmatty@aol.com.
When my phone rings here at the Daily News, nine times out of ten the caller begins the conversation with, “Yeah, so what happened was…”.
Because this is Philly, the caller doesn’t say, “My name is Bob” – or Mary – “and I wonder if I could have a moment of your time?” Philadelphians are too direct for that. They just say, “Yeah, so what happened was…”, and then tumble into a tale they think oughta be shared with a wider audience. I love getting these calls (even the ones where it becomes clear, after 30 seconds, where the caller sowed the seeds of his own misery), because they give me chance to connect with fellow citizens in a way that no other job allows. Well, okay, no other job for which I’m remotely qualified.
That’s why my blog is titled “So What Happened Was…”. To me, it’s the quintessentially Philly way of saying, “Once upon a time.” When I hear it, I know a good story is coming. And I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Ronnie Polaneczky has been an award-winning columnist for The Philadelphia Daily News since 1999, offering a front-steps perspective on every aspect of city life, from the sublime to the stupid. In her past life, she was the editor-in-chief of Atlantic City Magazine, associate editor at Philadelphia Magazine and a fulltime freelancer published in Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Reader's Digest, Men's Health, MarieClaire and others. She lives with her husband, daughter and various pets in the city's Fairmount section, where she dreams of one day singing The National Anthem at an Eagles game. In addition to her column and blog, you can enjoy Ronnie's musings in podcast form here.
Read more from Ronnie Polaneczky at Earth to Philly, the Daily News blog on anything and everything "Green
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