CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A Champaign-based foundation will continue pushing fire safety into the community for years to come thanks to state help.

The Christian Sheehan Smoke Alarm Foundation gives out free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to the Champaign community. It’s named after a Champaign man who died in a house fire.

Now, thanks to a $50,000 state grant, the foundation is in the final stages of getting the crucial cash to continue their life-saving operations well into the future.

“It’s not a matter of ‘do we have enough funds to keep getting smoke alarms,'” said Joy Sheehan, mother of the late Christian Sheehan.

The foundation found out in October they’d be getting the $50,000. On Friday, WCIA caught up with Christian’s mom, who’s also the foundation’s leader to see just how much this grant means for the organization’s future and her son’s legacy.

“This will go on for many years now, and I probably won’t be around to see it,” Sheehan said. “So, it’s great.”

It was 2016 when the Champaign community lost Christian Sheehan in a house fire. The 23-year-old’s passing gave way to a foundation in his honor.

The Christian Sheehan Smoke Alarm Foundation holds yearly events where volunteers go door to door and offer to install new smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

“To bring some good out of bad and give back to our community because everyone was just amazing and has been amazing to us since we lost our boy,” Sheehan said.

She also said they got a special volunteer at last year’s event when Senator Paul Faraci came to help.

“We had our last event in May, the senator, Faraci, came and volunteered, and I believe it was already by August that he reached out to me by a phone call,” Sheehan said. “And then by October, I had an email, and now the community foundation has been working on this grant and expediting it, along with the Champaign Fire Department and going to make it happen.”

The grant they’ll receive will be up to $50,000. To put this in perspective, the campaign buys detectors for about $55, meaning the money will help them buy about 900 detectors.

“Each year, it was just trying to make sure we had enough for just that event,” Sheehan said. “And so now with $50,000, this event will be able to go on for many more years.”

And for Sheehan, it means Christian’s legacy in Champaign will continue to center around safety and security for years to come.

“Hopefully his life is helping save others and is drawing awareness to what a small price of what a smoke alarm is in comparison to a fatality of a loved one,” Sheehan said.

This year’s event is on May 3 at 8 a.m. with the volunteer home base at Franklin Middle School.
Volunteers will be trained by the Champaign Fire Department on how to install alarms.

Sheehan said those interested in volunteering should head to the foundation’s Facebook page or just show up at Franklin Middle School.

The Champaign Fire Department is partnered with the foundation and told WCIA in a statement, part:

“The Sheehan family has been instrumental in providing equipment, resources and finances that support our efforts to provide life-saving smoke alarms within our community.”